Surface pricing to be revealed today October 16th

Holy crap, prices are HIGH !!!

You’ve waited and wondered, but today Microsoft will finally came clean on the pricing and availability of its Windows RT-based Surface tablet devices. The Surface will be priced at $500 to $700, while the keyboard covers will cost $120 to $130.
That’s higher than I’d like.
For comparison’s sake, Apple’s iPad starts at $500 and runs up to $830, but the higher end versions offers cellular broadband capabilities. No such capability is provided on the Surface.
Here’s the rundown on Surface pricing:

Surface with Windows RT, 32 GB: $499

Surface with Windows RT, 32 GB with Black Touch Cover: $599

Surface with Windows RT, 64 GB with Black Touch Cover: $699

Surface Touch Cover (white, red, black, cyan, or pink): $120

Surface Type Cover: $130

You will be able to preorder Surface with Windows RT today from the Microsoft Store online, and the device will be available for sale from Microsoft Stores (retail and online) on October 26. A source tells me that other retailers will begin selling Surface in early 2013.
Microsoft is expected to announce international availability of the Surface today as well.
Note that these prices are only for the Windows RT version of Surface. The Windows 8 version isn’t expected until early 2013. Given the RT pricing, one has to think those versions of Surface will be in the $999 range, in line with Ultrabook pricing.
Too high?
More information as it arrives.
Click to expand...

Source: WinSuperSite
 
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Right now i'll hold my reservations on price. The battery life will determine if the value is worth it IMO. If I get 4 hours of use time, not worth it since I will be able to get a low end ultrabook @ that price ($700).. If I get 8 hours+...it will be worth it. Right now all highly portable tablets are media consumption devices with very little in the way of content creation.
 
Nope.

The HP Touchpad Firesale proved something...there's a market for tablets and people wanting to try them. But they're not going to blow $500 on a device of unknown utility in hardware and software. I'll predict a fate similar to the Zune if the pricing holds.
 
Don't forget, these prices are for the Surface RT, NOT the Surface Pro....

Surface RT = NVIDIA T30 ARM processor (won't run x86 programs), USB2
Microsoft Store said:
Surface with Windows RT works exclusively with apps from the Windows Store.
Click to expand...

Surface Pro = Intel Core i5 x86 processor (will run all current programs), USB3
 
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That's $600 for a tablet with a shitty keyboard.

And just when you thought Microsoft was catching up with the times...
 
E^vol said:
Where are the red and/or pink touch covers on the Canadian store site?
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I don't know...but tell me would a Surface RT or the Pro be better accessorized with a 10k desk?

TENKAY.jpg
 
E^vol said:
For me, the touch keyboard is actually one of the selling points. Best idea so far...
Click to expand...

Have you used Ultrabook keyboards? Anything with no tactile feedback is a horrible idea for a keyboard, and this is essentially a cloth-like pad that's mimicking a keyboard. Had this been a detachable keyboard with a battery then I'd consider it for that asking price, regardless of whether it's ARM. But it's just an overpriced tablet with a poor keyboard
 
Trepidati0n said:
Right now i'll hold my reservations on price. The battery life will determine if the value is worth it IMO. If I get 4 hours of use time, not worth it since I will be able to get a low end ultrabook @ that price ($700).. If I get 8 hours+...it will be worth it. Right now all highly portable tablets are media consumption devices with very little in the way of content creation.
Click to expand...

BATTERY | Up to 8 hours mixed activity • 7-15 days idle life
Click to expand...
According to Microsoft's Store page...
 
Too expensive. When Ballmer said it would become more like apple. I didn't think price wise.
 
Zune Surface.
Wonder how long it will take for someone to hack it to run Android.
 
CEpeep said:
Zune Surface.
Wonder how long it will take for someone to hack it to run Android.
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Buy an overpriced ARM tablet and put android on it, instead of getting a real androind tablet and save at least $100
 
Rumors are saying the RT starts at $499!

That does seem over priced to me, especially since RT is the cut-down version with only a 786p display. Looks like they're trying to copy Apple.
 
Wiseguy2001 said:
That does seem over priced to me, especially since RT is the cut-down version with only a 786p display. Looks like they're trying to copy Apple.
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The Surface RT lacks usb3 and the pen which are both part of the Surface Pro.
 
They're missing the price point, they're not making money on windows8, it's the eco system (same as the xbox).

Even if it was $399 would mean they would sell loads more, $299 would have sold like hotcakes. Looks like the wasted money on over engineering the chassis and missed the mass market.
 
