Microsoft Prices Surface Starting at $499 to Rival IPad

From the good people at Bloomberg: Microsoft will sell its first computer, a device called Surface RT, for as little as $499 as the software maker pushes into the tablet market dominated by Apple’s iPad…….. The first iteration of the device, powered by a chip with technology from ARM Holdings Plc (ARM), will be available as a 32- gigabyte model for $499, the company said in a statement. With a black cover, it will cost $599, and a 64-gigabyte version will be $699. The machine goes on sale Oct. 26, and Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft will take a limited number of early online orders starting at 12 p.m. New York time today….. The world’s largest software maker needed a device priced under $500 to lure customers away from the iPad and to compete with Amazon.com and Google, which are pushing prices lower in the tablet category, said Bob O’Donnell, an analyst at market-research firm IDC. The latest version of the iPad starts at $499 for a 16-gigabyte device that, like the Surface, uses a Wi-Fi short range wireless connection………………………..........................………………………………………………………… Find out more at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-16/microsoft-prices-surface-tablet-starting-at-499.html