Microsoft Drops Price of Surface Pro Tablet

With the back-to-school shopping season upon us, Microsoft is dropping the price of its Surface Pro tablet computer.

The $100 price drop is less substantial than the $150 the firm knocked off its Surface RT tablet, but it should arouse interest in a device that has received better reviews than its cheaper counterpart.

The Surface Pro launched early this year and several months after the Surface RT. Unlike the Surface RT, which runs Windows RT, the Surface Pro runs a full-blown version of Windows 8.

That means Surface Pro users -- unlike their Surface RT counterparts -- can download apps from anywhere, and not just the Windows Store.

Surface Pro More Powerful, Pricier Than Surface RT

The Surface Pro is also substantially more powerful than its little brother, boasting a speedy Intel Core i5 processor.

(The result: of the 900,000 Surface tablets Microsoft shipped during the first three months of 2013, approximately 700,000 were Surface Pros.)

But that also meant a higher price for the Surface Pro. While the cheapest version of the Surface RT could be purchased for $499 at launch, the lowest-priced Surface Pro (with a 64GB solid state drive) was $899.

A few weeks ago Microsoft dropped the price of its Surface RT by $150. Now, it's cutting $100 from the Surface Pro, meaning the 64GB version runs $799, while the 128GB version will cost $899. (Source: businessinsider.com)

Overall, that means the device will present better competition for similarly-equipped and -priced ultrabook devices, such as the Asus Zenbook, Toshiba Satellite, and the Samsung Series 9.

The price drop might also convince some consumers to stick with Windows instead of moving to the iOS platform and an iPad or MacBook Air.

No Free Keyboard, Office software

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Microsoft is prepared to make the deal more interesting or enticing by offering a free Touch or Type Cover keyboard. Those devices usually retail for about $120, and will be must-buys for many business users.

The Redmond, Washington-based firm is also not preparing to offer a free copy of Microsoft Office Home and Student, which it does make available to Surface RT buyers. (Source: pcworld.com)