14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently debuted the Surface 3 tablet, and in order to boost sales of the new device, the company is planning to phase out the most affordable Surface Pro 3 configuration in order to avoid cannibalizing sales of the newcomer.
According to a report by Italian blog TuttoMicrosoft, Microsoft has recently stopped production of the Surface Pro 3 equipped with an Intel Core i3 processor because its price gets too close to the one of the Surface 3, so the company is afraid that the two could compete for the same category of buyers and most would obviously go for the Pro model.
The Surface Pro 3 with i3 comes with a 12-inch display, whereas the Intel processor runs at 1.5 GHz and packs 4 GB of RAM. It’s available in just a single version with 64 GB of storage space. The official price on the Microsoft online store page is $799 (€710).
Similar prices, different specs
On the other hand, the most expensive Surface 3 right now costs $599 (€530), but the company already has two upgraded versions that will hit the shelves in the coming months and whose pricing is yet to be revealed.
The top Surface 3 configuration right now comes with a 10.8-inch display, 128 GB of storage space, 4 GB of RAM and Wi-Fi, with no LTE support. The top model, however, after the debut of the new models, will add 4G support, so expect a $100 (€73) price boost that would bring it in the same price region as the most affordable Surface Pro 3 configuration.
Obviously, take these rumors with a pinch of salt because we couldn’t confirm the report with our sources at Microsoft, but such a plan does make sense, given the fact that the price of the new model gets way too close to the one of the i3.
Time will tell if Microsoft plans to kill the Surface Pro 3 with an i3 processor, but the device is still available on its website, so if you want to buy one, this would be the best moment to do it.