Any chance to buy a Surface Pro 3

[mattk1]

Me too.

The top spec model is so expensive and even then you have to buy the keyboard (type cover) and stylus.

[Riggi]

I agree that the top spec model is too expensive.

You do have to pay 4,500 baht extra for the keyboard.

The pen is included with the SP3.

The i5 with 8GB RAM and 256 SSD is the sweet spot for me at 49,000 baht (including the keyboard).

I don't think it's expensive when you consider the engineering and form factor and compare it to the Lenova Yoga Pro 2 (44,000 for same RAM and storage), the Asus UX302 (50,000 - granted with more storage and an i7), or the Dell XPS 13 (55,000 for the i5 with only 128GB SSD). All, of which don't have an active digitizer - capacitive touch only. Or, 42,000 for a comparable 13" Macbook Air that doesn't even have a touch screen and a really poor resolution screen.

I have the SP1 and love it. I want to upgrade though because of the larger screen and bigger SSD.

The performance difference between the i5 and i7 models seems negligible. Certainly not enough to justify the difference in price.

I went back to Banana IT on the weekend and the manager was there this time who was a lot more informed and helpful than the staff I spoke to on Thursday.

She said they only have 1 display unit at the moment (i5 128GB) and that they won't get any more until the 20th September.

I put 1000 baht deposit to reserve one.

I'm not sure if there is a shortage elsewhere in Thailand, or just a case of Chiang Rai getting the short end of the stick, or perhaps someone forgetting to allocate stock.

[mattk1]

I'm with you Riggi, the mid range model would suit me fine.

My only concern with SP3 is how comfortable it will be using it on my lap. I was only able to test it on display locked to the counter. How have you found you SP1 on your lap?

[Riggi]

I use my SP1 on a table 90% of the time (probably more).

I occasionally use it sitting up in bed or on a chair without a table (eg. at an airport). It's OK for typing out an email or making a few corrections in Word or something like that. You just need to make sure you don't move your legs around as it's less stable than a heavier laptop is. But, my old Dell Vostro V131 would get really hot on the bottom and be uncomfortable for long periods of use on the lap anyway.

I've read people complain about the kickstand digging into their legs. I've never really noticed it. The unit is so light, it's less annoying than a 2kg laptop on your legs.

The only negative thing for me is that because the kick stand has to sit on your legs, you have to have everything closer to your body than you can with a conventional clam shell where the screen can hang out over your feet. But, I can still type perfectly well. I'm 175cm tall. If you are taller, it may be a little more cramped.

[mattk1]

Thanks for that Riggi, I suppose it's a small trade off considering what the SP3 is capable of.

I'm still unsure of which model I will choose as my next machine. I did have a play around with a ASUS TX300 and it was very nicely designed with the removable screen for tablet use. Have you seen that model? It's certainly cheaper than the SP3 mid range model.

[Riggi]

I have seen the TX300. It's quite nice.

Good storage with the SSD in tablet and HDD in the keyboard base. Good array of ports.

It is the older Ivy Bridge CPU, but for everyday use, it will probably be fine. My SP1 with Ivy Bridge has no problems with multiple word, excel, pdfs, chrome tabs all open at once.I don't do any heavy duty multimedia rendering or gaming. Some multi-track audio recording with a USB mic with up to about 12 audio tracks with a few plugins on each is OK too.

No pen is a deal breaker for me.

One of the main reasons I got the SP1 was for the pen. I write on PDFs every day.

Also, personally, I think 13.3" is a little too big for a tablet, and I really like the new 3:2 aspect ratio of the SP3. It makes working on Word/Excel/PDF docs a lot better as you can see more lines per screen. Plus, I connect to 1024*768 projectors at work, so I'll be making better use of the screen real estate with less black bars on the sides when mirroring to the projector. 16:9 aspect ratio is good for watching movies, but for office work, I think the 3:2 will be more useful.

[mattk1]

I hadn't considered the TX300 no pen issue, cheers. Does that mean you can't use any pen on that screen or is there an option to purchase the pen separately?

[Riggi]

You could use a capacitive pen like the ones people use on ipads

But, it's like writing with a fat crayon - not very accurate or able to write/draw in any fine detail. And, no pressure sensitivity, if that's important to you.

[mattk1]

Hi Riggi,

I think I will take another close look at the SP3 at the weekend. After reading more reviews and video reviews on YouTube, I am very impressed with it.

When will you make your decision to buy or not?

Edited September 1, 2014 by mattk1

[Riggi]

I've already decided to get the i5 256GB. I just have to wait for it to come to Banana IT in Chiang Rai. We don't have IT City here, and my understanding is that it is an exclusive for those 2 stores at the moment.

I love my SP1, I just wish the screen was a little bigger sometimes when working on word docs and spreadsheets.

So, I'm already ok with the Surface form factor and type cover keyboard. The bigger screen, reduced weight, improved battery life, backlit keyboard, faster processor and increased storage will be a good upgrade for me. But essentially, I'll just be slotting the SP3 into my workflow in place of the SP1.

