I think it's important to be crisp about which model of the Surface Pro we're referring to, because in my mind there's a huge canyon of usability between the Surface Pro 1/Surface Pro 2, and the updated Surface Pro 3.

The Surface RT was ARM-based and ran a very limited subset of Windows apps. It had no pen support and a limited kickstand.

The "Surface 2", a sequel to the Surface RT, was also ARM-based and shared most of the same limitations.

The Surface Pro 1 and Surface Pro 2 had Intel CPUs and ran full Windows apps. But they were far too thick, had awkwardly shaped screens, and had kickstands with limited range of motion.

The Surface Pro 3 - in dramatic contrast with everything else - was in my mind a real winner. It shipped with a drastically thinner chassis, a beautiful high-res screen with a better aspect ratio, and - most importantly for me - a much-improved kickstand and type cover. With the docking station, it's the only computer I'm running my startup with, including full Adobe Creative Suite and Visual Studio duties.

The new Surface 3 is exciting because the design appears to be a hybrid: it's sized and priced like the Windows RT "Surface 2", but it loses many of its limitations and incorporates many elements of the Surface Pro 3 design.

I think all I'm trying to say is that if you had a bad experience with the Pro 1 or Pro 2, you should swing by a Microsoft store and check out the Pro 3 before lumping them together - they learned a LOT from the first two revisions. I think the old adage that Microsoft needs three versions to get anything right is definitely true in this case.