Microsoft has opened up pre-orders for its new tablet — Surface with Windows RT — revealing a three tiered pricing system.
As expected, pricing for the new tablet begins at $499 for the 32GB model without Black Touch Cover (the cover you can type on). For $599, you can get the 32GB model with the Black Touch Cover. The highest tier costs $699 for the 64GB Black Touch Cover. All three models, if pre-ordered today, can be ready for delivery by October 26 (the same day Windows 8 launches).
Also available is a standalone Touch Cover in either black, white, magenta, cyan, or red ($119.99). For those of you who prefer an integrated cover with real keyboard keys — and not just pressure sensors — you can purchase the Type Cover separately for $129.99.
Some other features of the Surface with Windows RT include an integrated kickstand, front and rear-facing 720p HD video cameras, and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview.
Surface with Windows RT is the first in a line of upcoming Microsoft tablets. The Surface for Windows RT is comparable to the iPad. Approximately three months later, Microsoft is expected to ship the Surface with Windows 8, which will run an Intel Ivy Bridge i5 core processor and enable the Windows 8 device to run more like a standalone computer. Surface for Windows 8 is expected to be priced somewhere around $1,000.
