New Delhi, April 1 – Microsoft on Tuesday announced Surface 3 tablet, replacing the older version Surface with a tablet that will run full Windows and not the more basic Windows RT. On this account, the new tablet is similar to the Surface Pro 3, which sells for a much higher price.
The Surface 3 will be available at a starting price of $499. It will be available 26 markets by May 7 and will run Windows 8.1. For now, there are no details about the India-specific price and launch date.
Until now Microsoft hasn’t launched a Surface tablet in India but that has been due to its higher price, which Microsoft believes is not suitable for a price-sensitive market here. But Surface 3, with its lower price and yet almost laptop-like functionality, could be the first Surface tablet to see the India launch.
The Surface 3 has a 10.8-inch screen with 1080P resolution. At its starting price, it will be available with 64GB internal storage and 2GB RAM. It is powered by an Intel Atom processor and hence will run all Windows applications unlike the previous Surface tablet powered by Windows RT.
“Surface 3 features the same beautiful design and premium materials as Surface Pro 3 in a more compact and efficient package. It is thin (just 8.7 mm) and light (622 grams) and has a 10.8-inch screen.
Compared to the 12-inch Surface Pro 3 it is slightly smaller and it feels great when you’re using it as a tablet,” Panos Panay, corporate vice president for Microsoft Surface, wrote in a blog. The tablet has two cameras — an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 3.5-megapixel camera on the front. It also comes with the same kickstand that is found in the Surface Pro 3.
Microsoft said that a number of accessories would be available for the tablet. the important ones among these are Type Cover, which will allow the tablet to be turned into a sort of laptop, and Surface Pen, which works as a stylus for the tablet.
-INDIA TODAY