[mattk1]

Ahh I see, I bet you can't wait to pick it up!

Will you be buying it outright with cash? The SP3 goes a bit beyond my budget but if I could purchase one and spread the payments then I could handle it.

Does Banana IT (or any other retailer) offer any such scheme do you know?

Failing that I could perhaps use a credit card. My problem is when I want something, I want it yesterday, LOL :-)

[Riggi]

Yes. I can't wait to pick it up. I had been waiting for August 28 since they went on sale in the US at the end of June. Now, I have to wait a few weeks longer! I'm hoping they call me sooner tot ell me that it has come in earlier.

Not sure about a payment plan, but this page on the Banana IT site looks like there is a payment plan. I can't read Thai, but it looks like maybe 5000 down and 0% interest...?

http://www.bananait.com/pages.php?pageid=3807

[mattk1]

It is a long time to wait, especially when you know it's already for sale elsewhere :-)

Thanks for the link, I'll try and figure out what the score is with the help of my Thai neighbour and post back in case anybody else is wondering the same thing.

[HooHaa]

I seriously suggest you wait.

A friend purchased one online from the US and had a friend bring it here to Thailand about 5 weeks ago. I was with him when it arrived. He was like a kid at Christmas.

From first power-up, it was nothing but one problem after another: keyboard wouldn't function, display crashed, couldn't re-start for over 24 hours, Wi-Fi connection problems, ect., ect, ect!

He tried uploading new firmware updates but could never complete the update. Finally, after hours on the phone with M-soft, told to send it back...of course the replacement warranty had already run out. He was able to get an extension of that but realized he had to hide the fact it was being shipped from Thailand...had to originate at his original ship to address and be returned to that...one headache after another. He finally was able to get it to Microsoft and they have sent a replacement unit (he could tell replacement, not repair by serial numbers) to his original address and he has arranged for yet another friend to carry it here at the end of this month. Now he's sitting around with his fingers and toes crossed

He loved the form and function of the machine, it really is gorgeous but it does not yet seem ready for prime time, especially from 10K miles away.

Just the money he has spent on FedEx wiped out any savings from buying it there. BTW, another headache was ONLY FedEx would accept it for shipment to US because of battery regulations. DHL and UPS said no.

I strongly suggest you at least wait until you can buy from a local vendor with local support.

I must be missing something here. I bought a high end laptop core i7 (with a keyboard) and 17 inch screen nearly 3 years ago that cost a lot less than the Surface Pro 3? Are we being taken for a ride?

Yes portability...and the surface pro 3 is an i7 it has a smaller screen but you cannot write on yours.

actually i can sony vaio 15 inch i7 with touch screen.

[harrry]

I seriously suggest you wait.

A friend purchased one online from the US and had a friend bring it here to Thailand about 5 weeks ago. I was with him when it arrived. He was like a kid at Christmas.

From first power-up, it was nothing but one problem after another: keyboard wouldn't function, display crashed, couldn't re-start for over 24 hours, Wi-Fi connection problems, ect., ect, ect!

He tried uploading new firmware updates but could never complete the update. Finally, after hours on the phone with M-soft, told to send it back...of course the replacement warranty had already run out. He was able to get an extension of that but realized he had to hide the fact it was being shipped from Thailand...had to originate at his original ship to address and be returned to that...one headache after another. He finally was able to get it to Microsoft and they have sent a replacement unit (he could tell replacement, not repair by serial numbers) to his original address and he has arranged for yet another friend to carry it here at the end of this month. Now he's sitting around with his fingers and toes crossed

He loved the form and function of the machine, it really is gorgeous but it does not yet seem ready for prime time, especially from 10K miles away.

Just the money he has spent on FedEx wiped out any savings from buying it there. BTW, another headache was ONLY FedEx would accept it for shipment to US because of battery regulations. DHL and UPS said no.

I strongly suggest you at least wait until you can buy from a local vendor with local support.

I must be missing something here. I bought a high end laptop core i7 (with a keyboard) and 17 inch screen nearly 3 years ago that cost a lot less than the Surface Pro 3? Are we being taken for a ride?

Yes portability...and the surface pro 3 is an i7 it has a smaller screen but you cannot write on yours.

actually i can sony vaio 15 inch i7 with touch screen.

The Bad The tablet mode doesn't lie completely flat, battery life should be better, and the screen is especially glossy.

The Bottom Line Sony's unique attempt at a big-screen hybrid looks great and is reasonably priced, but it works better as a laptop than a tablet.

as CNET says.

[mattk1]

Yes. I can't wait to pick it up. I had been waiting for August 28 since they went on sale in the US at the end of June. Now, I have to wait a few weeks longer! I'm hoping they call me sooner tot ell me that it has come in earlier.

Not sure about a payment plan, but this page on the Banana IT site looks like there is a payment plan. I can't read Thai, but it looks like maybe 5000 down and 0% interest...?

http://www.bananait.com/pages.php?pageid=3807

Hi Riggi,

That payment plan on the Banana IT website is a promotion for 5000 Baht discount if you use an SCB, Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn or Krungthai credit card. You can spread the payments over 10 months at 0%, which seems like it might be worth me applying for a credit to do.

