Earlier today, Tapscape reported on the leaked reveal of Windows 8 pricing. It seems like they didn’t leak it too far ahead of the official pre-order start time— its up again and now it is official.
The pricing starts at $499 and goes up from there. Is that a fair price or is it asking too much? Honestly, the specs are on par with the iPad and even if you don’t get the retina display, you do get 32GB of storage for the price of a 16GB iPad.
Can Microsoft Surface RT compete?
The price is fair, but you also have to realize there is an unproven tablet OS (Windows 8) and an app system that has a little under 4,500 apps. This is versus a proven OS with iOS and Android, and 500,000+ apps readily available.
So where does RT stand out?
- It is bundled with Microsoft Office. For those look for productivity, the Surface could be perfect.
- It is highly integrated in the Windows world, this is important for those tied into the existing Windows Phone and Windows desktop ecosystem.
- Windows 8 and RT have extremely flexible parental controls and offers multi-user experience that makes it ideal for families that share one tablet.
- Full USB ports, which means better accessory support
There are more reasons, but that is a good start. Windows RT isn’t a bad OS, but it will be an uphill fight, though I suspect the Microsoft Surface will have the best chance out of all the devices running Windows RT and 8. Trying to convince consumers to give a chance to a new tablet that is priced the same as established players won’t be easy, nonetheless.
The good news is that consumers now have even more options. Regardless of whether you an Android fan, a Microsoft fan or an Apple fan– be glad for competition. Without it, the company you love now would have no reason to innovate to keep up with its rivals.
What do you think about Microsoft Surface? Did they blow it with this pricing or not?
Check out the official pre-order site for more information.