Microsoft's Surface Tablet Price Range Revealed

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

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If you are in the market for the new Microsoft Surface, but still don’t have a clue on what it will cost, Steve Ballmer has shed a bit of light on the range of cost. While not giving a specific price for each of the possibilities, Ballmer did say the Surface will be competitive with the iPad and other similar devices.

The Surface is scheduled to be released October 26, in conjunction with Microsoft's Windows 8 release.
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If it's the pro then yes please. Otherwise why anyone would want the RT model instead of the iPad is beyond me.
 
Agenesis said:
If it's the pro then yes please. Otherwise why anyone would want the RT model instead of the iPad is beyond me.
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well the RT should be around $300-400 and have more productivity ability than the 16gb new ipad at ~$500. the pro version hopefully will be around $700-800 and thats even with a 64gb new ipad and will do everything better than the ipad.
 
I wouldn't say anything was revealed. All Ballmer did was give us a broad price range that most tablets already occupy. Other words really told us nothing we didn't already know.
 
a $300 rt tablet would sell like crazy. Facebook, Twitter, and Office is all most people need. People here and other tech sites might not care about the RT model but the average person will. Now, for me, I want to see a high res pro model at ~$1000 with 8 hours of battery life. Drool.
 
ekuest said:
well the RT should be around $300-400 and have more productivity ability than the 16gb new ipad at ~$500. the pro version hopefully will be around $700-800 and thats even with a 64gb new ipad and will do everything better than the ipad.
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The thing is, what will the RT version bring to the market that current tablets doesn't already have? For the Pro version we pretty much get a full fledged computer in the form factor of a tablet...the possibilities are endless. Meanwhile the RT version I assume will still be in its infant state months after release with the majority of the applications being coded for it slightly more popular phone counterpart. Consumers will have to actually wait for developers to code RT version specific applications for usage while those apps may already be available on matured environments such as Android or IOS. All I'm saying is that there really is no incentive or deciding factor to use the RT version so far.
 
Agenesis said:
The thing is, what will the RT version bring to the market that current tablets doesn't already have? For the Pro version we pretty much get a full fledged computer in the form factor of a tablet...the possibilities are endless. Meanwhile the RT version I assume will still be in its infant state months after release with the majority of the applications being coded for it slightly more popular phone counterpart. Consumers will have to actually wait for developers to code RT version specific applications for usage while those apps may already be available on matured environments such as Android or IOS. All I'm saying is that there really is no incentive or deciding factor to use the RT version so far.
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sound more like youre saying theres no reason to get an RT device period over iOS/android, not just this surface RT device. the hardware seems pretty solid to me for the price. you may have a valid point though if they release RT without developing enough software for it first, but i doubt MS is that dumb. people said the same about android before it came out that no one would want to switch from the more developed, mature, and app-filled iOS but android is doing great.
 
Agenesis said:
The thing is, what will the RT version bring to the market that current tablets doesn't already have? For the Pro version we pretty much get a full fledged computer in the form factor of a tablet...the possibilities are endless. Meanwhile the RT version I assume will still be in its infant state months after release with the majority of the applications being coded for it slightly more popular phone counterpart. Consumers will have to actually wait for developers to code RT version specific applications for usage while those apps may already be available on matured environments such as Android or IOS. All I'm saying is that there really is no incentive or deciding factor to use the RT version so far.
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For consumers, I think there is. Since the iPad was so popular and it wasn't really a full-fledged working tablet, the $100 savings of the RT version would definitely attract customers.
 
I think some people in this thread are being way too overly optimistic about Windows RT. I also don't see any reason to use Windows RT. Android tablets are struggling except for the cheap tablets like the Kindle Fire and to a lesser extent the Nexus 7 (both being sold at cost or a loss). They are all trying to fight over only about 40% of the total tablet market (Apple controls the other 60%). If Apple does release a mini ipad then all manufacturers but especially Microsoft will have a tough time making its case for a new OS with the exact same hardware as others, but with less apps and no credibility in the tablet world.
 
BladeVenom said:
Why don't they just announce the price? How incompetent is Ballmer?
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Nothing incompetent about it really. Look at all the buzz around the pricing of Surface devices. If Microsoft didn't have partners to consider they probably would have kept the Surface a complete secret for at least a couple months longer. So keeping the price a mystery keeps in the tech news cycle. We'll see if Ballmer really laid it out but it's looking that the base Surface RT will start at $300. But I think it would be smart for Microsoft to let the iPhone 5 go one sale and then announce Surface pricing, at least Surface RT pricing.
 
BladeVenom said:
Why don't they just announce the price? How incompetent is Ballmer?
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He is trying to find out how much people are prepared to pay, at launch. He does not want to set the price so high that the sales, over the first quarter, are low, compared with Apple’s equivalent, and then have to lower the price to play catch up. It risks making the product look inferior, to the mass market.
 
