Keeping up with the trend established by the Surface RT, Microsoft slashed the price of the Surface Pro tablet by $100 on Sunday. The 64GB model is currently available for $799 from Microsoft or several other retailers. Meanwhile, the 128GB version is now available for $899.
The Touch Cover and Type Cover keyboard accessories are still being sold separately at the same price of $119.99 and $129.99 respectively.
Microsoft has confirmed to The Verge the price cuts will run until August 29.
"We've been seeing great worldwide success with Surface RT pricing and keyboard-cover promotions over the past several months and are proud to offer Surface Pro at more affordable prices starting today," the company said.
The discounts come just in time for the big rush in tablets and laptops that comes with back-to-school shopping. Information Week also points out that this could persuade on-the-fence business users to finally switch their systems over to an updated Surface Pro.
While this temporary discount seems like a good promotional idea, sales of Microsoft tablets haven't been going well. With competitors also pushing their back-to-school devices, the Surface Pro's price cut might not be enough to save the failing Windows tablet brand and make it look more appealing than tablets like the iPad.
The $100 price reduction on the Surface pro follows a $150 price reduction on the Surface RT. The company reported a $900 million write-down in its most recent quarterly report and CEO Steve Ballmer admitted the company overestimated the demand for the Surface RT.
So far the Surface Pro isn't faring any better in terms of sales. What Microsoft wants to tout as a promotional sale might just be an act of desperation to increase sales of the floundering tablets. Despite its low sales, the Surface Pro tablet can run desktop software and features the same Intel i5 processor found in many laptops. For any student who wants to travel with the convenience of a tablet but still wants top-of-the-line service that one would see in a laptop, the Surface Pro might be perfect for them.
