Surface RT to cost $199?

[MorganX]

Seems to good to be true, but does anyone think the Lumia with Carl Zeiss lens is a $99 phone? MS is going to subsidize to make up lost ground I think. If not $199, $249.

I still want the Pro, but, that would be irresistible. I'd get one of all of our IT staff just to keep 'em happy.

At $1500-1800, Pro will be DOA. It can't be more than $1000 at highest spec.

Agreed. I'll pay close to 1k, but I really think they need to get it between $599-$749

[~Johnny]

I sincerely doubt it'd be that cheap... has any tablet from a reputable manufacturer with over 7" screen come anywhere close to that?

Considering the full metal body, the size and quality of the screen and their market position, I see them pricing this the same as the iPad. They don't want to cannibalise their other OEM's sales anyway, and there's no way they can make any form of profit at that price.

[deanrock]

I will buy it immediately, if it's under 300?.

The cheapest 13" MacAir, with all their market leverage, is well over a thousand. And Surface is BETTER than an Air/ultrabook if mobility is your primary goal.

Surface Pro has specs similar to cheapest Macbook Air. They need to match the price, if they want to sell a lot of them.

[CentralDogma]

For somebody like my mom a low-end Surface could be a notebook replacement. Especially with Microsoft Office installed. A Nexus 7, not so much.

It depends what she'll use it for. It's a content consumption device, so it's great for surfing the web, watching a movie, or reading a book, even small notes or messages would work fine on it. Any sort of large amount writing, and you'd need to factor in the cost of a Bluetooth keyboard. If that?s the case then waiting for Surface is probably a good decision.

[guru]

The average user tends not to care about that.

they do. they just dont have decent alternative. except for nexus7. i'd rather buy surface rt for office alone. ofcourse, pro with intel haswell chip would be perfect.

on op, this is too good to be true. $349 would be more realistic for RT

[HawkMan]

Even at $200 I probably wouldn't get one. Basically for the same reason I won't buy a Nexus 7. Yeah it's a neat novelty and the price is okay, but it will probably end up not being used and thrown in an empty drawer. There are too many limitations for it to be nice for day-to-day use.

Now if the Pro is priced at $500 or less, that would be an instant buy for me.

How is the limitations stopping you from using it in any meaningfull way.

I can browse the web on it from my sofa, I can read my mail and messages, I can even check no edit office documents, full one note access, I can even play simple games, watch tv series from my media center when not in front of the tv.

Outside of playing "advanced" computer games it covers 100% of my computer usage. Sure it won't replace office on my computer fully, but it's a good excuse to keep working on stuff without sitting in front of my computer but lounging around.

[+Warwagon MVC]

How many apps are going to be availableat launch?

[HawkMan]

I sincerely doubt it'd be that cheap... has any tablet from a reputable manufacturer with over 7" screen come anywhere close to that?

Considering the full metal body, the size and quality of the screen and their market position, I see them pricing this the same as the iPad. They don't want to cannibalise their other OEM's sales anyway, and there's no way they can make any form of profit at that price.

Well if they're price matching the iPad 2 and with a bit of price war, it makes sense.

[123456789A]

PS I'd immediately get a Surface if it only costs around ?200, especially if it comes with a free copy of Office 2013.

That would be amazing.

[Dashel]

Surface Pro has specs similar to cheapest Macbook Air. They need to match the price, if they want to sell a lot of them.

If by similar you mean processor and disregard the Surface's superior mobility, higher grade construction, touch screen etc. The Air (factoring in Win license costs) just can't compete with Surface at the high end. The Air is a Bose speaker, all mids. Surface is B&W, full range.

[.Neo]

It depends what she'll use it for. It's a content consumption device, so it's great for surfing the web, watching a movie, or reading a book, even small notes or messages would work fine on it. Any sort of large amount writing, and you'd need to factor in the cost of a Bluetooth keyboard. If that?s the case then waiting for Surface is probably a good decision.

Well, it's my mom so I have a pretty good idea of what she does... As such I'm in the position to make the assessment a Surface RT with Microsoft Office installed could replace her current eMac.

[HawkMan]

Apple takes 30% on in-app purchasing, that's the problem.

Most developers consider that a worthy trade off, since people actually buy their stuff on iOS.

[jagowar]

Maybe. What's Surface RT's unique value proposition though: Office? At $299 you're only $100 away from an iPad. You could also easily get a used iPad for less.

It does a number of things better....

