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"After missing initial shipping plans with some undisclosed delays, and despite seeing its welcome party in NYC abolished by a storm dubbed Nemo, Microsoft's finally started the process to make that long-awaited Surface Pro available to the masses. Starting with US and Canada residents, those seeking Redmond's in-house hardware and a full serving of Windows 8 can now snag a Surface Pro starting at $899 for the 64GB model, while the more spacious 128GB unit is slightly costlier at $999. And while these prices do include Microsoft's pressure-sensitive pen, they don't account for any other fancy accessories, which means potential buyers will have to shell out a little extra cash if a Touch or Type Cover are of interest -- more specifically, $120 and $130, respectively. We'll see how Ballmer and Co. cope with demand this time around, but as history would kindly note, it's probably best to be one of the first in line just to be extra, extra safe.Show full PR text      Microsoft Surface Family Grows as Surface Pro, New Accessories Hit Shelves     The newest additions to the evolving Surface family arrive in stores tomorrow.     NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. announced the Microsoft Surface family of PCs is growing with Surface Pro, the newest member of the growing Surface family, along with a number of new products and accessories available tomorrow. Surface Pro with Windows 8 Pro is perfect for customers and businesses looking for the power and performance of a PC in a tablet package, and, starting tomorrow, it will hit physical and virtual shelves in the United States and Canada at all Microsoft retail stores and microsoftstore.com and at Staples and Best Buy in the United States and Best Buy and Future Shop in Canada.     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)     New Products   Also starting tomorrow, customers will be able to purchase several new Surface products and accessories, letting them further personalize their computing experiences and be more productive.     Surface RT with Windows RT will be available in a new 64GB1 standalone version for an estimated retail price of US$599 to allow customers the option of selecting a cover of their choice.   Customers will be able to purchase a Wedge Touch Mouse Surface Edition for an estimated retail price of US$69.95 in all markets where Surface is currently sold,2 with additional markets to follow in the coming weeks.3   Three new Touch Cover Limited Editions in red, magenta and cyan will be available for an estimated retail price of US$129.99 in all markets where Surface is currently sold.2   Market Expansion   Microsoft also confirmed today that a substantial increase in market availability of Surface RT will take place on Feb. 14, bringing Surface RT to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.     \"We are thrilled to expand the Surface family with the release of Surface Pro,\" said Panos Panay, corporate vice president, Microsoft Surface. \"The launch of Surface Pro marks a pivotal moment for customers who can now do more with their machines than ever before. Within the Surface family, customers will be able to choose a combination of devices that best suit their needs: Surface Pro, which provides the power and performance of a laptop in a tablet package, or Surface RT, which offers the convenience of a tablet with some laptop capabilities so you can get things done.\"     On Oct. 26, Microsoft released Surface RT - a device representative of a tablet with some laptop capabilities that weaves productivity and mobility into one beautiful product. Surface RT is great for people looking for all-day battery life (up to 8 hours battery life) and an entertainment-first experience with the ability to still get some work done. The newest addition to the Surface family, Surface Pro, is more like a full-blown Windows 8 Pro laptop that also boasts tablet capabilities. Now, customers can have a fully functional PC that looks, feels and acts like a tablet. With Surface Pro, customers can do virtually everything they've ever done on a PC, ranging from using traditional desktop applications to enjoying the protection of world-class safety and security technologies.     The Surface family of PCs represents an extension of the Windows experience, letting customers work, play and connect with others. From an ultralight durable casing, integrated kickstand and covers that allow customers to be productive anywhere to a full-sized USB port, 16:9 widescreen, high-definition display and 22-degree angle that make it optimal for viewing and sharing content easily, the Surface products let customers seamlessly transition between entertainment and creation.     Additional details on Surface are available at http://www.Surface.com, the Surface Blog and Surface on Facebook. Those interested can follow Surface or Panos Panay on Twitter for additional updates.     Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.     1 System software uses significant storage space; your storage capacity will be less. See surface.com/spec. 1 GB equals 1 billion bytes.   2 Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States   3 Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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