Swedish website Webhallen (opens in new tab) has listed a retail price for the upcoming Surface tablet sporting Windows RT and 32 GB of storage: 6,900 Swedish kronor, or rather, $1,003.51 in U.S. currency. For the x86-based Surface Pro which will come packed with Windows 8 Pro and 128 GB of storage, it will reportedly sell for a crazy $2,152 USD (14990 kr) in Sweden.
Revealed last month during a special press conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky said the x86-based Surface tablet would feature a 22-nm Intel Ivy Bridge chip, Windows 8 Pro, a thickness of 13.5-mm, a weight of 1.9 pounds, USB 3.0 support, and either 64 GB or 128 GB of storage. The ARM-based Surface tablet would be powered by SoCs supplied by ARM partners and feature Windows RT, a thickness of 9.3-mm, a weight of 1.5 pounds, and either 32 GB or 64 GB of storage.
According to the company, both will feature a vapor-deposited (PVD) magnesium case, a built-in kickstand, and a 10.6-inch ClearType HD "Full HD" display. They'll also have optional Touch and Type keyboard covers while the Intel-based version will also sport additional digital ink support through a pen that magnetizes to the body of the tablet.
What Microsoft didn't reveal was the suggested retail pricing of the tablets and when they would actually be available on the market. Just recently reports indicated that the Windows RT tablet will be available for purchase when Windows 8 hits retail shelves in late October.
If the 32 GB version of the Windows RT-based Surface tablet will reside around $1K USD mark, Microsoft may have a tough time competing against current ultrabooks which sport a lower pricetag. It will even roughly cost 50-percent more than the current 32 GB iPad 3 with a Retina display. Then again, that price point could include the keyboard cover -- the tablet itself may eventually reside within the iPad 3 range.