The Microsoft Surface RT tablets are now $150 cheaper if interested buyers make the purchase from Microsoft Store.
The Surface RT is the first tablet the company has launched. Microsoft would have expected the Surface tablets to sell in more units, but it seems that the tablets didn't meet the company's sales expectations.
Rumors also suggest that Microsoft already has the next-generation of the Surface RT tablet in the pipeline. A previous DigiTimes report cites sources in the supply chain, claiming that a new Tegra-powered Surface RT is on its way.
"The new Surface RT is manufactured by Pegatron Technology, using Nvidia's Tegra processor. However, because of the first-generation Surface RT's weak sales, and fierce competition in the 7- to 8-inch tablet market, most market watchers are conservative about the second-generation Surface tablets' performance," claims DigiTimes.
The current Surface RT tablets would have likely attracted more customers if they had competitive pricing. The next-gen Surface RT tablets, however, are expected to be priced in between $249 to $299.
Before the price reduction of the Surface RT tablet, the 32GB and 64GB versions of the slate had $499 and $599 price tags, respectively. Now the company is selling the 32GB version of the tablet for $349 and the 64GB variant for $449. The black Touch Cover, meanwhile, will cost an extra $100.
Rumors also suggest that the next Surface RT will run on the faster and the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and Windows 8.1.
If Microsoft launches a smaller and cheaper Surface RT tablet then it may be able to compete with other smaller tablets available in the market, such as the iPad mini. The Wi-Fi only 32GB version of the 7.9-inch iPad mini is available for $329. The 64GB of the iPad mini has a price tag of $429.
Current iPads don't have an option to expand the memory, so users will only get the internal storage of their chosen configuration. The memory of the current Surface RT tablets can be expanded using a microSD card and the next-generation Surface RT slate is expected to support microSD storage expansion as well.
In the meantime, interested buyers can find the current Surface RT tablet with a reduced price at the Microsoft Store.
