When Microsoft first started selling Surface Pro 3 in July, it only made the Intel Core i5-based models available. But now all five of the Surface Pro 3 models—including the Core i3 and i7 variants—are available for purchase at the Microsoft Store, Best Buy, and other Surface retailers.
Additionally, those who preordered the i3- and i7-based Surface Pro 3 models have received shipping confirmations. Those pre-orders are on the way today.
It's not yet clear to me what the international availability is like, but I assume today's availability is at least the US and Canada. Microsoft previously promised that Surface Pro 3 would ship in many, many countries--Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom—by the end of August. And of course the Surface Pro 3 Docking Station will become generally available on August 15 in the US and Canada.
Surface Pro 3 starts at $799 in the United States. That's for the Core i3-based model, but you can choose from various i5- and i7-based models as well, and pay as much as $1949 for an Intel Core i7-based model with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. But don't forget you need to grab a Type Cover for an additional $129.
I highly recommend Surface Pro 3 and will be using it on my three-week trip to Barcelona. (I'm leaving today.) Check out my review for more information about this very portable and travel-friendly device. And be sure to check out some of my other Surface Pro 3 resources too:
Complete Guide. I'm collecting all of my Surface Pro 3 writings into a single, easily accessible document called, for good reason, Complete Guide to Surface Pro 3. This is being updated regularly as I write more about Microsoft's new tablet.
Books. This summer, I'm writing a book called Surface Pro 3 Field Guide and I've posted the first few updates already to Windows 8.1 Field Guide web site. But you can also get started with that book, Windows 8.1 Field Guide, which is complete and costs just $2. Seriously, $2. It's a complete guide to everything new in Microsoft's latest operating system, the version that comes with Surface Pro 3.
It's the summer of Surface Pro 3. Enjoy!
