The Microsoft Surface tablet-PC?s announced a short while ago are a huge development?against the backdrop of the?traditional go-to-market strategy for Microsoft and Windows. Whilst Microsoft?s earlier forays into hardware have had (at best) mixed results ? Xbox 360 aside, it appears that the history of some of their former ventures has led them to a position of leading from the front when it comes to their tablet assault?head-to-head with Apple. Critical acclaim for design and UI are not guarantees of sales volumes, as even Windows Phone has shown. Furthermore, putting?new platforms in the hands of OEM and Carrier partners has hardly helped set the retail world alight.
So Microsoft taking through-the-chain control of their big chance to marry Windows 8 and the tablet experience is not surprising. Based on hot-off-the-press news we have just received from independent sources, it appears that control of the Surface tablet is going to be even tighter than most expected!
Back in June, we reported on another well-placed tip-off that Microsoft store(s) would appear Down Under in 2013. Microsoft by default refuse to comment on rumours or ?tip-off?s? ? however we remain confident that Sydney will see the first Down Under MS Store next year ? to open before Christmas. Of course ? Melbourne would be the BETTER location to open first ? right across from Androidland at the Telstra city-store! 
In the latest information WPDownUnder has received, whilst Australia is set to be a ?launch? country for Surface Tablets, the expected October 26th US?kick-off date for the Surface RT is likely to translate to an arrival in time for?Christmas Down Under. Furthermore, we are led to believe that the Surface RT will be an EXCLUSIVE device only on sale by Microsoft online in Australia. The hardware device may not in actual fact be launching via traditional brick-mortar retail partners of Microsoft Australia ? at least to begin with.
This would be a huge departure for Microsoft. It?s difficult to make the call on whether this decision may in fact be to protect and control the channel to market for their own hardware ? or to limit the ire and concerns of their traditional PC OEM partners such as Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Toshiba etc by limiting the access/availability. WPDownUnder has no doubts that at an absolute minimum, Microsoft have invested in their own Tablet hardware to raise the bar ? and ensure that their hardware vendors bring their best game to the table to maximise the attraction and chances for success that Windows 8 and the RT version has against the all-conquering iFruit! On this basis, their punt seems to already be paying off, with Lenovo?s CEO Yang Yuanqing:
???.just one of our many competitors. We are still confident that we are providing much better hardware than our competitors including Microsoft?..To be frank, we?re not that worried about [Surface]. Microsoft is still our strategy partner. We are very optimistic on the Windows 8 launch so we will fully leverage that to launch our new products? Cnet Report
Music to Microsoft?s ears!
Recent rumours have suggested that the Surface RT (Win8 on an ARM chip device ? which can?t install ?traditional? apps to the desktop like Windows 8 on a PC/Intel chipset) might be priced as little as US$199 at launch. To support this, proponents of this view have been suggesting that this will be the base device cost assuming that subscription services such as Xbox LIVE, Xbox Music (formerly Zune Pass) and even Office365 are bundled to lower the hardware amount.?In our view, it just seems to unlikely based on expected losses MS would have to book on hardware ? and cries of anti-competitive behaviour over selling below cost vs. their own partners Win8 products they are trying to encourage. We guess time will tell.
Irrespective of what will actually happen between OCT 26 and the eventual arrival of Surface Down Under ? we will continue to work feverishly to land one of the Win8 RT units as quickly as we can ? for the benefit of our Windows Phone Down Under readers of course
Sheeds.
Specs:
Source: http://www.wpdownunder.com/?p=5753
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