Six Microsoft Surface 2 launch surprises

Microsoft flagged most of the features in the new Surface 2 range well in advance, but there were still a few surprises when the wraps came off at last night’s official New Zealand launch in Auckland.

Wide price range: You can pay anywhere from $500 to more than five times as much for a Microsoft Surface device. That’s a huge price range. The prices are aggressive: $650 buys a 32GB Surface 2, bumping storage to 64GB pushes the price to $800. Surface 2 Pro prices start at $1300 for a model with 64GB and a stylus. If you’ve deep pockets and need lots of storage a 512GB model will set you back $2600.

You buy more than hardware: Surface RT and Surface 2 come with the RT version of Microsoft Office. Microsoft also offers free Skype calling to landlines worldwide for one year and 200GB of SkyDrive storage for two years.

Skype WiFi: The first Microsoft Surface 2 models don’t have 3G or 4G mobile data as an option, although Microsoft says there will be models next year. For now mobile data needs are met by Skype WiFi, a worldwide network of WiFi hotspots which is free to Surface users for one year. The company says there are two million hotspots worldwide. New Zealand is especially well catered for because the local partner is Tomizone.

Surface RT stays: Microsoft has repositioned the original Surface RT tablet as the anchor model in its range. When the Surface RT debuted a year ago its price matched Apple’s cheapest iPad model. From today it sells in New Zealand at $500. While that may be more expensive than tablets with smaller screens and Android devices from secondary brands, you get a lot for the money. And remember this includes a version of Microsoft Office – it’s not that long since a full version of the software suite cost more than $1000.

Microsoft Surface 2 Pro isn’t a tablet: It may look like a tablet, small like a tablet and taste like a tablet. If you like it can act like a tablet. But make no mistake, the Surface 2 Pro competes directly with laptops and Ultrabooks. It’s a classy alternative with a full Intel i5 processor and a docking station that can drive up to four monitors at once. Microsoft says it will run every Windows application you throw at it.

Specification upgrade: It’s no surprise that Microsoft boosted the specification of the new Surface models. We all knew that was going to happen. On the other hand, given that the original models were launched just one year ago, the scale of the upgrades is significant. The newer devices are lighter, thinner and faster than before. They now have HD displays, higher resolution cameras and a USB 3 port. Best of all, the battery life on some models in now more than double. Microsoft says you can watch video for up to ten hours on a single charge.