Microsoft today revealed the Surface Pro 3 tablet, which the company touted as "the tablet that can replace your laptop."
The device goes on sale Wednesday, starting at $799. It will be available in three configurations: with an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processor.
Though many thought Redmond would reveal a small Surface, Microsoft actually went bigger with a 12-inch Surface tablet device. But it is lighter than the Surface Pro 2 at 800g and is only 9.1mm, the thinnest Intel Core product ever made, Microsoft said.
The Surface Pro 3 sports a 2,160-by-1,440 display, which Panos Panay, head of Microsoft's Surface division, said provides the "highest contrast ratios in the industry." That's important, he said, because it means your eyes will get "less tired" as you work.
He dropped the Surface Pro 3 from shoulder height to the carpeted stage floor below to show off its durability.
Panay compared the Surface Pro 3 to the 13-inch MacBook Air. Despite a smaller screen, the new Surface allows for 6 percent more content on the display than the Apple laptop, he said.
Panay pointed to stats that said 96 percent of people with iPads also have a laptop. "There's a reason for that," he said: tablets are for kicking back and watching movies or using apps, while laptops are "designed to get stuff done."
With Microsoft's new Surface Pro 3, the company is focusing on "taking that conflict away," he said.
Adobe, for example, showed off a version of Photoshop optimized for the Surface Pro 3, which includes larger icons for easy edits.
As for the accessories, Panay demoed a new dock that can display out to a 4K monitor. The kickstand, meanwhile, lets the Surface recline further than ever before - mostly for those who want to watch movies on their laps ("lap-ability," Panay said).
A new Type Cover, meanwhile, has a revamped trackpad, which Panay acknowledged received a lot of criticism in previous iterations. We "almost re-invented it," he said, including the addition of a hinge that adheres to the screen for easier manipulation (see above).
Panay also showed off the Surface Pen - "not a stylus" - for the Surface Pro 3, that "feels weighty" like a pen you might have on your desk. "It's not meant to be cheap," Panay said. "When you write, it feels great."
The pen is a connected device; write something on your Surface Pro 3, click the pen, and your thoughts are saved to the cloud.
When Microsoft revealed its first Surface tablet, there were reports that its hardware partners were blindsided by the announcement. Today, CEO Satya Nadella insisted that Microsoft "is not interested in competing with our OEMs when it comes to hardware."
"Our goal is to create new categories and spark new demand for our entire ecosystem," he said. Redmond is "not interested in building refrigerators and toasters" or "hardware for hardware's sake."
Stay tuned for a full hands on with the Surface Pro 3. For more, check out PCMag's live blog from today's event.