[Riggi]

Really!? 5000 baht discount is pretty good.

I don't have a Thai credit card. Also, I bank with Ayudha

5000 is a pretty fair chunk of change though which maybe makes it worth going through the hassle of setting up a credit card.

Thanks for the info.

[SebastianSchuetz]

A discount if you choose paying in instalments? Isnt it usually the other way around?

On a related note, does anybody knows if the student discount also applies in Thailand?

[mattk1]

A discount if you choose paying in instalments? Isnt it usually the other way around?

On a related note, does anybody knows if the student discount also applies in Thailand?

It is indeed, which is why I will get another Thai friend of mine to confirm :-)

I've never thought about the student discount thing but somehow I doubt it would apply here in Thailand

[ETatBKK]

On a related note, does anybody knows if the student discount also applies in Thailand?

I don't see Microsoft Thailand setting it up for Surface Pro 3 yet. in other countries, student discount only available for the i3 basic model, the one with lowest configuration.

just a personal note :

a bit annoying the products still not on the shelve anywhere here in Thailand.

[Riggi]

So, it's not just up here in CR that they aren't available?

I've read that stores in Malaysia and the UK have not had stock either.

Considering that it has been out in the US for 2 months, you would think they would have had a chance to recover from any unexpected demand there by now and have a reasonable idea and opportunity to ramp production up for the other markets that launched last week.

[build6]

So, it's not just up here in CR that they aren't available?

I've read that stores in Malaysia and the UK have not had stock either.

Considering that it has been out in the US for 2 months, you would think they would have had a chance to recover from any unexpected demand there by now and have a reasonable idea and opportunity to ramp production up for the other markets that launched last week.

it's starting to look like they really don't have it in them to compete with Apple, Samsung et al... they either come up with stuff few people want, or if they do make something people want they can't actually meet demand.

[ETatBKK]

Aug 28, Thursday, noon, Pantip, a young woman coming down on the escalator with a long freshly colour shopping bag that printed with a big Microsoft Surface Pro 3 graphic, ah ha . . .

in IT City, a display pedestrian was setup with 2 surface pro 3; no sales interested at that corner. asked but no one knows the details. Banana IT, not even the display pedestrian.

then headed to IT City in Fortune Tower. couple people around the display pedestrian, no sales there and asked, no info.

if the product is not on the shelve on the launch date, it is not a launch date. bear in mind we are buying a complete computer ( a hardware ) from a software company.

if it happens as such when I was in a product company, myself, my team and my boss will all sent home.

[Ian_B]

IT City at Fortune has the Surface Pro 3 on display

However they have no actual stock to buy - you have to order them first

The highest spec model was 77k

I am tempted to get one but worried about the overheating rumours

[mattk1]

IT City at Fortune has the Surface Pro 3 on display

However they have no actual stock to buy - you have to order them first

The highest spec model was 77k

I am tempted to get one but worried about the overheating rumours

Same in Khon Kaen, Ian, only the display model in store. Certainly not cheap is it..

Also can you elaborate on the overheating rumours? I am interested to hear about this

Edited September 3, 2014 by mattk1

[Ian_B]

The rumors concern the i7 model

The i7 looks like it might run too hot and so it ramps down the CPU speed to i5 speeds

So if I did get one I would get the i5 version

[Riggi]

Yes, the performance gains of the i7 seem negligible, especially when throttling seems to kick in fairly easily.

Certainly not enough of a benefit to justify the increase in price from and i5 to i7.

Keep in mind that this is pretty much meant to be an everyday business machine similar to an ultra book. If you need to do rendering, gaming, run multiple virtual machines or anything that requires a lot of grunt, a laptop that doesn't have a low voltage CPU and has more space for cooling will be more suited.

If you want to run office, browse the web, read pdfs, take notes it will be fine, and even if throttling kicks in, it probably won't be a problem as you aren't doing tasks that are sensitive to fluctuations in CPU speed like gaming.

Ultrabooks aren't made for heavy lifting and I think most Ultrabooks will throttle down under load.

[Chicog]

I must be missing something here. I bought a high end laptop core i7 (with a keyboard) and 17 inch screen nearly 3 years ago that cost a lot less than the Surface Pro 3? Are we being taken for a ride?

Yes.

[Rayzie]

For those living in Bangkok and can't wait to get one, try Siam Paragon IT city outlet.

They had a few pre-order sets and had cancellation. I picked up an i5 model from last weekend. Good luck!

[Riggi]

So, Banana IT called me today and said my SP 3 had arrived. When I got to the store they pulled out a 128GB model.

I showed them my order slip that was printed from the computer system when I ordered it and it clearly states the 256 GB model.

They said that's all they have at the moment, and ask if I want the 128GB model.

I said no, I want the 256GB model, that's why I ordered the 256GB model.

They said they're not sure when they will get the 256GB model, so I have to wait longer.

Not sure if this is a Banana IT or MS stuff up.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Riggi