Over the last couple of days, we've seen some confusing reports regarding the upcoming Surface RT tablet from Microsoft. One thing that is known is the shipping date of October 26th, but most of the interesting tidbits have centered on the price. Paul Thurrott states confidently in his blog that the price for the RT version of the Surface will be on par with iPad prices. Currently those prices range from $499 to $829 depending on the configuration you choose.
But Endgaget has an "insider" report today that says the Surface RT will be a direct competitor to the Nexus 7 in price. Which means selling them at $199. Microsoft would almost certainly lose money selling the tablets at this price point. But Microsoft is late to the game with these devices, and may hope to make up lost ground with this aggressive sales line.
Personally, I'd much rather have the x86 tablet at the $199 price point. Hey, I can dream can't I? The Arm based tablets are far less compelling to me. But if Microsoft cuts the prices this far below those seen for the iPad, the Surface RT will certainly sell. Microsoft will also seriously undercut their hardware partners, some of whom have already been complaining about Microsoft becoming a major player in manufacturing tablets.
You can read the story/rumor mill at Endgaget.
