Microsoft announce Surface 3 (non-pro edition) starting at $499

Fingleberries

http://blog.surface.com/2015/03/announcing-surface-3/

Nice to see MS bringing a decent budget option for the Surface - not hampered by Windows RT either.

I could be tempted by one of these

wilser

Not sure how $499 converts to €609 which is the price being quoted on this side of the Atlantic

Crocked

wilser wrote: »

Not sure how $499 converts to €609 which is the price being quoted on this side of the Atlantic

The ****e exchange rate at the moment plus VAT pretty much.

Andrew76

Here's another link with full specs: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/products/surface-3. 2 or 4 GB of RAM is nice.
I would've thought they'd do the usual $1 = €1 conversion and charge us €499?

Fingleberries

wilser wrote: »

Not sure how $499 converts to €609 which is the price being quoted on this side of the Atlantic

What the ...? I'm out.

It would've been worth a punt for €499. Nothing doing for €600+

evolutionqy7

They really need to include the keyboard. Even if it's the lesser touch keyboard to seal the deal.

While some people are saying duck that to 600 euro pricing I can imagine it's going to be a far nicer laptop/tablet than 600 quid can get ya vs rivals. Free of bloatware with properly optimized hardware for windows.

It has also comparable storage option vs ipad.
This has a microsd card slot though so you can expand your storage quickly. I'd still call it more of a laptop than a tablet.

I had to use my surface pro 3 for a few weeks for work instead of a laptop and it never skipped a beat as a workhorse and can easily use it as a tablet at home.

theothernt

Fingleberries wrote: »

What the ...? I'm out.

It would've been worth a punt for €499. Nothing doing for €600+

Agreed.

€600 = $500 in Euro + VAT + small markup

Fingleberries

theothernt wrote: »

Agreed.

€600 = $500 in Euro + VAT + small markup

That would be about €40-€50 markup? Quite a significant markup when you're aiming at the mid-tier pricing - it's the price of buying the pen separately.

Alanstrainor

I thought the Pro 64GB was around 700ish?

I'd hold out for the pro version if it was possible...

AlmightyCushion

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I thought the Pro 64GB was around 700ish?

I'd hold out for the pro version if it was possible...

The pro 128GB is €919 at the moment. The Pro 64GB is €738. So the 128GB non pro is only €200 cheaper than the pro, and the 64GB is about 100 cheaper. I think the surface 3 is a great product but not at that price. It really needs to drop about €100 euro.

Dman001

Surprised they went for an Atom, and not a Core M for this. I swore I'd never go back to an Atom after the Netbook days, but it does seem they've improved over the years.

Seems like a decent competitor to the iPad in fairness - full OS, runs full x86 programs, USB support, multi-monitor support, etc. Windows 8 isn't that bad at all, but Windows 10 is only down the line too.

I'd still get a Surface Pro over one if these - bigger screen, better processor, etc for only €100 more.

wrt40

Dman001 wrote: »

I'd still get a Surface Pro over one if these - bigger screen, better processor, etc for only €100 more.

Don't know about that. Pro is €130 more compared to the i3 which isn't exactly a workhorse itself. Pro line is overkill for most home use. Reviews aren't out yet, but Surface 3 should handle everything bar heavy disk processing such as video encoding. Also the pro screen although bigger, is still not big enough. If you need a big screen you're likely going to need 15.6"+, so neither is good enough if screen size is an issue. Based on that I would go with the smaller form factor as it's better as a tablet and general everyday use. It's also fanless. You then have a few options when you need to use it with a bigger screen: cast to a TV, plug directly into a TV\monitor, or use a docking station.

awec

wilser wrote: »

Not sure how $499 converts to €609 which is the price being quoted on this side of the Atlantic

The $499 is without US sales tax.

In the US taxes generally aren't included on listed prices as they can vary depending on where you are.