Microsoft unveils bigger-screened Surface Pro 3

PanARMENIAN.Net - Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Pro 3 - a bigger-screened, faster Windows 8 tablet than its predecessor, according to BBC News.

The new model features a 12in (30.5cm) touchscreen, 38% larger than before. The firm boasted that at 9.1mm (0.36in) thick - without an optional clip-on keyboard - it becomes the "thinnest PC" to be powered by one of Intel's higher-end Core processors.

However, the platform has previously been outsold by rivals.

"The question that needs to be asked and answered is, 'Why hardware?'" said chief executive Satya Nadella at the launch event in New York.

"We clearly are not interested in building refrigerators or toasters. We are not building hardware for hardware's sake. We are not interested in competing with our OEMs [original equipment manufacturers]. In fact, our goal is to create new categories and spark new demand for our entire ecosystem. That's what inspires us and motivates us with what we are doing in our devices and hardware."

According to research firm IDC, Apple, Samsung, Asus, Lenovo and Amazon have each outsold Microsoft with their tablets.

IDC says that the Surface platform as a whole accounted for just 1.5% of global tablet shipments - representing about 640,000 units - over the first three months of the year, down from a 1.8% share for the same period in 2013.

The basic Surface Pro 3 will cost $799, compared with the low-end MacBook Air that costs $899. Microsoft says the battery life is "up to nine hours", 10% more than the Surface Pro 2.

Rumors that Microsoft would unveil a Surface Mini - powered by its Windows RT operating system - proved unfounded.