Microsoft (MSFT) recently confirmed to BGR and reporters from a number of other publications that its next Surface tablet will launch in January or early February. “The Windows 8 version will be about three months behind the RT model,” said Windows boss Steven Sinofsky during a press gathering. The company has not yet confirmed pricing for its second slate, however, saying only that it will be priced to compete with similar Windows 8 notebooks. According to a recent report, Microsoft’s Windows 8-power Surface could fetch more than $1,000 when it launches in early 2013 — but the logic behind the report is fundamentally flawed.
TWC News recently caught German retailer Netbook.de putting up an early preorder page for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 Pro-powered Surface. In this listing, the Surface was priced starting at 809€ for the 64GB model or 909€ for the 128GB Surface. Converting those prices into U.S. dollars, a number of sites speculated that the new tablet will be priced above $1,000 when it launches in the United States.
This may or may not be the case, but Netbook.de’s Surface pricing has no bearing on pricing in the U.S. market.
It is possible that the German retailer used Microsoft’s recommended pricing on its early preorder page, but pricing varies dramatically between markets. The same website currently offers Microsoft’s entry-level Surface with Windows RT without a Touch Cover accessory for 549€, or US$699. That price is 40% higher than the tablet’s actual end-user pricing in the U.S.
Netbook.de’s price excluding Europe’s value added tax is 431.34€, or US$549.35, which is still $50 above the tablet’s price in North America.
