The long wait for pricing on the upcoming Microsoft Surface RT tablet from Microsoft is over and has finally been made public by the Redmond company.
So as you can see above the prices are:
64GB with Black Touch Cover – $699
32GB with Black Touch Cover – $599
32GB Surface (no cover) – $499
So how does that compare with the iPad?
Well the iPad with Wi-Fi, 16GB and of course no cover costs $499. In order to get 32GB worth of storage on an iPad the cost goes up to $599. The 64GB iPad with Wi-Fi costs $699.
For that same price of $699 you can get a 64GB Microsoft Surface RT tablet with the Touch cover. At each price point the Surface brings more value because of either increased storage or the additional Touch cover.
I think Microsoft has hit a good spot with these prices to compete directly with the iPad and many users who would buy an iPad for the conveniences of the form factor can now get a tablet that brings more productivity out of the box, with more storage and the addition of the Touch cover.
Here are the specs for the Surface RT and the Touch cover from the product page:
Surface RT Tablet
OS | Windows RT, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview
EXTERIOR | Dimensions: 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37 in • Weight: Less than 1.5 lbs • Casing: VaporMg • Color: Dark Titanium • Physical buttons: Volume, Power
STORAGE | 32 GB • 64 GBDISPLAY | Screen: 10.6″ ClearType HD Display • Resolution: 1366 x768 • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (widescreen) • Touch: 5-point multi-touch
CPU | Chip: NVIDIA T30 • System memory: 2 GB RAM
WIRELESS | Wireless: Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) • Bluetooth 4.0 technology
BATTERY | Up to 8 hours mixed activity • 7-15 days idle life
CAMERAS | Two 720p HD cameras, front and rear-facing
VIDEO | Two microphones
AUDIO | Stereo speakers
PORTS | Full-size USB 2.0 • microSDXC card reader • Headphone jack • HD video out port • Cover port
SENSORS | Ambient light sensor • Accelerometer • Gyroscope • Magnetometer
WARRANTY | 1-year limited hardware warranty
APPS (included) | Mail • Messaging • Word • Power Point • Excel • OneNote • SkyDrive • Internet Explorer 10 • Bing • Music • Video • Games • and more.
Black Touch Cover
DIMENSIONS | 7.4 x 11.0 in • 3 mm thin
WEIGHT | 0.46 lbs
COLOR | Black • Additional colors (White, Cyan, Magenta, Red) sold separately
KEYS | Activation: Pressure-sensing input • Layout: QWERTY
INTERFACE | Magnetic
SENSORS | Accelerometer
WARRANTY | 1-year limited hardware warranty
Now when do these things go on pre-order as the site is showing everything out of stock right now?
Note: Just prior to publishing this post the pre-order page for the Microsoft Surface RT tablet is no longer accessible.
