Microsoft drops Surface RT price by $150

Microsoft dropped the price of its hybrid Surface RT tablets by 30per cent in a bid to boost sales.

08:14 18 July 2013

Microsoft’s Surface RT tablets are cheaper by $150. The 30per cent price reduction is Microsoft’s latest strategy to boost sales. In the US, the cheapest Surface Tablet went down to $349 from $499. However, the £80 touch cover that connects to the device to offer a flexible keyboard and touchpad is not included in the price.

 

The price cut came after Surface RT was widely criticised for its sub-par performance and a lack of backwards compatibility with the legacy Windows software. 

 

Buyers who are looking to get the full Windows 8 package may still choose Surface Pro for £719 for the 65Gb model and £799 for the 128GB variant.

 

In related news, Blackberry also slashed the price of its Z10 phone to as low as $49 with a contract down from $199 four months ago. 

 

"It's a big deal for both companies," Tony Cripps, a telecoms analyst at Ovum, told the BBC. "Competing with the Apples and Samsungs of this world is tough, and it's a difficult climate to put out high-end products when the market is so dominated by a couple of players."