Surface AMA reveals all about Surface 3 and nothing about Surface Pro 4

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Microsoft's Surface team took to Reddit to answer a barrage of questions in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on the site. Although the team was available for probing for just one hour, scores of questions were fired at them and while nothing ground-breaking was revealed, shrouds of mystery were swept aside.

The upcoming Surface 3 has already managed to generate quite some interest. This is the first non-Pro Surface model that will ship will a full, non-RT version of Windows and it should come as little surprise that many of the questions related to this tablet. If you don’t have the time or inclination to read through the entire thread on Reddit, here are some of the edited highlights.

The standard Surface 3 is due to ship at the beginning of May, but later in the year there is also an LTE model that features an integrated GS chip. The team believes that the pen and active capacitive digitizer are the "best out there" at the moment, but says that improvements can and will be made -- including upping the pen's voltage. On the subject of the pen, the team said the decision was taken to make it available as a separate purchase for two reasons: firstly to keep the price of the Surface 3 as low as possible, as well as giving users the option of buying a pen in their choice of color if they want one.

When it was revealed that the Surface 3 did not have the same 'any angle' kickstand of the Surface Pro 3, but a three-position stand instead, there were some groans of disappointment. But there was thinking behind the decision, and it's tied up with Microsoft's mobile-first philosophy:

We chose to put the 3-position hinges in Surface 3 in order to optimize size and cost of the device. In addition, the 3-position hinges allow the user to flick open the kickstand more easily to the pre-set angles enabling quick operation for on-the go use.

When designing the kickstand, Microsoft's engineers took an interesting approach:

On Surface 3 we defined the sound before we engineered the parts. The sound is created by the materials of the foot snapping onto the magnesium. The hinge snaps the kickstand to the Surface body and imbedded magnets hold it perfectly flat... which gives it the perfect sound.

Anyone looking to get a discount on a Surface 3 purchase will have to enroll in a course -- a 10 percent discount will be available to students through Microsoft Stores on Surface 3 and its accessories. There are currently no plans for a trade-in program, but it’s something that might be considered in the future.

Other snippets and areas of clarification include the fact that Surface 3 supports InstantGo, as well as 4K at 30Hz with Intel X7 Gen8 engine. There's also support for Connected Standby, and after four hours in this mode, the tablet will switch to hibernation. The team confirmed that Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade to early adopters to the Surface 3.

MMC performance on the Surface 3 is 50 percent of the SSD on Surface Pro 3, and the Pro and non-Pro third generation devices share the same network chip. Surface 3 is a device that Microsoft has designed to be as future-proof as any piece of technology can be:

We built this product to last, and feel amazing about its performance, battery life, usability, etc. Every element of the design is meant to incorporate 'future proofing'. We are super clear our customers expect it from us, and we work hard to be sure you are good with it.

3:2 ratio, this is the future. Once you put this product in your hands you feel the benefits of Windows scaling to 3:2, you will also love the weight distribution on the device as you hold it in portrait to use it to write and read.

And then there's the question that's on everybody's lips -- well, everyone with an interest in Surface devices, that is. Asking on behalf of everyone is Reddit user MichaelEPS5: "What can you tell us about the Surface Pro 4?" Brace yourself for the answer:

Nothing.

Short, sweet and to the point. Microsoft clearly wants us to focus on the Surface 3 for now and not get distracted by devices that are still in the pipeline.

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