In the fast-paced world of tablet technology, one year is considered a generation. A year-old tablet will be outdated: slower processor, using more battery power, and less functional than the latest hotness.
Microsoft introduced the Surface RT tablets in October 2012, 9 months ago at this writing. So the "expires by" date for the first Surface tablets is fast approaching.
To clear out inventory, Microsoft has reduced prices by 30%. Today, the Surface RT tablet with 2 GB RAM, 32 GB flash storage, and a 10 inch, 1366x768 color touchscreen will cost $350. Increase storage to 64 GB, and the price becomes $450.
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/surface-with-windows-rt/
The Surface RT includes a full size USB port, a slot for micro SD cards, and a port for video output. WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communications are included.
Prices for the keyboard covers continue unchanged. You'll pay $100 for the Touch cover, $120 for the Type cover.
The Surface RT tablet ships with lots of useful software. Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition, including touch-enabled versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneTouch, is included. There's a version of Internet Explorer, Bing search, a Mail program, cloud storage through Microsoft's SkyDrive, and the ability to play music, view photos, and watch video. Outlook will be added to RT this Fall when Windows 8.1 for RT is released.
There is a small number of third party products for Windows RT. Apps are available from Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Evernote, iHeartRadio, Angry Birds, and (at least a few) more.
Microsoft also has a special price for students. The 32 GB Surface RT costs only $199 to registered students. However, the school must order the tablet and handle the delivery to the student.
How does Surface RT compare to other tablets? Google sells a 10 inch version of its Nexus tablet for $399. The extra $50 buys much better specs:
Google Nexus 10
maunfactured by Samsung
Android 4.2
Google Play store with thousands of apps for tablet
10 inch, 2560x1600 color touchscreen (300 pixels per inch)
1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos 5 dual core processor (ARM Cortex A15 design)
2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage
5 megapixel main camera, 1.9 megapixel front facing camera
micro USB, micro HDMI
9000 aAh battery
GPS receiver included
So even with the reduced price, I think the Surface RT will continue to be a tough sell.
Microsoft introduced the Surface RT tablets in October 2012, 9 months ago at this writing. So the "expires by" date for the first Surface tablets is fast approaching.
To clear out inventory, Microsoft has reduced prices by 30%. Today, the Surface RT tablet with 2 GB RAM, 32 GB flash storage, and a 10 inch, 1366x768 color touchscreen will cost $350. Increase storage to 64 GB, and the price becomes $450.
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/surface-with-windows-rt/
The Surface RT includes a full size USB port, a slot for micro SD cards, and a port for video output. WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communications are included.
Prices for the keyboard covers continue unchanged. You'll pay $100 for the Touch cover, $120 for the Type cover.
The Surface RT tablet ships with lots of useful software. Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition, including touch-enabled versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneTouch, is included. There's a version of Internet Explorer, Bing search, a Mail program, cloud storage through Microsoft's SkyDrive, and the ability to play music, view photos, and watch video. Outlook will be added to RT this Fall when Windows 8.1 for RT is released.
There is a small number of third party products for Windows RT. Apps are available from Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Evernote, iHeartRadio, Angry Birds, and (at least a few) more.
Microsoft also has a special price for students. The 32 GB Surface RT costs only $199 to registered students. However, the school must order the tablet and handle the delivery to the student.
How does Surface RT compare to other tablets? Google sells a 10 inch version of its Nexus tablet for $399. The extra $50 buys much better specs:
Google Nexus 10
maunfactured by Samsung
Android 4.2
Google Play store with thousands of apps for tablet
10 inch, 2560x1600 color touchscreen (300 pixels per inch)
1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos 5 dual core processor (ARM Cortex A15 design)
2 GB RAM, 16 GB storage
5 megapixel main camera, 1.9 megapixel front facing camera
micro USB, micro HDMI
9000 aAh battery
GPS receiver included
So even with the reduced price, I think the Surface RT will continue to be a tough sell.