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I’ll insert my own comment here: I own a Surface Pro 3, and have bought one for my wife and son.

We have the Core i5 (the high-end i5 memory-wise and graphics-wise). They make i3/i5/i7 surfaces, two types of each, IIRC.

We love them. They are not tablets (I’ve owned two iPads), but are actually LAPTOPS. They run MS Word/Office/etc. and run Windows 8.1 (which I don’t really like).

These things beat my iPad hands down. I have a list of pros/cons (very few of those) and the iPad simply cannot compete. (Disclaimer: I was a Mac pioneer. Owned maybe a dozen of them since 1985, and we used to be a Mac family.)

What won me over? Many things, but the final straw was THE PEN. The ability—for the first time on any machine, any phone, any device—TO WRITE BETTER THAN ON PAPER.

Call me out. Tell me I’m wrong. (I’m not exaggerating.) I hated the Samsung S-pen although it came closest to a good writing experience. Almost bought one, glad I held off, because the Surface came along. My God, what an improvement. WHY DIDN’T APPLE INVENT THIS?

It’s perfect for travel. Real Internet, real e-books, real MS Office, etc.—it’s a laptop. With a laptop/desktop OS.

Again, that pen: It’s a no-compromise thing. I am into calligraphy, colors, and A GOOD FEEL (no, not grope, you sick minded Freepers!).

My advice: Go out and write on the thing. You’ll want to buy one.

Sauron

Oh, forgot to mention: Just took my Surface Pro 3 to the EVE Vegas conference.

I’ve been to dozens of conferences over the decades, used all manner of methods to jot down notes, and NOTHING beats this.

It’s perfect for my son, as he can write, freehand, notes in any class, from calculus to poly-sci, as OneNote is just that flexible for the user. Watch some YouTube videos—Google “OneNote” and see for yourself.

This is an APPLE KILLER, and it saddens me. I’ve used Macs since 1985, spent tens of thousands on them. Yes, that much. We were and iPad/iPhone family for years. No more.

Go watch a video of OneNote, then get to the store and feel how the pen writes. That’s what won me over, and I was a hopeful skeptic. My device I’ve been waiting for.

Oh, it was great at the conference. I’m not even watching football, got my face buried in my (non-)tablet. ;)

No, I generally hate Micro$oft. I don’t own stock or carry water for ‘em. But this time, they’ve got something. Had to happen to those Bozos sooner or later, I guess.

Sauron

-— We love them. They are not tablets (I’ve owned two iPads), but are actually LAPTOPS. -—

I’d like to get one, but I’m happy with my Asus notebook, which I use commuting back and forth to work. I like a tablet when I’m watching TV, but that’s about it. I like and need full laptop functionality.