Yup, if the price was lower, they would sell lots of them, but at the same price as the iPads, they're gonna have a harder time. They want to seem like they have a product equal in quality to the iPad, yet they don't have the app selection / availability that the iPads already have in place.

I want a Surface (Pro) and will not buy an iPad after trying one out for the summer. But considering my 3 year daughter loved using the iPad and there were a lot of educational apps/games already available, paying the same price as an iPad, for an RT, is just painful IMO, even though it really is the same thing.

I want the Pro because it can run all current "desktop" programs, not just the RT-only apps from their app store.
I'm not looking forward to seeing to price of the Pro when it's released....
 
Why would anyone buy an ARM based windows tablet unless it was like <$300?

I *might* consider an expensive tablet, if it at least had a relevant processor (read: x86-64) so that it runs real programs and not just glorified phone apps.
 
SirMaster said:
Or something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215612

For only $100 more than a 64GB iPad you get a Core i3, HD 4000 gfx, 4GB RAM, USB 3, 1080p screen.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's the exact product I was hoping the Surface Pro was going to be able to stack up against, but at these prices for the RT one, they'll just be cutting into their own product line if they released the entry level Pro at anything less than $999. If Microsoft could have pulled out the entry Pro at $699 and the entry RT at $299-399, they might have had a winner. Their fear of undercutting their OEMs is going to melt all of them at once. They had the power and the resources to bring a better product than the iPad to market with the Pro, but they've squandered it by spreading too thin. MS should have approached this like the Xbox: sell the hardware at break-even or at a small loss in order to get it into the hands of developers and enthusiasts and then refine and lower production cost over the next few years until the device itself is profitable. In the meantime, make up for the hardware lack of profit by selling quality apps, none of which really exist yet. The "killer app," Office, is included with the device instead of being an awesome reason to get people to sign up for their app store, meaning many people will probably never even buy any software from the store and will subsist on free apps. Maybe they will pull an HP TouchPad type stunt in a few months and screw over all of their early adopters in order to get developers on board.
 
It does look like Windows RT devices are going to be a touch sell at these prices. But I do think the Surface RT can sell in the low millions which I think all Microsoft was aiming for. It's obvious at this point Microsoft and partners are not trying to compete aggressively on price and it's hard for me to determine what the market for $500 RT devices is especially when you're getting close to Clover Trail devices in price that have the option of running x86 software.

I've not pre-ordered the RT, might pick one up but I will definitely get the Pro version.
 
Q9zVA.jpg

There is an adapter for the video out on the surface RT missing from this comparison

Stolen from a verge thread. My point is that with the keyboard it still remains competitive versus the Ipad3. This gets even worse for the Ipad3 when you compare the cost of notes etc to make a comparable word/excel type editing system. Free for the surface, $$ with the Ipad3.
 
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well that sucks, prices are to high for the RT.... now ill look at the competition for a pro version.
 
darrpara said:
My point is that with the keyboard it still remains competitive versus the Ipad3. This gets even worse for the Ipad3 when you compare the cost of notes etc to make a comparable word/excel type editing system. Free the the surface, $$ with the Ipad3.[/QUOTE]

The ipad3 has a much superior screen (the RT is more like an ipad2). If I had to pick one i'd get the ipad3 and this is coming from someone who has a strong dislike for Apple products.
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The comparisons are not relevant, what most people will see when they walk into a store is the price - $400 for iPad vs $500 for Surface. It's all going to come down to the marketing and ads, and we all know who wins that battle.

Sure you can say that Windows RT is a proper OS and Office is included, but people who value such things are most likely in the market for a Surface Pro. The general consumer just wants a tablet for browsing, games, email (i.e. a bigger phone) and this totally fails to capture that market.
 
MrCrispy said:
The general consumer just wants a tablet for browsing, games, email (i.e. a bigger phone) and this totally fails to capture that market.
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How can the Surface RT totally fail to capture this market when it can do all of those things? And $400 is the pricing of the year and half old iPad 2 though the iPad mini might be even cheaper.
 
heatlesssun said:
How can the Surface RT totally fail to capture this market when it can do all of those things? And $400 is the pricing of the year and half old iPad 2 though the iPad mini might be even cheaper.
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I'm just saying to compete with the iPad (and Android tablets for that matter) price is the determining factor for pretty much everyone.

I'm pretty sure MS was prepared to price this much lower but pressure from their partners prevented them. This pricing allows other oem's to also compete.

I would really like for this to take off and not become another WP7/Zune (excellent devices that don't sell).
 
