Whether Microsoft took it upon itself to reveal pricing of its new Surface device today or was prompted to do so following an accidental leak on its own website, the cost of the new devices has finally been revealed.
Earlier today, a screenshot from Microsoft’s online store published on VentureBeat revealed pricing information for the Surface tablet computer starting from US$499 (€383) for a 32GB slate. This pricing has been confirmed as legitimate in an announcement from Microsoft.
Touch Covers and Type Covers (more like a traditional keyboard with moving keys) for the device will be sold separately at US$119.99 (€92) and US$129.99 (€100), respectively. Touch Covers will bring colour to the device, with magenta, cyan and red options alongside the traditional black and white.
Covers are also bundled with the device and a 32GB model with a black Touch Cover will cost US$599 (€460) while a 64GB model with the same is priced at US$699 (€536).
The pricing not revealed here is that of the Windows 8 Pro devices, which are expected to cost from US$800 to US$1,000 (€600-€800). Devices with Windows 8 Pro will be capable of running existing Windows programmes and will also come with more powerful hardware, while Windows RT devices will only be able to run new apps from the Windows Store.
Pre-orders can be made now via the Surface website, though these are limited in quantity – and market. The Surface will be available on 26 October in-store and online in the US and Canada, and online in Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and the UK.
Detailed specifications for Windows RT
Microsoft also revealed further specifications for the Windows RT device. It will weigh 680g and measure 275 x 172 x 9mm. As well as an Nvidia T30 processor and 2GB RAM, the device comes with support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, plus two 720p HD cameras.
Unsurprisingly, the tablet will come pre-loaded with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview (including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote).
Microsoft is clearly about to start pumping up the marketing of Surface in the lead-up to its release alongside Windows 8, having established Surface accounts on Facebook and Twitter and added new videos to its YouTube account.
Prices converted at time of publication using XE.com.