My take on this: The arm version will be between price ranges of android tablets to ipads. The x64 version will be comparable to the price of 'netbooks'.

All this buzz about pricing is otherwise designed to allow MS to research what people are saying to see how high of a price they will be happy paying. Kind of gives them a 'bar' to go by when they do release it.
 
anthrex said:
If Apple does release a mini ipad then all manufacturers but especially Microsoft will have a tough time making its case for a new OS with the exact same hardware as others, but with less apps and no credibility in the tablet world.
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You mean like the ipod touch? lol...
 
Agenesis said:
The thing is, what will the RT version bring to the market that current tablets doesn't already have? For the Pro version we pretty much get a full fledged computer in the form factor of a tablet...the possibilities are endless. Meanwhile the RT version I assume will still be in its infant state months after release with the majority of the applications being coded for it slightly more popular phone counterpart. Consumers will have to actually wait for developers to code RT version specific applications for usage while those apps may already be available on matured environments such as Android or IOS. All I'm saying is that there really is no incentive or deciding factor to use the RT version so far.
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If you want a laptop, get a laptop. Tablets are for undemanding uses and by their nature are going to be limited (designed around portability and battery life, at the cost of performance, storage and memory). I prefer tablets over laptops, however that's because I have a desktop for the demanding stuff. Even then, I just use low-end tablets since I don't need the performance of a high-end tablet.

The Pro version I suspect will initially outsell the RT, but the RT will outsell the Pro throughout their lifetime, possibly by a large margin. Not many people will purchase more performance than they need, especially considering how much less disposable income many consumers have compared to just a few years ago.
 
anthrex said:
I think some people in this thread are being way too overly optimistic about Windows RT. I also don't see any reason to use Windows RT. Android tablets are struggling except for the cheap tablets like the Kindle Fire and to a lesser extent the Nexus 7 (both being sold at cost or a loss). They are all trying to fight over only about 40% of the total tablet market (Apple controls the other 60%). If Apple does release a mini ipad then all manufacturers but especially Microsoft will have a tough time making its case for a new OS with the exact same hardware as others, but with less apps and no credibility in the tablet world.
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The Nexus 7 is selling pretty well, and it's not being sold for a loss. It's being sold for a very thin profit margin. The Nexus 7 has also done a fairly good job of jump starting tablet application production, making the android tablets an actual presence in the market.

That being said, I'd still be much happier with a full Office suite.
 
WasntMe said:
Because some people (aka smart people) avoid Apple like the plague?
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He said Windows RT and I agree with him. The Microsoft market place is pitiful compared to even Blackberry app shares. I would rather have an iPad than a Windows RT tablet at this time.

Now if we're talking about a full Windows 8 tablet, I'll chose that any day.
 
Azhar said:
He said Windows RT and I agree with him. The Microsoft market place is pitiful compared to even Blackberry app shares. I would rather have an iPad than a Windows RT tablet at this time.

Now if we're talking about a full Windows 8 tablet, I'll chose that any day.
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Windows 8 isn't even launched, so sure the app count is low, that said even now a great deal of what people use tablets for is there. Web browsing, email, document reading, even document creation with Office 2013 in the box on Windows RT, movie streaming and media playback, etc.

So yes the app count is low but that doesn't mean that Windows RT devices can't be all that a lot of people need as long as the basics are there and those basics are solid.
 
heatlesssun said:
Windows 8 isn't even launched, so sure the app count is low, that said even now a great deal of what people use tablets for is there. Web browsing, email, document reading, even document creation with Office 2013 in the box on Windows RT, movie streaming and media playback, etc.

So yes the app count is low but that doesn't mean that Windows RT devices can't be all that a lot of people need as long as the basics are there and those basics are solid.
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But why go with RT if iPad offers those basics + the apps already?
 
Cali3350 said:
But why go with RT if iPad offers those basics + the apps already?
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But the iPad really isn't designed to be a true productivity device. I think you can hook up the Surface RT to an external monitor and run multiple instances of Office apps. Apps are great but the truth is that bulk of them on any platform are just junk. Windows RT is going to have the bulk of the key ones with thousands coming online each month. I just don't think one could say look, more apps and make the determination that the Surface RT can't fit needs for some as well or better than iPad. If apps were what it is all about then OS X I don't think would do as well as it does. Yes, the amount of apps is a factor, but not the only factor.
 
heatlesssun said:
Windows 8 isn't even launched, so sure the app count is low, that said even now a great deal of what people use tablets for is there. Web browsing, email, document reading, even document creation with Office 2013 in the box on Windows RT, movie streaming and media playback, etc.

So yes the app count is low but that doesn't mean that Windows RT devices can't be all that a lot of people need as long as the basics are there and those basics are solid.
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Why do you think I said "at this time"?

