Microsoft unveils new Surface 3

Microsoft is coming back for another shot at the iPad, with new version of its Surface tablet dubbed Surface 3.

Unlike the Surface RT, which was the company’s original foray into the mid-priced tablet market, and Surface 2, the Surface 3 will run full Windows software rather than the more limited Windows RT. That means an end to being limited to the apps that are available in the Windows Store.

Priced at €610, the tablet comes with a quad-core Intel Atom x7 processor, a 10.8 inch display and a 10 hour battery life. It charges over micro USB, and keeps the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the Surface Pro 3, which was released last year.

The Surface 3 will ship with Windows 8 but can be upgraded to Windows 10 when the operating system is released later in the year.

Patrick Ward, Windows business group lead with Microsoft Ireland. said the company had taken what it learned with the Pro 3 and put it into the new tablet.

Pre-orders start from today, but Surface 3 won’t ship until May 7th.