Only time will tell how the ripple effects of the wave of Microsoft’s Surface 3 cost will settle on higher education campuses
With the announcement of the Surface Pro 3, one can argue that Microsoft has effectively left the tablet market to the Apple iPad and Android devices, and seeks to create a market as a lightweight laptop replacement.
When Microsoft launched the Surface, it was promoted as a tablet device WITH a keyboard, implying that was an advantage over the iPad. Now that they have seemingly lost that battle to the nemesis from Cupertino, they are marketing the Surface Pro 3 as a laptop WITHOUT a keyboard. What once was an attachable feature is now a detachable one.
The second area where Microsoft has made a shift is in the area of price. The initial price of the Microsoft Surface RT was in the ballpark of the cost of the Apple iPad which was between $400 and $500. This was in line with its declaration of being an “iPad-killer.”
But with the introduction of the features in the Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and now the Surface Pro 3, the price point has reached close to $1000-$2000 retail with the keyboard. That places it more in line with a high-end laptop or MacBook Air than with other tablet devices like the iPad, Kindle Fire or Dell Venue.
So the next question is will the Surface Pro 3 succeed in this new niche?
(Next page: Is higher ed faculty interested in the device at the increased cost?)