surfacepro3

Why lug around an iPad and a laptop?

That was Microsoft’s pitch as it unveiled its new Surface Pro 3 last week, promising a tablet with the potential, at least, to double as a notebook computer. Starting today the company is making a new push to get corporate technology buyers on board with the plan, by appealing to their budgets.

SurfacePro3Microsoft said this morning that Seattle Children’s Hospital and Avanade, the Microsoft-focused tech consultancy, have signed to deploy the Surface Pro 3, joining previously announced customers BMW, The Coca-Cola and Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy.

The Surface Pro 3 ranges in price from $799 to $1,949, depending on configuration, so the up-front cost savings vary compared with buying a notebook and a tablet. In some cases, at the high end, companies could actually end up spending more for the Surface Pro 3 than for a Windows 8 notebook and an iPad.

Cyril Belikoff, a senior director for Microsoft Surface, says the key for many IT departments is the ongoing cost of maintaining, managing and securing multiple devices. That’s where Microsoft says the cost savings will kick in over time for companies that opt to go with the Surface Pro 3.

“If they’re managing multiple devices to do very similar things, it becomes very costly over the lifecycle of those devices,” he says.

One big challenge for Microsoft: If it’s successful, this pitch for the Surface Pro 3 could end up hurting sales of traditional Windows 8 notebooks, further compromising Microsoft’s position with its own hardware partners.

At the very least, the trends in notebook and tablet sales will be interesting to watch over the next year.

 

 

 

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