Yesterday, Microsoft announced the successor to the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 with Windows 8 Professional with Touch Type Cover, with the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with Windows 8.1 Professional with Touch Type Cover and Surface Pen.

O.k. I may be taking the easy joke there with the name but you believed it as you read it. Like the tablets that have come before it, I, quite like the Surface. To me, the Surface is hardware, and the hardware is fine, great in some regards in fact. It’s Windows 8 that is often the problem.

So it is interesting that when the Surface Pro 3 was being announced there was one thing that was skated around, Windows 8. Apps were talked up, but the OS was not. That may have something to do with the fact that Microsoft are positioning the Surface Pro 3 as a laptop and tablet replacement, rather than replacing just one of them.

Many industry bloggers have commented that there was supposed to be a Surface Mini at the event too, but it was cancelled and that has blinded them all from what else was missing.

RT – The first and second Surface models had cheaper, ARM based versions that ran a rather gimped version of Windows 8. With the Surface Mini missing in action, could it be fair to say that Microsoft have taken my advice, again, and are killing RT and replacing it with Windows Phone (soon to be Windows Mobile again, I’d bet).

Back to the shocking statement that I like the Surface. After reviewing the pre-order page for the Surface Pro 3, I see a lot of features that I would want to try but there’s one thing that’s really getting to me.

My impression from the event, is that this is a ‘work tool’ aimed at professionals. They wouldn’t be trumpeting an adapted version of Photoshop if it wasn’t. So if that’s the case and I specify this like I would a Professional laptop, it bares up well. Cheaper than a MacBook Pro Retina 15″ by the better part of £250 and there’s the issue.

Microsoft are pitching this against the MacBook Air, not the Pro. When you go against the Air, things change quite drastically. Allow me to break it down:

So a comparable MacBook Air is £309.99 cheaper than the hybrid that is trying to replace it. That saving is very important, as for just £10 on top of that, you could have an iPad Mini Retina 16Gb WiFi.

That’s what bothers me. As a professional, I like having two devices. Each one serves different purposes and serves them well. They work together seamlessly and in harmony, so for £10, I’ll take the two.

Over to you Microsoft, feel like sending me a Surface Pro 3 to see if I’m right?