Microsoft Surface Price May Reach AUS$759

  • Price will match other tablets
  • October 26 launch, alongside Windows 8 OS
  • Prices hinted at AUS$284 to AUS$759
Microsoft Surface will be released several weeks from now but what continue to remain unannounced up to this day are the full details of the price and territories the company plans to sell the device.

  • Price will match other tablets
  • October 26 launch, alongside Windows 8 OS
  • Prices hinted at AUS$284 to AUS$759
Microsoft Surface will be released several weeks from now but what continue to remain unannounced up to this day are the full details of the price and territories the company plans to sell the device.
 
Thanks that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has hinted about selling the tablet between $300 to $800 price ranges, which many observers are now looking as the company’s direct bid to outsmart Apple’s iPad tablet, the current leader in the tablet market space.
 
Ballmer has revealed in an interview with The Seattle Times that pricing of its Microsoft Surface will dwell in and around the “sweet spot” of the current PC pricing. Basic or smaller end model might be sold for $300 (AUS$284) and its higher end model will receive a price tag of $800 (AUS$759). Many, however, consider Surface will be sold at $500 (AUS$474).
 
With the new insight on pricing, Microsoft’s bid to position Surface against the iPad is gradually revealing. In fact, Ballmer was positive that the Redmond-based company now has a “very competitive product (Microsoft Surface) from the features perspective.”
 
Apple’s iPad is the dominant tablet in this segment where its most expensive model, the Retina display-sporting model – at 64GB with Wi-Fi and 3G – costs $829 (AUS$787).  
 
By placing the pricing of the Surface just within the same pricing bracket as the Apple’s iPad, this could be an advantage. Ballmer explained that when people are offered a cheaper device, there is less feature or functionality to work and play around and the look is a little less good. 
 
Selling Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro Microsoft Surface at $800 would still make it a little less expensive than the pricier model of the iPad. For consumers who may already be looking for an alternative tablet that offers difference experiences in terms of slate experiences and software, Microsoft Surface may still put a dent in this market space. 
 
Already earning glowing impressions from tech pundits and observers when unveiled recently, the Surface slate was earlier reported will be on sale for only $199 (or AUS$188 for the low-end model) and $999 (AUS$947 for the high-end model). Its latest hybrid tablet and PC device, dubbed Microsoft Surface, will run Microsoft’s latest Windows 8 mobile software. 
 
From a software company, Ballmer now sees people will start to look at Microsoft as a devices-and-services company.