Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 would be a good tablet to replace my laptop, but at US$799 to start, it's just too expensive. During a short hands-on with Surface Pro 3 at an event in New York, I found the tablet was faster, thinner and lighter than previous Surface Pro models, and the larger 12-inch screen made for comfortable reading and viewing. In a PC market desperate for innovation, the Surface Pro 3 stands big among the hybrid laptop-tablet models from other device makers.