I'm sure Blackberry said the same of their Playbook and HP the same for their WebOS Slate. I'm not going to base my purchases on a bunch of maybes and probablies and possibilies, and I especially don't need anyone telling me I only need the solid basics. If you want solid basics, by all means enjoy your Windows RT and keep your fingers crossed that their market place grows - I certainly hope they do - but until that happens, I don't want a Windows RT device, period.
 
heatlesssun said:
But the iPad really isn't designed to be a true productivity device. I think you can hook up the Surface RT to an external monitor and run multiple instances of Office apps. Apps are great but the truth is that bulk of them on any platform are just junk. Windows RT is going to have the bulk of the key ones with thousands coming online each month. I just don't think one could say look, more apps and make the determination that the Surface RT can't fit needs for some as well or better than iPad. If apps were what it is all about then OS X I don't think would do as well as it does. Yes, the amount of apps is a factor, but not the only factor.
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http://www.apple.com/ipad/accessories/

Go take a peek in this web site.
 
stevejg61 said:
I did. $29 for a SD card reader, Apple Digital AV Adapter $39, Apple Composite AV Cable $39, Apple Wireless Keyboard - English (Bluetooth) $69 - LOL
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Way to miss the point. I suppose you're completely unaware that Logitech makes keyboards too for the device?

My point was he's wrong - Surface (and Android tablets for that matter) does not have a monopoly (or probable monopoly, according to him) on input devices.
 
Azhar said:
Way to miss the point. I suppose you're completely unaware that Logitech makes keyboards too for the device?

My point was he's wrong - Surface (and Android tablets for that matter) does not have a monopoly (or probable monopoly, according to him) on input devices.
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No it's not about the input devices, it's about being able to use the most popular productivity application suite in the world with a keyboard and mouse with multiple instances of those apps running on an external monitor. iPads certainly can't do this.
 
heatlesssun said:
But can you hook up and external monitor like a PC and run multiple instances and windows on that external monitor and drive it with a mouse with an iPad? Again, my point is that if one wants the ability to use a Surface RT device like a PC to run Office, it has that capability unlike mobile OS tablets.
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You just said a couple posts ago that you think the capability is there. Which is it? Can it do that or might it do that?
 
I anticipate that the number of people who will grab a Surface RT, hook up a keyboard, mouse and an external monitor to it and jam numbers into Excel all day will be about the same as the number of people who use a keyboard with their iPads: practically nil.

It's not as if you can't use Office apps on an iPad anyway, even though there are better options available for document creation on that platform.

BBA said:
The x64 version will be comparable to the price of 'netbooks'.
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Don't count on it. Expect to pay mid-range notebook prices.
 
heatlesssun said:
Windows 8 isn't even launched, so sure the app count is low
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If Windows 8 will run everything that Windows 7 does, wouldn't the app count be pretty much the largest in the world already? Granted they wouldn't be push-a-button-fart apps, but everything that can run on a laptop should run fine on the tablet I would imagine.
 
Ducman69 said:
If Windows 8 will run everything that Windows 7 does, wouldn't the app count be pretty much the largest in the world already? Granted they wouldn't be push-a-button-fart apps, but everything that can run on a laptop should run fine on the tablet I would imagine.
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not RT. as i understand it, RT will be a closed ecosystem with only "apps" that are approved by MS, like the android and apple app stores.
 
ekuest said:
not RT. as i understand it, RT will be a closed ecosystem with only "apps" that are approved by MS, like the android and apple app stores.
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Oh, I hate closed ecosystem machines. Might as well get an iPad.
 
Azhar said:
You just said a couple posts ago that you think the capability is there. Which is it? Can it do that or might it do that?
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Well this is how it works in Windows 8 x86 and since Office 2013 is a desktop app and all of the Windows RT devices I've seen including the Surface all have HDMI ports so there's no reason not to believe the functionality I've mentioned isn't possible. Since none of us has seen an RT device of course I can't say anything with 100% certainty.
 
Ducman69 said:
If Windows 8 will run everything that Windows 7 does, wouldn't the app count be pretty much the largest in the world already? Granted they wouldn't be push-a-button-fart apps, but everything that can run on a laptop should run fine on the tablet I would imagine.
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True, but the topic I believe is Windows RT which of course doesn't run x86 apps.
 
heatlesssun said:
Well this is how it works in Windows 8 x86 and since Office 2013 is a desktop app and all of the Windows RT devices I've seen including the Surface all have HDMI ports so there's no reason not to believe the functionality I've mentioned isn't possible. Since none of us has seen an RT device of course I can't say anything with 100% certainty.
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Then why are you even comparing it to an Android tablet or iPad in that aspect if you don't even know?? :confused:
 
Azhar said:
Then why are you even comparing it to an Android tablet or iPad in that aspect if you don't even know?? :confused:
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I wasn't the one that bought up the iPad or Android devices. And since none of us has seen an RT device it should be obvious that all things aren't 100% certain. But Office 2013 RT is a desktop app and there's no reason that I can see why they can't run on external monitor just like Windows 8.
 
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