Microsoft today announced the pricing information for its Surface with Windows 8 Pro tablet as well as some availability information. The Surface for Windows 8 Pro will be available for purchase in January 2013 and will be available with 64GB of built-in storage for $899 or 128GB of memory for $999. Both models will come with a Surface pen, but customers interested in a Touch Cover or Type Cover will need to buy one separately.
The Surface with Windows 8 Pro features the same design as the Surface with Windows RT model that launched last month, including the kickstand and VaporMg case. However, things change when it comes to the straight-up specs of the two models. The Surface for Windows 8 Pro features an Intel Core i5 processor (RT model has a Tegra 3 core), 4GB RAM (RT has 2GB) and a resolution of 1920x1080 (RT's is 1366x7678) on a 10.6-inch display. Surface for Windows 8 Pro also touts 10-point multitouch support, a full-size USB 3.0 port and a pair of cameras.
When Microsoft first announced its Surface tablets, it said that the Surface for Windows 8 Pro model would come later than the Surface for Windows RT version and cost more. Now we now that base model of the Pro flavor commands a $400 premium over the base RT version. Along with the aforementioned spec bump, that extra cash will get users a Surface model with the ability to run Windows 7 applications as well any software in the Windows Store, whereas the RT unit will not run Windows 7 apps. So now that we've finally got an idea of Surface for Windows 8 Pro will be landing and how much it'll cost when it does, who's thinking about picking one up? If you are, which model do you have your eye on?
UPDATE: In a tweet sent out by the official Surface Twitter account, Microsoft has said that the Surface for Windows 8 Pro will have "approximately half" the battery life of the Surface for Windows RT model. Engadget estimates that, based on its usage of the Surface with Windows RT, that works out to around four and a half hours of battery life for the Windows 8 Pro version.
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