Earlier this week, Microsoft unveiled a proprietary Windows 8 tablet called Surface. Some important information about these tablets, however, was conveniently left out of the presentation. Less than a week later, rumors are starting to surface revealing more information about these highly anticipated tablets.
The initial Surface tablets will be unable to connect to mobile-phone networks, according to Bloomberg, so a Wi-Fi connection will be required for full functionality of these devices. While many Android tablets are Wi-Fi only, main competitor Apple offers the iPad in both Wi-Fi-only versions and with 3G LTE connectivity. Wi-Fi hotspots are becoming more abundant and many tablet users spend the majority of their time on a home network, so it remains to be seen if this omission will hurt the Microsoft Surface.
The pricing question was also left unanswered after Microsoft's event came to a close. TheNextWeb is reporting that the Tegra 3 powered RT model will cost $599 retail and the Ivy Bridge Windows 8 Pro model will cost $999. The basic Windows RT will include 32GB of internal storage, making this pricing equal to the 32GB Wi-Fi only Apple iPad. The Windows Pro model, however, is a bit more expensive than the highest priced iPad, which costs $829 for 64GB 4G LTE, but will also contain double the storage capacity.
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