As promised at the unveiling, Microsoft has begun accepting pre-orders for its next-gen Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets.
Both of the new tablets are now available for pre-order on Microsoft's online store. However, consumers will have to wait nearly a month before they can actually get their hands on the tablets, as they are expected to ship around Oct. 22.
The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are the successors of the original Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets, respectively.
The new Surface 2 is powered by Windows 8.1 RT. It will be available in 32GB and 64GB options and will cost $449 and $549, respectively. On the other hand, the 10.6-inch Surface Pro 2, which packs in Windows 8.1 Pro, starts from $889 (64GB variant with 4GB of RAM). Alternately, consumers can opt for the 128GB SSD variant for $999. Picking up either the 256GB or the 512GB versions will have you digging deeper into your wallet and will cost $1299 and $1799, respectively. The 512GB version is not available for pre-order yet, but you can sign-up with Microsoft for email alerts regarding availability.
While both the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2, like all next-gen devices, are clear improvements over their predecessors, Microsoft has retained the design of the original tablets.
According to Microsoft, the Surface 2 is "the most productive tablet ever built" and it has a 25% battery life increase over the original Surface RT. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 2's display now boasts a 50 percent increase in color accuracy. The tablet has seen a 20 percent increase in overall performance, as well as improvements in graphics (50 percent) and battery (75 percent). The speakers now have Dolby integration.
"the Surface Pro 2 is faster - literally - than 95 percent of laptops on the market today. It's a full PC," touted Microsoft.
To pre-order the Surface 2 click here and to get a Surface Pro 2 head here. To sweeten the deal, Microsoft is also offering 200 GB of SkyDrive storage and unlimited Skype minutes for Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 buyers.
