The best Microsoft Surface Pro 3 version gets a $150 discount

If you are in the market for a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 then you should definitely get the 256 GB version with 8 GB of RAM. It is the best of the bunch, offering the right balance between price and performance. It is also the model that I would leave my 13-inch Apple MacBook Air for.

Luckily, if you are considering the aforementioned Surface Pro 3 version, Microsoft is now sweetening the deal with a $150 discount, which brings the price down to a more affordable $1,149. Normally, the slate costs $1,299.

I would not advise pocketing the difference, however. For $129.99 you can get a Type Cover keyboard, which would make Surface Pro 3 much more usable as a laptop replacement. You can always get a third-party keyboard, but given that Type Cover was designed to be used with the slate it will most likely work best with it. 

Or, for $49.99 more, you can get the $199.99dedicated docking station, which adds even more convenience to the mix -- it adds three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a Mini DisplayPort and a security lock. You should consider this option if you plan on using Surface Pro 3 mostly at a desk, where any keyboard -- and mouse -- would do.