Tablets are great for consuming entertainment and media, while laptops and other full PCs are required to actually create those works, or so the conventional wisdom goes. Some substitute the charged word “productivity” for creation, but the pitch is the same. You need one device for A, B, and C, and another for X, Y, and Z.

The Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft’s new all-arounder, a device designed for both work and play. This is the company’s most recent attempt at reinventing the laptop/tablet hybrid, and the company’s message is crystal clear: it’s going straight after Apple’s MacBook Air. But with Microsoft admitting so many laptop owners also own a tablet, does anybody even care? They didn't seem to when the first Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 came out, so what has changed this time? A lot actually.

“I am sure that this is the tablet that can replace the laptop,” Panay said. Those are big words indeed. Aside from Apple’s MacBook Air, which Panay mentioned repeatedly on stage, Microsoft is finally facing improved (and genuinely impressive) competition from Windows machine manufacturers like Lenovo too. The Surface Pro 3 has clearly been designed to be more productive than an iPad Air, but can it really unseat leading laptops like Apple’s MacBook Air and Lenovo’s Yoga 2 Pro?

Design

The body is made out of magnesium, just like the previous Surface models, with the same angled edges and clean lines that have come to define the Surface lineup. It’s refreshingly clear of logos and other accoutrements, but unfortunately it’s also relatively clear of ports — at least by PC standards. There’s a single USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, headset jack, and a microSD card slot underneath the hinge. The charging port has been updated, too; it uses a small fin that clicks in with a magnet and is much less likely to get bumped off than before.

Technical Specifications

• Size : 11.5” x 7.93” x 0.36” (292.1mm x 201.4mm x 9.1mm)
• Weight : 1.76lbs (800 grams)
• Display : Screen: 12” ClearType Full HD Plus
• Resolution: 2160 x 1440, Aspect Ratio: 3:2
• Touch: Multi-touch
• Battery Life : Up to 9 hours of web browsing4
• Storage2/RAM :64GB or 128GB storage with 4GB RAM
  256GB or 512GB storage with 8GB RAM
• Processor : 4th generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5 or i7
• Network : Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11ac/802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth® 4.0 Low Energy technology
• Location : Digital Compass
• Ports : Full-size USB 3.0, microSD™ card reader, Headset jack ,Mini DisplayPort, Cover port
• Software : Windows 8.1 Pro
• Cameras, Video and Audio : 5.0 megapixel rear-facing camera, 5.0 megapixel front-facing camera, Stereo microphones, Stereo speakers with Dolby® sound
• Sensors : Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer
• Kickstand positions : Multiple

Tap, tap, tap

The touchscreen is a fantastic addition to a laptop and one of the biggest reasons I would want to swap a Macbook for Surface. I love touching screens, and it’s even better when it actually does something! Sure, a touchscreen isn't a replacement for a mouse; not even close. But adding the option to touch the screen as opposed to trying to swipe or drag with a mouse is a plus no matter how you look at it. Better to have it and not need it after all.

The Pen

In terms of accuracy, the Surface Pro 3 pen feels reasonably similar to putting pen to paper, about at natural as touching plastic to glass can be. And it’s pretty responsive, too, and will no doubt make an excellent companion for artists. On a laptop, it’s definitely a strange thing to rely on a stylus to get work done, but it shows the Surface Pro 3’s flexibility, which you certainly can't say for the MacBook Air.

But having a laptop and tablet rolled into one is enough to get me want it. If my day job substituted my MacBook with a Surface Pro 3 on June 20th, I’d be just as productive, my bag would weigh less, and I’d be extremely thankful. If I were shopping for a new computer, I would have to lean more toward the Surface than a Macbook. Granted, I’m looking from afar, but I really like the view from back here.

Finally

Is the surface pro 3 your laptop replacement? might be for some people, ill say for 35% of people, the ones who don't want to carry both laptop and tablet at the same time, is it like a pc? yes, is it like a tablet? mmm…Yes

So whats the problem here?…… I actually don't know to be honest, i need to be convinced a little bit more.

I'm really excited for this tablet pc Integration, but i think we are not there yet, but for sure microsoft on the right track to be there.