Microsoft revealed its Surface Pro 3 earlier this year, and now there’s a new accessory up for sale, following the official shipping launch of the new Surface last month. The new gadget is a Docking Station, which provides a host of external input and output ports for the Surface Pro 3, including three USB 3.0 ports, a 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet port, and a security lock slot, along with some others.
The new Microsoft dock replaces the existing Surface Pro dock, with a design designed to fit the new Surface Pro 3 snugly, propping up the tablet-style portable PC at a comfortable viewing angle, too. The other ports that it brings to the table include 2 USB 2.0 ports, a Mini DisplayPort on the dock (in addition to the one on the Surface Pro 3 itself) and a security lock slot so that people can’t just pick up your slate and walk away with it. With the USB 3.0 ports on the Surface Pro 3 itself, you get a total of six USB 3.0 ports to play with thanks to the new dock, and you can output video to two external monitors as well as the Surface Pro 3 screen itself.
The Surface Pro 3 Docking Station is up for pre-order now, but it won’t ship until August 15, 2014, and it isn’t cheap at $199. It may well appeal to mobile workers who also want to keep the home fires lit when they’re in the office, however.