July 7, 2014 | BOB BUCK

Betteridge’s law of headlines states that the answer to the above question should be no, but the truth is much more complex. Microsoft has done a remarkable job with their latest iteration in the Surface line, and the Surface Pro 3 is close to perfect, which makes the device’s shortcomings stand out and frustrate even more than they probably should. The Surface Pro 3 could be the best classroom tablet on the market, but whether or not it will be remains to be seen.

The Case For the Surface Pro 3

There is no better tablet that runs a full version of Windows than the Surface Pro 3. It is the thinnest, lightest, most powerful, and longest-lasting tablet available that can also run desktop applications. This presents a plethora of exciting options in the classroom, especially when considering the Surface Pro 3 also has a touchscreen and pen.

The combination of a touchscreen, pen, and “the cloud” make it possible to do some amazing things. Think about the following situation, a student submits an essay. The old methodology would be for the student to write the essay, print it, hand it in, and wait at least a day for the teacher’s handwritten feedback. With the Surface Pro 3, the essay can be “handed in” through the cloud from anywhere, and the student can get the teacher’s handwritten feedback as the teacher writes it in OneNote. The feedback loop between the teacher and student is almost instantaneous, which improves student-teacher engagement. There is a fundamental difference between a teacher telling students it took hours to respond to essays and students seeing those responses as they are given. In the first scenario, the teacher’s hard work is likely headed to a recycling bin. In the second scenario, the hard work is saved in the cloud and students have a better appreciation of the time the teacher spent helping them.

Here are some useful videos of OneNote in action:

The Surface Pro 3 can also run Android apps using the BlueStacks emulator. The Windows App Store is limited, so this greatly increases the number of apps the Surface Pro 3 can run. Try running full-fledged Windows applications on an Android device! It won’t happen.

In short, the Surface Pro 3 can do things other tablets cannot do because it has the full power of a laptop behind it.

The Case Against the Surface Pro 3

The Surface Pro 3 is such a great device, it almost feels wrong to argue against it. If I was given a Surface Pro 3, I would use it and love it. However, if I needed to spend my own money to buy it, I would be hesitant to make the purchase right now.

The most important consideration is value, and at $929 for the least expensive model with a type cover, it’s a bit pricey. The low end model may be worth considering for something like a laptop cart, but keep in mind that the least expensive Surface Pro 3 has a slower CPU, less RAM, and a smaller hard drive, all of which cannot be upgraded after the purchase.

The best compromise of cost and performance is $500 more at $1429 with a type cover. This is the Intel i5 model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB hard drive. This price point, albeit expensive, is actually competitive with other ultrabooks on the market with similar specifications. For personal and professional use, I believe this is the best value. However, considering the Acer C720P is $299 for a decent Chromebook, it is important to ask just how much Windows, OneNote, writing on a touchscreen, and better hardware are worth. Thirty Acer C720P Chromebooks at $299 comes out to $8970. Thirty Surface Pro 3’s at $929 comes out to $27,870.

A corollary to the consideration of value is time. If you do not need an awesome new device this year, my recommendation is to wait.

The Haswell processor is the best available CPU on the market right now, but it is getting a little long in the tooth. The Surface Pro 3 is new and unique, but its most fundamental part – the CPU – is more than a year old, which is ancient history in technology terms.

Broadwell processors will be faster, provide better battery life, and available by the holidays this year. Indeed, Intel recently showed off a tablet reference design that is thinner than an iPad Air that employs the fanless design of Broadwell achieved by its ultra-low power consumption. No fans to cool the CPU means no moving parts and a computer that is much, much less likely to break because of mechanical failure. This is a huge consideration for long-term technical support costs, and Broadwell devices will be available soon.

The last item that really bothers me is the lack of a full-size SD card slot. There is a microSD card slot underneath the kickstand, but that is almost useless. A premium device like the Surface Pro 3 should have a full-size SD card slot for offloading photos from a camera, etc. The need for a USB card reader just makes the presence of the microSD card slot that much more irksome.

TL;DR Version

The Surface Pro 3 is the best classroom tablet available right now that can run a full version of Windows, but it might be best to wait until the holidays before purchasing anything.

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