Microsoft has finally announced the pricing and some availability details for the Surface Pro tablet which runs on Windows 8 and supports all legacy Windows applications. The 64GB variant is priced at $899 (Rs. 49,184 approx) and the 123GB variant is priced at $999 (Rs. 54,645 approx). Microsoft has also announced that these tablets will start shipping in January 2013.

Now the Surface Pro seems a lot more capable compared to the Surface RT, however it is a much expensive tablet which might be a huge challenge for Microsoft to sell. Unlike the Surface RT which is priced at $599 (Rs. 32,765 approx) for the 32GB and $699 (Rs. 38,242) for the 64GB when purchased with the Black Touch Cover, the Surface Pro does not even include this accessory, and it needs to be purchased separately.
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However there is a huge hardware difference between the two devices. The Surface RT runs Windows RT and is powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 3 ARM processor. The Surface Pro on the other hand is powered by an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor and it runs Windows 8.

In addition to the aforementioned the Surface Pro has a 10.6-inch Clear Type display with Full HD resolution, a USB 3.0 port, a mini display port and a capacitive digitizer. All this sure makes it a premium device and we are yet to see how it fares against other premium tablets.

It sure isn’t the sleekest tablet in the market but when it is coupled with its keyboard-cover accessory it will turn in to a brilliant portable device which can perform as tablet and also a powerful notebook. In addition to the great portability it runs Windows 8 which means that all those applications available for Windows are easily accessible to the user. It does seem like a much different device than the generic tablets. It is targeted at different set of consumer and is more likely to fill that gap between an ultrabook and a tablet.