Microsoft's x86 Surface Gets a Price Tag, Feature Set

$1100?!?!? I know I said it would be more expensive than an iPad, but that's above even my expectations.

Apple customers are already trapped in their walled garden, and people doing Real Work are going to pick a much more powerful laptop for that money any day, or a tablet that's 50% cheaper and can still connect to their cloud-centric back-end systems.

Maybe they're just marketing it to billionaires? "MS Surface x86: The tablet made *by* Steve Ballmer *for* Steve Ballmer."

agreed 3vi1... this thing needs a decimal point move almost.

Come on 3vi1 you can't even remotely compare an Ipad to this thing..... its in ultrabook league

This is a computer that's a tablet...

We get jacked here in AUS on prices for ultrabooks and high powered laptops. $1000-$1500 for anything half descent.

>> you can't even remotely compare an Ipad to this thing

You're right: At that price, I should probably compare it to two iPads.

D.O.A.

Microsoft's problem is the messaging. They've got intelligent people thinking Surface Pro is an iPad competitor, when it's in competition with Ultrabooks.

Someone go find a Core i5-powered machine, with a 64GB SSD, 1920x1080 10.6" screen, that's as thin and portable as the Surface Pro and then tell me the price.

Holy bajeezus that is a high price tag for a tablet, but I guess you have to think of it more as an "ultraportable" like other commenters have mentioned which warrants it a little bit more.

I hadn't looked into the microsoft surface much at all into now, but I definitely fell into the category of thinking it was Windows competitor to the iPad...

But comparing this thing to a laptop, even a slim line in terms of hardware makes this thing a really expensive, unique but low powered laptop?

2GB -4GB of RAM, 64-128GB HD space, double the price for USB 3.0 and an x86 system?

Laptops can have double the Microsoft Surface Pro's specs and still be significantly less expensive

You're right:. it's in competition with Ultrabooks. So, they're spending $400M in advertising to capture a market where they might sell 14M units next year if everyone else goes out of business. I think I see a problem.

That's my problem with it. For this price, why not just get an Ultrabook?

Because it's thinner and lighter, offers 10-point multi-touch, a stylus, detachable / multiple keyboard choices, and a higher-res screen, maybe?

The typical Core i5-powered, premium Ultrabook, with 4GB of RAM, a touch-screen, and a 128GB SSD will run about $1100. Surface is thinner and lighter and will feature a better screen, but there's no reason to choose it over an Ultrabook? I just don't get it.

I don't think it's an argument over which is cheaper or which is better.  It's more about your personal preference, and what you decide to use the device for.  I know a lot of sales guys like to use the tablets, because it goes from "my sales slideshow" to my data entry in seconds.  While the ultrabook can do the same, it's just not as sexy, but at least with the ultrabook you have your standard outputs rather than a mini display port and a one usb port, making it a more viable option for people who need additional in/outputs.

I don't think we can 'weigh' the relative merits of it being thinner and lighter than an ultrabook until we see what that does when comparing battery life.

Agreed, this is more in line with Ultrabooks than with other tablets. I like it, but am pretty locked into Apple gear at the moment. No cost incentive (yet) to re-do it all.