Microsoft announced that Surface Pro will start at $900USD at launch for a 64GB version, while a 128GB version will run you $1000. Both models come with 4GB RAM, a USB 3.0 port, will have 4-5 hours of battery life (Intel drains much faster than Surface RT's SoC architecture), and run full Windows 8. That price also includes a fancy stylus, but not one of Microsoft's handy—and frankly, for this device, necessary—Touch or Type Covers. Those cost $120 and $130, respectively, meaning that to give yourself a true laptop replacement you're going to have to shell out at least $1020.
For some perspective, that means the base, 64GB, 10.6-inch Surface Pro with keyboard cover will cost more than a comparably spec'd MacBook Air.
That seems like a tough sell. Microsoft had always been clear that Surface Pro would be priced comparably with ultrabooks, but that implies a pretty broad range of prices. A range that Surface Pro, it turns, out, is near the top of. And while on the one hand you could argue that the innovative form is worth a premium over your standard 11-inch Dell, Microsoft's main concern right now should probably be getting Surface in the hands of the masses.
The company's biggest hardware challenge now, no matter how many dance-filled commercials it runs, is a knowledge deficit. Why take a flyer on a $1000 hybrid device when you know for a fact that comparable MBA or Zenbook performs well and costs less?
The Surface Pro might be the greatest technological marvel to come along since the rotisserie oven. Or it might be a disappointment. Either way, it's a leap of faith for buyers. In that sense, it's a whole lot like the original Xbox, another new entrant into a crowded field that was a longshot at best. Microsoft sold it at a loss for years, literal years, undercutting Sony and winning a massive install base in the process. And if Microsoft's already taking a massive hit on a $1,020 entry level price, well, maybe it was an ill-fated pursuit to start with. [Microsoft]
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