With the upcoming release of Surface 3 scheduled to be out on the market by May 7, Microsoft has recently updated the public that it will now run on Windows 8, ditching the old Windows RT OS of Surface 2.

Microsoft Surface 3 will be priced starting at $499, with pre-order available on Microsoft's website. The pre-ordered devices will be shipped on May 5^th for US and Canada buyers, and May 7^th internationally. A bonus to Surface 3 buyers would be getting Windows 10 for free during the future release.

The basic Microsoft Surface 3 which is sold at $499 is powered by aquad-core Intel Atom Processor, with 2 GB RAM worth of memory, and a 64 GB SSD. Meanwhile, the higher priced model sold at $599 contains a 4GB RAM and 128 GB worth of storage. Both devices have a hidden microSD for expandable memory. Future models for the S3 will accommodate a 4G LTE internal modem.

A much bolder and professional-looking sibling to the said tablet, Surface 3 Pro, will be sold to the market on June 20, 2015.

There is a huge difference for both devices especially with the screen size. Surface 3 is quite portable at 10.8" and 1920 x 1280 resolution compared to Pro's 12" 2160 x 1440 panel. According to Microsoft, the devices can run up to 10 hours depending on the degree of usage. A separately sold pen and keyboard will be available at $129.99 and $49.99, respectively.

Microsoft has always looked forward to creating a device that falls in between a tablet and a laptop. With rival companies such as Apple getting ahead with their iPad Air, tech experts have seen this update as a window of opportunity for Microsoft.