Microsoft confirms Surface Pro available in January starting at $900
Lots of rumors today, and then there’s fact:
In January, Surface with Windows 8 Pro will be available in two versions and pricing will start at $899:
· 64GB standalone version at $899
· 128GB standalone version at $999
Both versions will both include a Surface pen with Palm Block technology and include the ability to use a Touch Cover or Type Cover (sold separately).
So expect the cover and the pen to cost extra. They’re also making the advantages of the Pro version clear.
On the inside, Surface with Windows 8 Pro will come with Intel’s next generation Core i5 processor. This chip will give Surface with Windows 8 Pro a graphics boost for its 10.6” 16:9 ClearType display that runs at a 1920×1080 full HD resolution. Surface with Windows 8 Pro also includes a full-size USB 3.0 port. Its Mini DisplayPort can drive an external display up to 2560X1440 resolution. And, as I mentioned above, Surface with Windows 8 Pro will support Pen input. This is an amazing feature for all you note-takers or document editors out there, especially since it has expanded capacitive and digitizing technology we’re calling Palm Block that will prevent your handwriting from getting interrupted if you accidently place your palm on the screen as you write. This feature is pretty cool, and allows for a great inking experience alongside a great touch experience when needed.
Surface with Windows 8 Pro will run your current Windows 7 desktop applications – it’s a full PC AND a tablet.
Who’s in?
And yes, January, not December like the rumor mill that MS just squashed.
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I figured Microsoft was going to push the Surface Pro as the main device going forward instead of the Surface RT. The hardware partners aren’t going to be too happy about the pricing but oh well. They just need to come down and move tons of those new ultrabooks and Win8 tablets themselves.
The Surface is going to be one of those devices you might initially be very frustrated with but if you stick with it over time the experience is going to be better and better.
$1,000 for a tablet? MS is competing with Apple now it seems in terms of pricing of tablets… I think only Apple can get away with overpricing things though, not sure MS will be able to pull it off.. I sure as hell wouldn’t spend $1,000 on a tablet. My main PC has better specs and cost less than half to build (then again I did get a lot of the parts for free…) Still though, I don’t think you need a beefier CPU and specs for a tablet really, people aren’t going to be doing CPU intensive things on it like they would a desktop. A tablet is meant to be fast and portable with the ability to run apps quickly and play some games. On this $1,000 tablet sure you could play heftier games but the graphics would suck.
A USB 3.0 port as a feature? I’ve yet to actually see USB 3.0 enabled things really hit mainstream and I’m on the hardware end over here. I have USB 3.0 and I might actually use it two or three times per year with my USB3 enabled HDD dock, but I don’t really do that anymore as I re-installed my SATA dock in the 5.25″ bay, so that’s even faster. USB 3.0 flash drives are nice but way overpriced and the speed boost isn’t worth the extra cost at this time.
How is 1080p resolution a feature? We have phones now that run that. Give me higher resolution and I’ll get excited.
For that price it should come with the covers and not as an option.
And 128gb is the max? Seriously? SSDs are higher than that. Out of that 128gb, you’ll only get maybe 90gb of usable space? See my post from a while ago about the capacity and just how much real space is available to the user on Surface tablets.
You sound really ignorant to be a writer on this site….this is not a tablet, it’s an ultrabook in tablet form. Compare it to the Samsung Series 9 or Asus ZenBook, those are in the $1000 range with those same specs without the commodities of a tablet. And just as asus did by eventually releasing an i7 256gb Zenbook, I’m sure that’s Microsoft next step.
Ignorant of what exactly?
I’m a hardware guy I call them as I see them and the specs and price don’t impress me at all, sorry.
With an Ultrabook I would have a real keyboard and at least half-decent graphics to game with. Sure it’s not going to play Crysis, but you will be able to game on it. Then it’s a laptop, no matter what you call an ultrabook, it’s still a laptop.
Umm.. and yes it is a tablet plain and simple.
You could probably guess my opinion on this, but I’ll spell it out anyway.
Windows 8 is horrid, and this tablet is a huge fail IMO. Not as bad as the RT version, but still pretty bad.
Thanks for that iChris. And I thought you were so immersed in Microsoft’s new OS you didn’t have time to post. Oh well.
I really can’t wait to get one