Back in October, a bit of a controversy flared up when Microsoft revealed that about 12GB of storage was required for the operating system and other pre-installed software on its Surface with Windows RT model, leaving just 20GB of free space for those who purchased its entry-level 32GB model. Microsoft later updated its Surface.com site to reveal that – once the OS, Office apps, recovery tools and other software had been accounted for – users could expect to see just 16GB of free space on the 32GB Surface RT model and 45GB on the 64GB model.
The company hasn"t yet updated its site with a similar breakdown for the new Surface Pro with Windows 8, which is set to launch in North America on February 9. But Softpedia.com says that they"ve received a statement from Microsoft revealing just how much space will be available to users who buy the new tablets.
Microsoft is quoted as saying that the 128GB model – which will retail for $999 – will leave users 83GB of free space after the OS and pre-installed software have been accounted for. On the 64GB model – which will sell for $899 – the 45GB of reserved storage will leave just 19GB of space for users.
We"ve contacted Microsoft to try to get further confirmation and additional info on this, and we"ll update the article with those details when available.
Source: Softpedia.com | Image via Microsoft
Update: Microsoft has confirmed to Neowin that the 128GB version will indeed have 83GB of storage free (so 45GB of pre-installed software), while the 64GB model will have 23GB free (41GB pre-installed).
The company added that, in addition to the 7GB of SkyDrive storage, microSDXC card slot supporting cards up to 64GB and the USB 3.0 port allowing external storage drives to be connected, "customers can also free up additional storage space by creating a backup bootable USB and deleting the recovery partition".