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- Surface 3 with available accessories
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- Chromebit HDMI stick running Chrome OS
Microsoft shifted its focus when it introduced the Surface Pro 3 last year to target both the iPad and the MacBook, but today the company announced a more consumer level iPad-like version of its tablet simply called the Surface 3 with the same $499 starting price as the iPad Air 2.
Google also unveiled a collection of new competitively priced hardware including new Chromebooks and a Chromebit HDMI running Chrome OS for under $100 …
While the Surface Pro 3 features Core i3, i5, and i7 processors like the MacBook notebook line and a similarly sized 12-inch display, the non-Pro Surface 3 tablet sports a smaller 10.8-inch display closer in size to the iPad Air 2’s 9.7-inch screen. Microsoft’s new consumer tablet runs Windows 8.1 with Windows 10 planned in the future for free and includes “a full-size USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort and a microSD™ card reader.”
The new Chromebooks are priced super aggressively at just $149 from brands Haier and Hisense. As we mentioned in our ‘10 reasons why Apple is to blame for the decline of iPad sales‘ feature, Google’s affordable Chromebooks have proven serious competition for Apple’s iPad in the education space.
As for the new Chromebit device, Asus will ship the first HDMI stick running Chrome OS, Google’s cloud-based app operating system, later this summer. The Chromebit stick will connect to existing desktop computers to provide the Chrome OS experience with a focus on upgrading education and business computers to Google’s solution.
You can read the complete details of the latest Google Chromebooks and the new Chromebit device on 9to5Google.
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Meh.
not bad. i have a surface and think its ok but no replacement. hackintosh on this hardware would be somewhat interesting to see.
Chrome bit doesn’t connect to existing computers, it’s marketed as a “full computer” that plugs into a monitor. They claim it is “the perfect upgrade for an existing desktop” which I understand to mean a replacement for an old computer using the existing screen.
Pretty amazing to see technology grow to a point where a computer is in the form of a stick.
Interesting note: Microsoft and Google have both pretty solidly jumped onto the path Apple blazed with the 4:3 aspect ratio, after both initially went the way of 16:9/10.
Surface Pro 3 is 3:2 aspect ratio .. and this Surface is 16:9. Not sure where you got 4:3?
Actually they’re both 3:2.
Eventually computer’s will be the size of a grain of rice and implantable , able to interface with the human brain
Have you seen Black Mirror on NFLX? There’s an episode that will make you a prophet.
There are also USB sticks with Android. Would like to see an “Apple Stick” with iOS.
I was thinking of getting an iPad air 2 but surface 3 looks much better. Probably get one. I love the 3:2 ratio, 4:3 is horrible. If apple really does make the iPad pro 4:3 it is not going to look good.
What are you talking about? You’re off the point.
I have been able to play around with a Surface Pro 3 and in my experience it has been the closest thing to a true laptop replacement than any other tablet I’ve used (it’s runs full Windows). My biggest gripe with Windows 8 (and why I’ve been running Windows 7 since) was that that the touch/tablet-focused UX felt frustrating on a multitasking desktop. But when you apply the UI to what it was built for, a touch-first device, the UX really shines. With Windows X bringing more adaptability to the UI depending on what the OS runs on, I think you’re looking at a pretty smoothly consistent experience across devices if you’re also a Windows PC or Phone user.
That’s my experience at least. I’ve been strongly considering buying one myself at some point in the future.
You get the Surface and i can guarantee that in the end you will regret it, i had the first gen surface pro at the same time as rocking the iPad 3rd Gen and can 100 percent tell you the iPad overall is a better device.
The surface tries to be a tablet and laptop but does neither exceptionally well, Get yourself a decent Bluetooth keyboard and an iPad air 2 and you cannot go wrong.
Hmm. I think this is a good move by Microsoft. I can see what their vision is for this mobile space, and it’s harder to see what apple will do in response. Although it would be viewed as “copying”, I think apple needs to put out a device like this if it doesn’t want to totally get blindsided. The toaster refrigerator jokes aside, I don’t think Apple can ignore this much longer