Lenovo's Miix 700: Like a Surface Pro 3 but with a better, included keyboard
Context & Ripple Effects
In late 2015 the Windows detachable market was a race to clone the Surface formula, and Lenovo's Miix 700 made the sharpest counter-argument: match the form factor Lenovo would later carry into its ARM-powered Miix 630 but fix the pricing model that reviewers consistently dinged Microsoft for — shipping the keyboard in the box rather than as an add-on.
The move landed in a crowded quarter: weeks later HP answered with its own fanless, Surface-like Elite x2 convertible from $899, and Lenovo itself pushed Skylake into the Yoga line with the Yoga 900's full-keyboard redesign. The bundled-keyboard critique proved durable — Microsoft's Surface Pro 8 still launched at $1,099 with the keyboard sold separately six years on.
First-order effects
- Buyers comparing a Surface Pro 3 against the Miix 700 face a total-cost gap: Lenovo includes a keyboard ZDNet judges better, while Microsoft charges extra for its Type Cover.
Second-order effects
- HP's Elite x2 launch shows rivals adopting both halves of the play — the Surface-like fanless hardware and aggressive base pricing — forcing Microsoft to defend on design and screen quality alone rather than price.
Third-order effects
- Microsoft largely held its unbundled-accessory pricing through the Surface Pro 8 era (and only integrated pen storage with the Surface Pro X's Slim Pen keyboard slot), suggesting the ecosystem settled into OEMs competing on bundle value while Microsoft monetized accessories — though whether keyboard-included becomes table stakes remains unresolved in this corpus.
The trend: Windows OEMs are cloning the Surface detachable category and using bundled keyboards as their wedge against Microsoft's add-on pricing.