Microsoft introduces Surface 3: The thinnest and lightest Surface yet Pre-order begins April 1 in Singapore

surface3 Singapore— March 31, 2015 — Microsoft Corp. is introducing a new Surface, the Surface 3. Like Surface Pro 3, it’s a tablet that can replace your laptop but is thinner, lighter and even more affordable. Powerful and efficient, Surface 3 is optimised to run full Windows and Office and features long battery life. The ability to run Windows apps and the versatile pen experience1 — great for taking notes or marking documents — make Surface 3 ideal for students, schools and anyone looking for a portable device to get things done. Starting at just a suggested retail price of S$748, Surface 3 packs performance and value into an elegant, lightweight design.   “Surface 3 brings what customers love about Surface Pro 3 to more people, delivering the premium design and productivity of Surface in a more affordable device,” said Ian Tan, Surface Lead for Consumer, Microsoft Singapore. “We’ve taken everything we learned making Surface Pro 3 and poured that innovation into this newest Surface. It’s beautiful, versatile, powerful and productive, and our customers are going to love what it lets them do.”

Productivity and portability Powered by the new quad-core Intel® Atom™ x7 processor,2 Surface 3 is quick and responsive but designed to maximise efficiency with up to 10 hours of video-playback battery life.3 A range of storage and memory configurations gives people choice in power and capacity. The beautiful 10.8-inch ClearType HD multi-touch display featuring 3:2 aspect ratio, stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio-enhanced sound, and the elegant and durable magnesium design are just a few of the benefits of Surface 3 that customers will recognise from Surface Pro 3. The three-position kickstand is ideal for using Surface 3 while working at a desk, sitting on a couch or holding in the palm of a hand as a natural writing surface.

Free upgrade to Windows 10 To help people get even more done, Surface 3 ships with full Windows 8.1 and can be upgraded to Windows 10 for free when available.4 They also come complete with a one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Personal, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneDrive cloud storage5. Full device specs are available here.

Built for business And with Surface 3, businesses and schools will now enjoy a broader array of options. Even before its availability, companies such as Prada, BASF and Emirates have committed to purchasing and deploying Surface 3 across their organisations because they see the value Surface 3 can bring to their employees and students. “Having explored multiple platforms, we are confident that the Surface 3 meets the expectations of our experienced and professional flight crew,” said Captain Alan Stealey, Divisional Senior Vice President, Flight Operations, Emirates. “The device’s innovative design and functionality proves to be the choice for our EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) initiative.”

Surface accessories Surface 3 can be paired with new accessories6: In Singapore, the Surface 3 Type Cover is available in bright blue, red and black, and features an improved trackpad and responsive keyset for fast, accurate typing, alongside four vibrant Surface Pen colors — silver, black, blue and red. The Surface 3 Docking Station lets people easily connect to an external monitor and all their desktop devices, and Surface 3’s full-size USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, microSD™ card reader and Micro USB charging port make it compatible with the Surface Pro line of adapters and ready for quick and easy connections to a variety of accessories. Surface accessories specifics can be found here.

Pre-order and availability Surface 3 and accessories will be available for pre-order starting April 1 through Microsoft Online Store. Select retailers including Challenger, Harvey Norman and Newstead will also begin pre-orders in April. Commercial customers should contact their authorised reseller for pre-order information.   Microsoft Singapore also announced four additional authorised resellers to its Microsoft Devices Programme: Innocomm Technologies Pte Ltd, Insight Technology Solutions Pte Ltd, JK Technology Pte Ltd and Jardine OneSolution (2001) Pte Ltd.  This brings the total number of authorised resellers to seven – including AsiaPac Distribution Pte Ltd, SoftwareOne Pte Ltd, and UIC Asian Computer Services Pte Ltd. In addition to offering Microsoft’s extended warranty and accidental damage, resellers bring a variety of value-added services to the Surface family such as asset tagging, custom imaging, kitting, onsite service and support, device recycling, and data protection. Starting May 5 through those same retailers and resellers, customers can begin purchasing Surface 3, Surface 3 Type Cover, Surface Pen, Surface 3 Docking Station and Surface 3 Screen Protector.   Surface 3 will be available in 25 additional markets at launch, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.   More information on Surface can be found at http://surface.com/sg   Local pricing, availability and promotions

Pre-order availability Available for pre-order at Microsoft Online Store from 1 April 2015.Pre-order at authorized retailers Challenger, Newstead, and Harvey Norman begins in April 2015.
Retail availability 5 May 2015
Surface 3 SRP with GST
2 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage $748.00
4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage $898.00
Accessories SRP with GST
Surface Pen $73.00
Surface 3 Type Cover $199.00
Surface 3 Screen Protector $73.00
Surface 3 Docking Station $288.00
Surface 3 Power Supply $59.00
Education offer Eligible students, faculty and staff from certified MOE institutions will receive a 10% discount on Surface devices and accessories through the Microsoft Online Store (http://www.microsoftstore.com/mssg/en-sg/store/student).

By Harry