Microsoft prices Pro version of Surface at $1,099
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Microsoft's Surface tablet running a full version of Windows 8 Pro will start selling in January for US$899 (S$1,099.38) and up, the company said on Thursday. But you'll have to pay more if you want a keyboard cover and the popular Office suite of software.
The current Surface uses the slimmed down Windows RT operating system. As a result, it runs only specially designed applications from Microsoft and others sold through the company's online store. The Pro version of Surface will also run regular Windows applications written for desktops and laptops.
"It's a full PC AND a tablet," Surface general manager Panos Panay wrote in a blog post on Thursday.
The Surface represents Microsoft's first foray into manufacturing its own general-purpose computer. In doing so, the company is competing with some of its partners, the manufacturers of PCs and tablets.
