For a long time, expressing admiration for one of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows RT tablets, the original Surface RT or its sequel, the Surface 2, was like saying how much you enjoy paying income taxes: You don't. The tablets were well-built and incorporated some great ideas, such as an innovative keyboard cover, but because they ran on Windows RT, a stunted version of Windows that never attracted many software developers, they suffered from a very limited selection of apps.

With the new Surface 3, however, Microsoft changes all that. By ditching Windows RT and enabling full Windows 8.1 compatibility, Microsoft has built arguably the strongest iPad competitor on the market. (Both tablets start at $499 but require spending a couple hundred dollars more before they are work-friendly.) Indeed, in the three weeks I used the Surface 3, I barely touched my iPad.

The best way to think of the Surface 3 is as a smaller version of Microsoft's Surface Pro 3, a terrific Windows-based tablet in its own right, but a costly one. The Pro effectively requires an investment that surpasses $1,100 for a mid-line version with 128 gigabytes of storage and a keyboard cover that is all but mandatory for professional use. (There is a low-end 64-gigabyte Pro, but it really isn't suitable for work, since Windows and Microsoft Office eats up a fair chunk of that space.) The Surface 3 retains the solid construction of its bigger sibling, and it's really not that much smaller, with a screen that measures 10.8 inches, compared with the Pro's 12 inches. In fact, Surface 3's slightly smaller size is a bit of an advantage, making it more portable than the Pro, and lighter, too, at 1.37 pounds, compared with the Pro's 1.76 pounds.