Well, the day has come, pre-ordering of Microsoft Surface is open and the prices have been revealed.
To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in the prices. In this article we look into US prices.
Don't be fooled, these devices are bundled with WinRT version and have ARM processor and no real PC power nor access to desktop programs or desktop itself, like Windows users have today.
For the real PC tablets we have to wait probably until next year 1st or 2nd quarter.
How much do they cost?
Only the 32gb tablet without any extras would be 499$. To get the "touch" cover for it you have to pay extra 100$
Now if you are not into touch keyboard cover and want to go with real typing keyboard cover then replace latter with 120$ (or 130$ for black model that matches your tablet color).
Probably you want a cover anyway so you basically can choose between 599$ tablet with touch keyboard or 619$ or 629$ with real typing keyboard (depending on your color preference).
I strongly believe that it is still a good to have an option to buy the tablet without the cover (developers clap their hands for this)
What about the storage options?
The metro programs are quite small (because there are no super-duper HQ programs yet in MS Store). But if you think about it, 32gb is probably not enough to store your movies and music. Probably you would like to double the storage and go with 64gb version which costs 699$ (and comes with the touch cover).
That's 100$ extra on top of the 599$ device. Isn't that a lot of money for extra 32gb?
Let's compare... If the devices have SSD inside, you can get 120gb laptop SSD drive from amazon right now, if you want to compare. If you sum 32gb with 120gb you get 150gb.
There are no other options besides 32 and 64 gigabytes right now.
All these prices are for US.
In United Kingdom, the 699$ model would cost over 900$ (if converted).
What could be better?
To beat Apple's iPad, I think the options provided will not be sufficient and the Surface will remain in shelves until the prices drop or something get's better than iPad (For example if the tablet is equivalent to regular PC by processor and/or operating system).
They would have to come out with a lot better options like:
- 32gb version (no cover) for super cheap price like 300$ or less (for devs to make more apps)
- 64gb retail version with cover for 449$
- 120gb top notch version with cover for 649$
Also, there should be more color options for personalizing the experience (Probably will happen after general availability)
The platform has not proved itself yet and it is quite hard to do so with no decent customer base and programs in the store.
I really like the concept of Windows 8, Windows phone 8 and Metro for touch devices but the high priced hardware provided is not helping this technology to get into the masses...
I would like to go with the cheapest option myself and start experimenting with the platform because there is no real reason why to buy Surface right now. There are no really useful apps for Metro (besides those bundled by Microsoft, but I can access my calendar, mail, IM and other stuff like that even without this tablet).
Pre-Order now!
If you are interested in pre-ordering this great (but high priced) device and live in the US -
click here
What do you think about the device itself or the pre-order pricing? Leave a comment!
