Microsoft Surface Pro will be available January 2013 starting $899
When Microsoft announced the Surface product line I was immediately drawn towards the Surface Pro and not the Surface RT. The latter got released first to my dismay and while it seems to have done reasonably well, it was clear that the majority of IT professionals were waiting for the Surface Pro instead.
The core reason behind that decision is the fact that you can run legacy Windows programs on the Surface Pro but not on the Surface RT. Sure, Microsoft Office and apps that you can download from Windows Store may be all that some users need to work with the device, but I want control over the device and the software that I install on it.
Microsoft has not revealed many information about the Surface Pro up to this point in time. We do not know how much it will cost, how long the battery of the device will last on average, or how capable its cpu and onboard graphics processing unit are. A release date has not been mentioned as well. It is impossible to make a buying decision without knowledge of these information, well, not impossible but it would not really make sense to buy the device without that knowledge.
Tami Reiller, Microsoft CFO and Chief Marketing Officer of the windows and Windows Live Division revealed at the Credit Suisse Annual Technology Conference 2012 that the surface Pro will be released in January 2013.
We also have talked about -- I keep losing my clicker here -- we have also talked about not only Surface RT, which is shipping today, but we also back in June talked about the Surface with Windows 8 Pro, and you're seeing here a picture of Surface with Windows 8 Pro, or Surface Pro as we often refer to it. You'll see the same kickstand, the same covers work with Surface Pro as well, and you'll see the pen with Surface Pro as well.
And we talked about back in June that Surface Pro would be available in early 2013. And, in fact, Surface with the Windows 8 Pro will be available in January. So, there you see a picture of both. So, we're very excited about Surface, and how customers are reacting to Surface RT, and the excitement for Surface Pro for sure.
No word on an exact date or pricing yet. Price will determine the device's success or failure. While I do not know the exact price the Surface Pro will be available for, I can give you the lower price limit that it won't cross. The Surface with Windows RT with 64 Gigabyte of storage and a Black Touch Cover is available for $699, and it is that limit the Surface Pro won't cross.
It is very likely that the Surface Pro will be more expensive than $699 considering that it ships with more expensive hardware than the Surface RT. Judging from past pricing, it is likely that it will start at $899 or even $999 for the 64 Gigabyte model, with the 128 model probably starting at $1099 or even $1199.
Here is a short list of some of the components of the Surface with Windows 8 Pro:
- 10.6" Clear Type Full HD 10-point multi-touch display with a 1920x1080 pixel resolution
- 64 Gigabyte or 128 Gigabyte of storage
- Pen input and pen included with purchase
- 4 Gigabyte of RAM
- Intel Core i5 processor
- Intel HD Graphics 4000
- 42 W-h battery
- Full size USB 3.0 port
I had hopes that Microsoft would release the Surface Pro before the end of the year. What's your take on the Surface Pro so far and the pricing?
Update: Microsoft has just revealed the pricing of Surface Pro in a new blog post over at the official Microsoft Blog.
The 64 Gigabyte version of Surface Pro will start at $899, the 128 Gigabyte version at $999. Note that the price includes the pen but not a keyboard which is sold separately. Assuming that the pricing for Type and Touch covers are the same as for the Surface RT, you can add $129.99 or $119.99 to that order which effectively raises the price above the $1000 mark.
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Come on Irish Release date. *crosses fingers*
Far too expensive. For that price, even should it be 700€, I can get an comfortable PC. The concept is nice, but not at 899 USD. Remains a gadget, and gadgets get sold when their price is the price of a gadget. Either MiS will suffer modesty either a fiasco will be the lot.
The Euro price will probably be €799 but since you need the keyboard to do anything useful with it, you end up at more than €900.
A $1000+ for a 10″ netbook ? outrageous.
p.s iPad Mini’s touch screen cost $80.
Surface Pro will have about ~ 4 hours of battery.
Microsoft’s general manager for the Surface tablet division, Panos Panay :
@gostags92 Hey Chris, to answer your question, #Surface Pro will have approximately half the battery life of Surface RT.
— Panos Panay (@panos_panay) November 29, 2012
That’s very disappointing.