Microsoft Surface Pro Will Hit UK On 23 May

The Microsoft Surface Pro will be available in the UK from 23 May, it has been confirmed. Prices for the Windows 8-based tablet start at £719 for a 64GB version, while £799 will buy you 128GB of storage.

The Surface Pro was first released in the US and February and has so far only made its way to a handful of other countries, while the Surface RT made its UK debut last October.

“The response to Surface RT has already been great to see,” said Robert Epstein, UK Surface Lead “There has been strong anticipation for Surface Pro in the UK and we’re excited to be able to offer people a fully blown Windows 8 PC packed with powerful processing features in the innovative Surface design.”

Microsoft claims that the Surface Pro will let users do anything they would normally be able to do with a desktop PC, including their applications, thanks to the Intel Core i5 processor, full sized USB port and microSD card slot for additional storage.

The Microsoft Surface RT has similar features, but it runs on ARM-based architecture and gives users access only to applications purchased from the Windows Store.

Microsoft has also confirmed that it is working on smaller seven-inch tablets to compete with the likes of Apple, Google and Amazon. No tangible details have been revealed about the devices, which were reportedly not in the company’s original tablet strategy, but the popularity of the format has caused it to rethink.

A refreshed line-up of Microsoft Surface tablets will take on increasing importance given that sales of PCs are at the lowest ever level since records began, with part of the blame attributed to Windows 8.

:story: TechWeekEurope