When it comes to its Surface tablets, Microsoft has been on something of a discounting spree of late. At its TechEd North America conference in early June, the company offered the tablets to attendees with discounts of up to 80% off the full retail prices; as our correspondent Christopher White reported from the event, that deal was hugely popular. The same reductions were offered at this week"s Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), and the company also announced earlier this month that it would be selling heavily discounted tablets to students through schools and universities.
But while these promotions have so far been relatively limited in their scope, The Verge reports that Microsoft is preparing to implement deep reductions on its Surface RT range, with the entry-level model seeing its price slashed by 30%.
All Surface RTs will see their prices cut by $150, with the cheapest model - the 32GB version - to be priced from $349.99. Further up the range, the Surface RT 64GB with Touch Cover will see its price reduced to $549.99, down from $699.99.
The news comes after Microsoft hinted at new Surface tablets on the way during the course of the next twelve months, in a slide shown by chief operating officer Kevin Turner, offering a broad overview of some of what the company has in store for its next fiscal year.
It"s not yet clear whether the company plans to offer similar price reductions on its more fully-featured Surface Pro line, but the drop in Surface RT prices could be introduced as early as next week. There"s also no information yet on whether these price cuts will be introduced in other markets.
Source: The Verge
Update: Well, it looks like that price cut could be coming sooner than expected. A reader over at Engadget alerted them to a page on the Staples website, indicating a reduction of $150 off the usual asking price from 14 July. Curiously, though, it indicates that it will be a limited-time promotion, running only until 20 July.