1. Better Multitasking (with the ability to see 2 apps on the screen in snapped mode)

2. The desktop back end when needed (office alone makes it superior but you also have file management and usb/microsd builtin)

3. Multiple profile support (very useful for families as your kids won't screw up your profile)

4. App contracts (allowing apps can talk to each other... opening and saving directly to skydrive is a good example but if dropbox/gdrive bring an app to win8 they will be able to do the same)

There are plenty more but those are the big 4 to me.... winrt is more limited but still much closer to a "real computer" hybrid than the ipad.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

It does a number of things better....

1. Better Multitasking (with the ability to see 2 apps on the screen in snapped mode)

2. The desktop back end when needed (office alone makes it superior but you also have file management and usb/microsd builtin)

3. Multiple profile support (very useful for families as your kids won't screw up your profile)

4. App contracts (allowing apps can talk to each other... opening and saving directly to skydrive is a good example but if dropbox/gdrive bring an app to win8 they will be able to do the same)

There are plenty more but those are the big 4 to me.... winrt is more limited but still much closer to a "real computer" hybrid than the ipad.

Good list! I agree. Wish the iPad had the fourth one especially.

[BajiRav]

Most developers consider that a worthy trade off, since people actually buy their stuff on iOS.

I was just pointing out that the reason Amazon and some others don't sell content on iOS is because of that 30% cut. GP007 thought iOS doesn't support in-app-purchases, which is not the true or not the reason Amazon doesn't have a store on iOS.

[.Neo]

Most developers consider that a worthy trade off, since people actually buy their stuff on iOS.

It all depends. If you're a relatively small developer, like many are, the (Mac) App Store is a great way to distribute your apps. You don't have to worry about distribution, handling payments etc. For large companies with a large user base like Adobe, Microsoft, etc. 30% is a huge chunk out of their income. They don't need Apple to handle distribution and such because they already have their own divisions in place.

That said it wouldn't surprise me if those companies made a special arrangement with Apple.

[jakem1]

Good list! I agree. Wish the iPad had the fourth one especially.

I'm sure it will soon enough ;)

[Growled Member]

I'll believe that price when I see it.

[Josh_LosAltosHills]

$199 seems way low. At that price i'm worried about quality. The nexus tablet feels plastic and cheap. We've all heard stories about loose screws etc. Personally I'd feel more comfortable paying $299-399 for a solid piece of hardware. But if MS wants to sell me one for $199 at a loss I'll be more than happy to buy a couple.

[deanrock]

If by similar you mean processor and disregard the Surface's superior mobility, higher grade construction, touch screen etc. The Air (factoring in Win license costs) just can't compete with Surface at the high end. The Air is a Bose speaker, all mids. Surface is B&W, full range.

Superior mobility? Macbook Air is essentially a laptop which can be used everywhere (on a plane, in a car, ...), but MS Surface is more like the iPad and needs hard surface for a keyboard.

[Wyn6]

Hmm.. it has a great ui, has awesome multi-tasking, has email, browser, video, android. I don't see it as a fail at all. I mean, at least 3 of those things won't be on the surface. I'll let you guess which ones.

Great UI. Subjective, but check.

Awesome multitasking. Check.

Email. Check.

Browser. Check.

Video. Check

Android. Nope.

I count five of six on the Surface. You said three. You might wanna go back and check that.

[firey]

Great UI. Subjective, but check.

Awesome multitasking. Check.

Email. Check.

Browser. Check.

Video. Check

Android. Nope.

I count five of six on the Surface. You said three. You might wanna go back and check that.

Great UI. Subjective, but check. I disagree

Awesome multitasking. Check. Hmm.. pretty sure metro only allows 1, maybe 2 apps to be open and running in the forefront at one time, otherwise need the desktop.. which isn't present.

Email. Check.

Browser. Check.

Video. Check

Android. Nope.

so.. yea no.. my count of 3 is right :)

[argonite]

Great UI. Subjective, but check. I disagree

Awesome multitasking. Check. Hmm.. pretty sure metro only allows 1, maybe 2 apps to be open and running in the forefront at one time, otherwise need the desktop.. which isn't present.

Email. Check.

Browser. Check.

Video. Check

Android. Nope.

so.. yea no.. my count of 3 is right :)

I'm pretty sure Android only allows you to have 1 foreground task at a time (no docking), and like Windows, the other apps are suspended in the background. Except, unlike Windows, those Android background apps are battery vampires.

Not saying it's "awesome multitasking", but it's more fleshed out than the other OSes.

[MDboyz]

I plan to get the Pro version. However, if it is this cheap, I will just get one for my wife.

[firey]

I'm pretty sure Android only allows you to have 1 foreground task at a time (no docking), and like Windows, the other apps are suspended in the background. Except, unlike Windows, those Android background apps are battery vampires.

Not saying it's "awesome multitasking", but it's more fleshed out than the other OSes.

Android yes, but QNX has non-stopping multi-tasking. They keep running.