Microsoft Surface Tablet Priced at $499

 

After months of speculation, Microsoft revealed the pricing for its upcoming Surface tablet.  The tablet is supposed to be launched on October 26 but Microsoft’s website already showed the pricing scheme for the surface, although the page has since been removed by Microsoft. There’s no word yet as to the pricing for the Surface Pro variant.

The ARM-based Surface RT tablet with 32GB capacity will go on sale starting at $499.  That is for the tablet only.  For the package that includes the tablet and the Touch Cover, the price is $599. If you opt to get the Touch Cover separately, that will set you back $120.  The Type Cover which has the keyboard functionality is priced at $130. There is also a 64GB model with Touch Cover priced at $699.

This pricing scheme has surprised a lot of people.  It was expected that the Surface would sell at around $299 to $399 considering that the Windows 8 platform is new and Microsoft needs people to want to try the experience.   At $499, the Surface is just the same price as the entry level iPad, although the Surface has 32GB of storage while the iPad only has 16GB.  The pricing is still reasonable but it will not be easy for people to switch to a Windows 8 tablet if they are comfortable with the iPad or would rather go cheap with Android offerings in the market.

The Microsoft Surface has a 10.6-inch screen that’s optically-bonded with Gorilla Glass 2.  It’s thin at only 9.3mm and enclosed in an all-magnesium VaporMg case which is responsible for its 1.3-pound weight.   The Surface sports an HDMI port, a microSD port, and USB 2.0.

Meanwhile, watch this ad for the Surface which is quite entertaining, but does not really say anything about the tablet apart from the fact that it has a magnetic cover and a kickstand.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mSckyoAMHg