Microsoft Surface RT Now Costs £279 in the United Kingdom

This past weekend, Staples slashed the price of the Surface RT by $150, and not too long after, Microsoft cut the price of the tablet at its own stores. Starting Sunday, the $349 32 GB version of Surface RT popped up at Staples, Best Buy and Microsoft. The device is now discounted internationally, as Engadget points to Microsoft's UK website, which currently lists the 32 GB Surface RT price as £279, a £120 drop compared to before. The 64 GB model is fallen to £359, down from £479 before. Australian shoppers are also being treated to a price drop, with the 32 GB model now costing $389 down from $559, while the 64 GB model is down to $499 from $679. 

Computerworld reported earlier that Microsoft dropped the price of Surface RT due to a lack of OEM support. As it stands, most third-party Microsoft partners have flocked to Windows8 Pro, or publicly announced that their Windows RT plans are of the wait-and-see variety. In other words, they're keeping an eye on Surface RT. Unfortunately, RT reportedly hasn't produced the numbers necessary to attract hardware partners. Not only that, but Redmond is said to be

The discounted UK price tag equates to $421, which is still well above cost (Microsoft spends around $284 on each unit). In the U.S., the $349 price tag is an awful lot closer to Microsoft's own costs. Though Microsoft isn't quite losing money with this discount, such pricing doesn't really make sense outside of a limited-time offer (Microsoft has offered no indication that this is the case on its website, but Staples is only discounting the Surface until next week, so it's possible). There's also a possibility that Microsoft is trying to clear out old stock to make way for new models, as a new generation of Surface is rumored for late fall.