The Surface Pro 3 is a phenomenal device–it is both the tablet that can replace your laptop, and the laptop that can replace your tablet. Microsoft announced this week that the Surface Pro 3 has cleared all of the hurdles, and has been given the seal of approval by the General Services Administration (GSA), which means employees in [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]government departments and agencies at all levels will now be able to experience the Microsoft tablet for themselves[/inlinetweet].
I wrote about government availability of the Surface Pro 3 in this blog post:
So far, it seems the old adage “Third time’s the charm” applies nicely to Microsoft’s Surface tablets. The Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 were solid devices, but the Surface Pro 3 is the one that has finally started to gain some real traction. Microsoft revealed this week that the Surface Pro 3 has cleared all of the hurdles and is now available for US government agencies and departments as well.
That is a huge deal. The Surface Pro 3 is already doing well, but the addition of government agencies and employees could result in a significant spike in demand. During the recent Microsoft quarterly earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella stated, “We are excited by Surface Pro 3 performance, as unit sales are pacing at twice the rate of what we saw with Pro 2.”
The federal government of the United States comprises millions of employees, and many state, county, and local governments take their cues from the federal government when it comes to which technologies are approved for use by government employees. Receiving the green light from the General Services Administration (GSA) and having the Surface Pro 3 available for purchase by government employees opens a massive pool of potential new customers.
In a blog post announcing the availability of the Surface Pro 3 for government customers, Microsoft’s Cyril Belikoff explained, “Government technology leaders share many of the same priorities as our commercial customers — they are interested in how Surface can offer the power of a laptop and remove the need to carry an iPad, as well as help workers to be more productive on-the-go, thereby making the most of taxpayer dollars.”
You can read the full article at TechRepublic: Surface Pro 3 now available to US government agencies.
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View Comments (3)
Perhaps now CNN will use them for their intended purpose vs a kickstand to hold an iPad. To me, that's akin to using Wired magazine to hold up and hide an Archie's comic.
I agree with you. In CNN's--or the CNN analysts'--defense, though, both Microsoft and CNN should have thought that out more.
I love the Surface Pro 3, but if the analysts and commentators are used to relying on specific apps to track election activity, it was incumbent on Microsoft and CNN to make sure those apps--or functional equivalents--were available on the Surface Pro 3, and teach the analysts / commentators to use them.
From a marketing perspective, Microsoft should have also had it written somewhere into the agreement that all competing technologies were forbidden as a function of the product placement campaign.
I agree 100% Tony. While the Surface Pro is gaining traction, Microsoft needs to step it up especially in such highly visible initiatives. As an Xbox user, the interface is familiar and has its level of intuition. However the experience is far different enough from iPad that it should include some level of training.