Prices starting at 499 USD for the 32GB version (probably around the same price in Euro for Europe and a lot more for Cyprus as always). Keep in mind these are the ARM based version of Surface which means normal PC software will not run on it unless the developer recompiles it and assuming it doesn’t need any specific hardware support that is not present on the tablet. From the point of view of specifications it uses the same CPU as the latest Asus Transformer Pads, Nexus 7 and HTC One X phone with just another GB of RAM. The big plus over iPad and the rest of the competition is that it comes with the magnetic cover-keyboard and a full license for Microsoft Office 2013 (the latest version with a touch optimized UI) which on its own almost costs as much as the tablet.
This is a decent device for anyone who wants to have a fully blown Office experience on the go. Personally as a developer I’d rather get an x86 based tablet even though we can safely bet it will cost a lot more.
Specs according to Microsoft:
- Software – Surface with Windows RT comes with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview (2) (which includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote)
- Exterior – 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37 inches, 1.5 pounds, VaporMg casing, dark titanium color, volume and power buttons
- Storage – 32 GB (3); 64 GB
- CPU – NVIDIA T30, 2 GB of RAM
- Wireless – Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 technology
- Cameras – Two 720p HD cameras, front- and rear-facing
- Audio – Two microphones, stereo speakers
- Ports – Full-size USB 2.0, microSDXC card slot, headset jack, HD video out port, cover port
- Sensors – Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass
- Power Supply – 24W power supply
- Warranty – One-year limited hardware warranty
- Apps (included) – Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview (2) (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote), Windows Mail and Windows Messaging, SkyDrive, Windows Internet Explorer 10, Bing, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Xbox Games