Windows RT OEMs unveil pricing for Surface wannabes
Microsoft will make its entry into the tablet war with its Surface tablet. The initial version of Surface will run WIndows RT and will start at $499 for the 32GB version. $599 will net you the same 32GB tablet; however, with a Touch Cover Keyboard and for $699, a 64GB version with a Touch Cover keyboard can be yours.
A got chance to briefly play around with the Touch Cover keyboard in one of Micrososft’s labs recently. Check below for my impressions.
Family Surface
The Surface tablets will be available in two distinct versions. The first, running Windows RT -- effectively the "light" version of Windows 8 -- will launch on October 26, starting at $499 and run on an Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU. While it won't have the full desktop version of Windows 8, running only the Metro apps available through the Windows app store, it will include a version of Microsoft Office at no additional charge.
Approximately three months later, a Windows 8 Pro version of the tablet will follow. The Pro will offer the full Windows 8 OS running on an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU (the same chips found in ultrabooks and other laptops). The Pro version will also be slightly thicker, offer a more robust battery, and boast better peripheral support (USB 3.0 versus 2.0, DisplayPort, and an SDXC expansion slot) and twice the storage capacity of the RT version.
(Microsoft's) The stand
During the conference the Microsoft reps were keen to continually mention the VaporMg (pronounced "Vapor Mag") process it used to build Surface. According to the company, the process allows Microsoft to melt metal and then mold it down to a 0.65mm thickness for any given part. The layering of components is apparently so efficient that even sticking a piece of tape in between them would cause the tablet to bulge.
The full magnesium case is both scratch- and wear-resistant and weighs about 1.5 pounds. We only got to hold the tablet briefly, but it felt substantial -- fairly light but not airy.
Microsoft also credits VaporMg as the reason it was able to seamlessly include the Surface's built-in kickstand. We've seen kickstands on tablets before and being able to easily prop up your tablet is something we definitely appreciate.
