Microsoft Surface Windows RT Tablet To Cost $499 For 32GB Model, Without Keyboard Attachment
Microsoft accidentally listed the selling prices of its Windows RT Surface tablets this morning, and the prices are surprisingly high: $499 for the cheapest model and up to $699 for a fully loaded one. At those prices, Surface tablets likely won’t make a dent into the iPad’s dominance.
The Microsoft Surface tablet with RT is 680 grams, 9.3 millimeters thick and has a 10.6-inch screen. It will come with 32GB and 64GB storage, and a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, which is based on an ARM processor.
The 32GB model comes in at $499 without a Touch Cover, which on its own sells for $119.99. For an extra $100 you get the 32GB model with a Touch Cover, and for $699 you get the 64GB model with a Touch Cover.
Microsoft is also selling the Type Cover, which is a thicker physical-key keyboard cover for $129.99. The Touch Covers look to come in a variety of colours, including white, orange, blue, pink and the default black. There’s no indication whether the Surface tablet itself will come in any other colours but black.
The Microsoft Surface is the company’s first Windows computing device, and expectations are high. Microsoft has made its own hardware in the past, succeeding with the Xbox game console but failing with the Zune multimedia players and Kin smartphones, which have both been discontinued. Microsoft has tried to differentiate from rival RT tablets with some interesting design tweaks like a kickstand and the Touch Cover accessory. Windows RT and 8 are Microsoft’s first tablet OSes, and the company hopes to bring its package of home-grown software, services and hardware to rival Apple, which has a commanding lead in the fast growing tablet market.
