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The Mobile
Pre-orders for the Surface tablet from Microsoft opened in eight countries on Tuesday (16 October 2012), revealing the pricing and further specifications of the device.
Microsoft is offering pre-orders in three configurations: a 32GB model with or without Touch Cover, and a 64GB Surface with a Touch Cover.
The Touch Cover is a protective shield that doubles as a keyboard that registers key presses as gestures.
A Type Cover is also available for $130 that uses more typical mechanical keys.
Although the Surface has yet to be confirmed for the South African market, it remains interesting to see how the device compares to its competitors and where its pricing should slot in.
The table below shows the specifications of the Surface, iPad 3, and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and Tab 2 10.1, as well as the US and local prices of the devices (where available).
Ideally one would like to see the Surface priced to compete with the iPad as it is in the US, but it remains to be seen what Microsoft will do in South Africa.
| Tablet specifications | Microsoft Surface with Windows RT | Apple iPad 3 | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 |
| Operating System | Windows RT | iOS 6 | Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) | Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) |
| Display | 10.6″ 1366×768 | 9.7″ Retina (2048×1536) IPS | 10.1″ WXGA (1280×800) PLS | 10.1″ WXGA (1280×800) PLS |
| Camera, primary | 720p front (sub 1MP) | 5MP rear | 3MP rear | 5MP rear |
| Camera, secondary | 720p front (sub 1MP) | VGA front | VGA front | 1.9MP front |
| Storage, internal | 32/64GB | 16/32/64GB | 16/32 GB | 16/32/64 GB |
| Storage, expandable | microSDXC | None | microSD (32GB) | microSD (64GB) |
| RAM | 2GB | 1GB* | 1GB | 2GB |
| Dimensions | 275 x 172 x 9.4mm | 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4mm | 256.6 x 175.3 x 9.7mm | 175.3 x 257.8 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 680g | 652g (Wi-Fi) / 662g (Cellular) | 587g | 583g |
| Chipset | Nvidia | Apple A5X | TI OMAP 4430 | Exynos |
| Processor | Nvidia T30 | Dual-core 1GHz* | 1GHz dual-core | 1.4GHz quad-core |
| Graphics | ULP GeForce | PowerVR SGX543MP4* | PowerVR SGX540 | Mali-400MP |
| Battery | Up to 8 hours “mixed activityâ€; 7-15 days idle | 42.5Wh (11,560 mAh) | 7,000mAh | 7,000mAh |
| Wi-Fi only Price (US) | $499 for 32GB w/o Touch Cover $599 for 32GB with Touch Cover $699 for 64GB with Touch cover | $499 for 16GB $599 for 32GB $699 for 64GB | $350 for 16GB | $500 for 16GB $550 for 32GB |
| Wi-Fi only Price (SA) | None | R5,299 for 16GB R6,399 for 32GB R7,399 for 64GB | None | None |
| 3G/cellular Price (US) | None | $629 for 16GB $729 for 32GB $829 for 64GB | None | None |
| 3G/cellularPrice (SA) | None | R6,499 for 16GB R7,699 for 32GB R8,799 for 64GB | R6,700 for 32GB | R8,299 for 32GB |
| Specifications marked with * obtained from iFixit teardown. Samsung pricing from their own online store. | ||||
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