Report: Microsoft's Intel-powered Surface to Cost $1000
Rumor has it Microsoft's 10.6-inch Surface Pro is going to cost a thousand dollars.
Though Microsoft was happy to show off the Surface's nifty keyboard cover and boast about its Core i-series support, the company was a little less enthusiastic when it came to talking about the price of its new tablets. Set for availability in the fall, the most Redmond would say was that the ARM-based Surface would be priced "like comparable tablets based on ARM," and the Surface Pro would pack something similar to the price of an ultrabook.
Today brings us rumors of something more specific than that. Just yesterday word on the street was that the ARM-based Surface would cost $600 and the Wintel model $799 at the very least. The Next Web is now reporting that while the Windows RT Surface will cost $599, the Intel version of the tablet is going to cost closer to $1000. TNW cites a source close to Microsoft in reporting that the Tegra 3 powered RT model will retail for $599 and the Ivy Bridge Windows 8 Pro model will sell for $999.
Even with the innovative keyboard cover, these prices are definitely pause for thought. At a time when tablets are largely seen as companion devices designed to complement your laptop or PC as opposed to replace it, customers might find the idea of spending $1000 on a 10.6-inch tablet ludicrous. To that end, the cheaper ARM-based model might be more appropriately priced, but it's still at least a hundred dollars more than similar devices available today.
Of course the upside of unveiling a product months before you plan to release it is that you can watch the market's reaction to the device and determine details like pricing, final specs, 3G connectivity, and bundled accessories based on real-life feedback. Either way, it will be interesting to see the final prices when Microsoft does release them.
How much would you pay for Microsoft's Surface? Let us know in the comments below!

Microsoft needs to xbox360 their way into the market and not charge oodles of money for devices. Sell it far below cost to seize market share from Amazon and Apple.
The Windows 8 Pro ( Intel ) version is way more than a iPAD or Android device today. I have been using one of the Samsung Series 7 Slates ( $1300 ) with Windows 8 installed as my daily computer for over a year. With the addition of a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard this little tablet has been just as much of a work horse as any desktop. It is loaded with the desktop apps that I use on a daily basis and I have found nothing that it is not capable of doing.
The Surface computers are just that real computers that can be used anywhere. On or off of enterprise networks, at home or work and anywhere else they are needed.
They are not just for internet browsing although they will do that very well. There is nothing else out there that can compete with these devices right now.
Microsoft needs to xbox360 their way into the market and not charge oodles of money for devices. Sell it far below cost to seize market share from Amazon and Apple.
If I buy a tablet, it will likely be one of the Medfield variety from other vendors so I can run regular Windows on it while keeping the cost reasonable.
Kindle fire 200 bucks
Smart phone 100 bucks
Office : pc
Now 1000 for what?
Sweet, sign me up for a 1000 of them
=D
Problem is MS probably relies on other vendors to sell its tablets. If it wants to sell its own hardware, it has to change its business model. They make money primarily by software licensing and if they go this route, they can't make that money.
the Intel version of the tablet is going to cost closer to $100.
i am so buying one for $100 if i can
Ultrabook costs 800-1000
why not buy a 1000 dollar ultrabook?
And destroy their relationship with OEM's who also want to make tablets?
Only Apple sees the iPad as a companion device. Microsoft probably thinks otherwise. This Surface is a perfect fit for students, has a full OS so they can run there write up reports/essays and various other programs (with a keyboard and trackpad on the magnetic cover.
Its a hybrid tablet/ultrabook device. The only good use for Metro, I think, is having a touchscreen. And thats why this would be better than getting a ultrabook with no touchscreen.
I think Microsoft is pushing the idea that a tablet DOESNT need to be though as a companion device like an iPad or Android tablet.
$100?
So many spelling mistakes and errors. Great reporting!
Pretty sure Wintel is not a typo, it is a term that has been around for years to indicate a computer that runs Windows on an Intel CPU.
So, $1000, no. No way. $600 for ARM and a different version of Win8? If I really wanted a tablet, I'd opt for an iPad at that price.
And for those who say that of course they need to charge this, since they're not making money on a license. Really? You think that one through? If a 3rd party can pay MS for a license, pawn it off on you and turn a profit for less money, how do you possibly think MS would lose money at that same point? They don't have to pay for a license to themselves, but all hardware companies that bundle Windows have to pay them. So, the competitor's prices have a Win8 license "fee" tacked on and is what the market expects. Therefore, if they keep prices in line they actually make *more* money; they can actually undersell the competition and make more money on hardware than they currently do on licenses. It's the Apple way, and given they have more free cash than several European countries combined, I can't imagine how this strategy wouldn't work.