Wiseguy2001 said:
The ipad3 has a much superior screen (the RT is more like an ipad2). If I had to pick one i'd get the ipad3 and this is coming from someone who has a strong dislike for Apple products.
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Not to be a MS defender but there is a lot more to a screen than resolution. We just don't know how good the actual screen on the surface is.Surface has 1) better front facing video for chatting 2) micro SXDC slot for expansion. I don't get the hype for PPI/DPI on devices this size. 720p is more than enough on a 10" device!

I'll probably pick one of these up for my wife as she has wanted a device to watch movies on but also do some office stuff for work on. For users like her this device is perfect. I personally will wait for Surface Pro pricing vs other OEMs vs Ultrabooks to make a decision for a device I need but that is because I have specific work applications which require x86.
 
darrpara said:
I don't get the hype for PPI/DPI on devices this size. 720p is more than enough on a 10" device!
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No, 720p is just right for a 7" tablet, but even that's up in the air since the new 7" Nook will have 1440x900. Rendering crisp text for reading books, magazines and websites is essential for something you hold so close to your face. Asian characters especially look like junk at 1024x600 but great at 1080p or 2048x1536, 720p at 10" is barely adequate for serious reading. If you use your tablet every day for productivity, you want a 1080p-class screen. Apple has readability in the bag with the iPad 3, and the difference is night and day between the screens on the 2 and the 3.

MrCrispy said:
I'm pretty sure MS was prepared to price this much lower but pressure from their partners prevented them. This pricing allows other oem's to also compete.
Click to expand...

They should have just eaten them all and released the tablet at a lower price than they could compete with. Only MS has enough money to throw around to sell at a loss to get developers and early adopters on board. Customers don't want OEM competition, they want a platform that is loaded with useful apps, which is why they keep buying iPads (even year-and-a-half old iPads) despite better-specced Android tablets selling for less money.
 
CEpeep said:
They should have just eaten them all and released the tablet at a lower price than they could compete with. Only MS has enough money to throw around to sell at a loss to get developers and early adopters on board. Customers don't want OEM competition, they want a platform that is loaded with useful apps, which is why they keep buying iPads (even year-and-a-half old iPads) despite better-specced Android tablets selling for less money.
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I agree. This is what they did with Xbox, lose money for years but gained dev mindshare and market presence, and now its the #1 console.

For Surface (and WP8) to succeed, they need to -

1. price it at or lower the competition
2. educate people exactly why its better, highlight the new features
3. make it 'cool'

#3 is never going to happen, but MS have failed at #2 as well. Why can't they have targeted ads comparing their products to iOS/Android? They did the whole thing with WP7 which challenged people to complete a task faster with another OS, it had exactly zero effect on sales.

It's going to take a very strong effort to counter the myth that 'Apple just works' and 'Windows is full of spyware/issues', and this is what MS fails to realize. It's all about perception, not specs, not features.
 
darrpara said:
I'll probably pick one of these up for my wife as she has wanted a device to watch movies on but also do some office stuff for work on.
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Well it does have Office RT, but it does NOT have Media Player. (I'm wondering what this means for media play back?!)
Some features aren't included in Windows RT:

Windows Media Player
Windows Media Center
HomeGroup creation (you can join an existing HomeGroup but you can't create a new one)
Remote Desktop
Domain join
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Also:
Although you can install apps directly from the Windows Store, you can't install apps on the desktop on Windows RT.
Surface with Windows RT works exclusively with apps from the Windows Store.
You can only install printers, mice, keyboards, and other devices that are certified for Windows RT.
Click to expand...
Source: Microsoft Store

More we actually learn about the RT, the less appealing it becomes...Remember, the selling point is that it is a "Windows" product, yet it is less and less compatible with traditional Windows software / environment. General public will expect it to work the same way their desktops at home work, and will be disappointed with the limited nature.
 
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E^vol said:
You can only install printers, mice, keyboards, and other devices that are certified for Windows RT.
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Are you shitting me? I need a "certified" Bluetooth keyboard or mouse? Setting sail for fail.
 
I guess so, I'm only quoting Microsoft's own website. I don't know the full extent to which this means.
I'm quickly becoming quite disappointed with the RT at this point in time.
I do hope the Pro will be what I'm hoping it will be, for a "decent" price, although judging by the RT's price, that's gonna be a hard pill to swallow.
 
E^vol said:
I guess so, I'm only quoting Microsoft's own website. I don't know the full extent to which this means.
I'm quickly becoming quite disappointed with the RT at this point in time.
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I hope it's an exaggeration or at least they will just say "Bluetooth devices are certified" or something. That's seriously stupid if they force you to buy their keyboard cover if you want to type. It looks nifty, but I should be able to use any BT peripherals I want.
 
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