Did Dummies.com Reveal the Microsoft Surface Pricing?
On October 26th Microsoft will not only release their brand new Windows 8 operating system, but also their first ever tablet, the Microsoft Surface. Â The Surface will come in two flavors - Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT, the latter made for the ARM processor. Â At launch it will be available only online and at Microsoft's brick and mortar stores. Â While the company has showed off the devices and given us quite a bit of detail on them, the one thing they have failed to reveal is a price.
Now, Dummies.com, the makers of the popular how-to guides, such as Office 2010 for Dummies, has announced a contest in which they will be giving away, as a grand prize, a Microsoft Surface tablet, along with one copy each of the Windows 8 For Dummies, and Surface For Dummies books.  The contest page mentions that the approximate retail value of this package is "$350.00 USD", which may be revealing.
Since Microsoft announced the Surface tablets last summer there has been speculation all over the web about the price. Â For a while there was a fairly credible rumor floating around that the tablet would retail for $199, but later CEO Steve Ballmer squashed that gossip by seeming to indicate that the device would sell for closer to $1,000, almost pricing it out of the market.
The Surface has been listed on the Microsoft Store for sometime now, but is not yet available for pre-order. Â If the sub $350 price tag proves to be true then it would come in below the iPad, but above the two most popular Android competitors, the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD, which both retail for $199. Â However, the Surface will likely be a much better choice for business users thanks to integration with Exchange and the inclusion of Office.
Advertisement
Brian,
Still no denial.
One thing that should be worth noting about it competing with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire is that the Surface is a 10.6″ tablet, whereas the Nexus 7 and KF are both only 7″ tablets. A same sized tablet, iPad, starts at $500. $300 for a 10.6″ tablet is a great price. It’ll compete well with iPad and Nexus/Kindle I believe.
That probably translates – assuming MS’s usual UK pricing – to £350 UK (over $500.) I think I’ll pass.
@ilev
Also, Intel denies the silly rumors http://www.extremetech.com/computing/137169-intel-microsoft-tangle-over-the-state-of-windows-8
And in that video you linked, IE finishes loading the page. The internet’s just going slow because they’re at a show and experiencing a lot of traffic. The desktop in Windows 8 is just as stable, and in fact more responsive, than Windows 7. It’s a silly fantasy that somehow office, video, audio, or graphics don’t work on the desktop – they have for a long time now through Developer Preview, Consumer Preview, Release Preview, and now RTM. I personally use Visual Studio and Office on a daily basis in Windows 8. I also play Battlefield 3 and other games, and it all works great!
What desktop ? PC or Surface ? The post is about the Surface and the demo is
Samsung’s Surface running Atom Clover Trail.
No, Intel hasn’t denied the statement :
” “Intel, Microsoft and our partners have been working closely together on testing and validation to ensure delivery of a high-quality experience across the nearly 200 Intel-based designs that will start launching in October.—
This is NOT a denial ! A denial would be ” Paul Otellini has said that…..”
or
“Intel is sure that Customers won’t get a buggy, beta version of Windows 8….”
Also, here’s Intel’s official and full reply to the baseless rumor:
“Today Intel Corporation issued a statement in response to unsubstantiated news reports about comments made by Intel CEO Paul Otellini in a meeting with employees.
Intel has a long and successful heritage working with Microsoft on the release of Windows platforms, delivering devices that provide exciting experiences, stunning performance, and superior compatibility. Intel fully expects this to continue with Windows 8.
Intel, Microsoft and our partners have been working closely together on testing and validation to ensure delivery of a high-quality experience across the nearly 200 Intel-based designs that will start launching in October. Intel CEO Paul Otellini is on record as saying “Windows 8 is one of the best things that ever happened to Intel,†citing the importance of the touch interface coming to mainstream computing and the huge wave of exciting new Ultrabookâ„¢, tablet and convertible device innovations coming to the market.”
PCs and x86 tablets literally run the exact same version of Windows 8. If stuff works on a desktop or laptop on Windows 8, it’ll work on an x86 tablet too. It’s the same hardware in a different form factor. If you don’t believe me, you should read up on processor architectures (x86) as to why desktop and tablet Windows 8 is the same. Also, you’re confusing “tablets” vs. the “Surface.” Surface is a Microsoft brand for their tablet. The Samsung tablet is NOT a surface. Also, it runs great in that demo. You can clearly see the page finish loading, and it’s because the internet was going slow. Here’s videos of Windows 8 desktop features on a tablet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iiMaWD9vgc&feature=player_detailpage#t=60s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRW3eknXcTc&feature=player_detailpage#t=190s (This one’s even from July – before RTM)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUndd8DMDzU&feature=player_detailpage#t=89s (Even runs games smoothly)
And the so-called statement by the Intel CEO is still just a baseless rumor. Anyone who’s used Windows 8 knows it’s not true. It’s rather convenient that a single, totally anonymous source claims the quote, and according to Extremetech: “None of our contacts with other manufacturers have spoken about such problems, on or off the record, so we’re going to call shenanigans on this one.”
well it might actually cost $300 then because the retail value is also with the 2 manuals added in.
“However, the Surface will likely be a much better choice for business users thanks to integration with Exchange and the inclusion of Office.”…
No, it won’t. No business will touch a system with no domain joining, no VPN
and won’t use Office 2013 BETA ! in edition to 0 business applications.
I tend to agree that Surface RT won’t appeal to a lot of businesses. Surface Pro on the other hand might.
@ ilev
I have Windows 8 RTM. It works great! Not buggy at all.
Surface Pro as now is running a buggy , beta.. Windows 8 according to Intel CEO
Paul Otellini (and he must know) :-)
Windows 8 Bugs Plaguing Microsoft, Intel CEO Said to Tell Staff
Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini told employees in Taiwan that Microsoft
Corp.’s Windows 8 operating system is being released before it’s fully ready,
a person who attended the company event said.
Improvements still need to be made to the software, Otellini told employees
at a company meeting in Taipei yesterday, said the person, who asked not to
be identified because the meeting was privat…
Intel hasn’t openly denied this statement .
http://www.ztechnews.com/intel-ceo-paul-otellini-criticized-microsoft-win-8-is-still-buggy/
You can see a demo of the new Samsung
ATIV Smart PC :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdsmagbbbHA&feature=youtu.be
While the demo showed some Metro applications with smooth response, the desktop
“just doesn’t work”. The presenter launched IE10 which crashed/froze (stuck half-way
loading). To cover the embarrassment IE10’s windows has been covered by another
windows, while the presenter turned to speak about the exterior of the tablet.
No productive application like Office, video, audio, graphics…. has been shown
running on the desktop.