Microsoft is finally ready to ship the promised Surface Power Covers, as the company is currently taking pre-orders on its website, ZDNet reports, having revealed a March 19 launch date for the accessory. Priced at $199.99 in the U.S., the cover can extend battery life of up to 70% while still acting as a full keyboard and a screen cover for the Surface tablet. The device also recharges the battery of the Surface tablet while in use.
The company announced plans to launch a battery/keyboard/cover accessory back in October 2013, providing a tentative early 2014 launch date for the device. While the accessory can be pre-ordered in the U.S., it’s not clear whether it’ll also be available soon in other markets.
The Surface Power Cover is 9.75mm thick and weighs 0.55 pounds but, unfortunately, this Surface keyboard does not have backlit keys like the new Surface Type 2 and Touch 2 covers.
In addition to taking online orders for the new Surface Power Cover, the company is stocking retail stores with new Surface 2 units, the LTE-enabled kind that can run on AT&T’s network, WPCentral has learned.
