Microsoft has a message for businesses: it's in the hardware game for the long haul, and Surface Pro 3 is the ideal machine for corporate customers, able to serve both as a laptop and a tablet.
There have been questions over Redmond's commitment to hardware from practically the moment that the company announced its first Surface tablet. These questions became louder with CEO Satya Nadella's open letter. Although the letter said that that the company would continue building Surface devices, it moved away from former CEO Steve Ballmer's "Devices and Services" concept, leaving many unsure of just how strong the software firm's commitment to hardware really was.
The company is hoping to reassure potential buyers that it's serious about hardware and that Surface Pro will offer the kind of long-term support that corporate customers want. To that end, it's making some promises and offering some new pricing options that it thinks will appeal to corporate buyers.
Keen to position the Surface Pro 3 as a laptop alternative, the company has put together a new package that bundles the Surface Pro 3 with a Type Cover keyboard and the Docking Station, with savings of up to $150 compared to buying them separately. There's also a new three-year warranty option with accidental damage protection and faster exchanges of damaged units.
Microsoft also promises that these devices are forward-looking, with Type Covers, the Docking Station, and the Surface Ethernet adaptor all compatible with the next generation Surface Pro, whenever that may happen to be released.
For the current model, the company is working to ensure it's easier to support and fits better with company policies. To achieve the former, Microsoft promises to provide greater information about driver and firmware updates. Microsoft already makes these updates easy to download so that they can be integrated into corporate images. The company is also working to get the hardware industry qualifications, announcing today that Surface Pro 3 is now Energy Star compliant.
These changes will no doubt help coax corporate customers into at least considering Surface Pro 3 for their portable computer needs. However, Microsoft is still unwilling to answer the big question, the one that will truly demonstrate that Surface is a long-term business: sales figures. Surface Pro 3 is far and away the best Surface Pro yet, and for workers who need a highly portable, easily transportable computer, it has a lot to offer.
But the only thing that makes Microsoft's continued attempts to be a hardware vendor a certainty is strong sales. Surface Pro 3 certainly deserves to outsell its predecessors, but Microsoft's published figures suggest that Surface is a long way from becoming a profitable endeavour. Until that sustainability is proven, there will always be some doubt about Redmond's long-term hardware ambitions.
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