Microsoft recently announced that it would offer a $100 price cut on the Surface Pro until August 29. That limited time offer has now become permanent.
The company has spent millions on advertising both its Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets. Microsoft has also lost millions on the Surface RT, $900 million, according to its most recent earnings. The Surface RT and Surface Pro were the first tablets the software company released and were Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPad and Android tablets. Both tablets have a unique design that features a kickstand and its use of snap in keyboard covers were one of its highlights. The Surface RT runs Windows RT, a stripped down version of Windows 8, while the Surface Pro runs the full desktop version of Microsoft's operating system.
Microsoft was very aggressive with its main competitor, the iPad. The company released countless commercials trying to educate consumers on why they should choose a Surface over an iPad. The commercials pointed out everything the Surface could do that the iPad couldn't, but consumers never received the message and it forced Microsoft to drastically cut the price of the Surface RT. The tablet's new $350 starting price undercut the iPad's $499 price and the company saw that some consumers were more open to paying that amount for the Surface RT.
Microsoft soon announced it would cut the price of the Surface Pro by $100 for a limited time, just in time for the lucrative back to school season. The promotion was supposed to expire on August 29, but Microsoft has announced that it has now made the $100 price cut permanent. The company released a statement to Neowin announcing the news and details of its new pricing on all related Surface products:
"The customer response to recent Surface pricing and keyboard-cover promotions has been exciting to see, and we are proud to begin rollout of Surface Pro, Touch Cover and Surface RT bundles at even more affordable prices starting 29 August. People who buy Surface love Surface, and we're eager for more people to get their hands on this incredible device."
- $100 USD off Surface Pro (including the 256GB SKU) - Surface Pro will now start at $799 USD
- $40 USD off Touch Covers - Touch Covers will now start at $79 USD, Limited Edition Touch Covers will now start at $89 USD
- $50 USD off Surface RT bundles - Surface RT bundles will now start at $399 USD
