Surface RT coming to six more countries in late March, Pro in the 'coming months'
Microsoft's Surface is continuing its global retail rollout, expanding its reach well beyond the western hemisphere. In late March the RT model of Redmond's in-house tablet effort will begin popping up in Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan, (though, not necessarily at the same time) adding to the pile of European nations where it's already launched. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro will finally be leaving the Americas and heading for Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK sometime in the coming months. Unfortunately Microsoft isn't getting any more specific about when its full-blown Windows 8 machine will appear in countries other than the US and Canada. All we can do now is await the promised follow up post on the Surface blog for more details about availability. If you're a fan of press materials (even those that don't provide a ton of information) you'll find some after the break.
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Microsoft Surface Family Continues Worldwide Expansion
Feb. 28, 2013
Surface RT and Surface Pro headed to new countries starting late March.
REDMOND, Wash. - Feb. 28, 2013 - Microsoft Corp. today announced that beginning late March the rollout of Surface will continue, bringing Surface RT with Windows RT to Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan and Surface Pro with Windows 8 Pro to Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United Kingdom in the coming months.
"We are eager to see people and businesses in more countries get a chance to experience this new category of devices," said Panos Panay, corporate vice president, Microsoft Surface. "Surface is the best of a tablet and a PC."
Surface is an extension of the Windows experience, letting customers work, play and connect with the people who matter to them. Surface lets customers transition between entertainment and creation. It offers an ultralight durable casing and an integrated kickstand and cover that allow customers to be productive anywhere, as well as a full-sized USB port and microSDXC card slot for adding additional storage and a 16:9 widescreen high-definition display that makes it optimal for viewing and sharing content easily.
Surface RT is best described as a tablet with some laptop capabilities that weaves productivity and mobility into one beautiful product. It is great for those people looking for all-day battery life* and an entertainment-first experience with the ability to still get work done. Surface Pro is comparable to a full-blown Windows laptop that also boasts tablet capabilities. For the first time, customers can have a fully functional PC that looks, feels and acts like a tablet. With Surface Pro, customers can do virtually everything they have ever done on a PC, ranging from using their favorite desktop applications to enjoying the protection of world-class safety and security software.
Additional details on Surface are available at http://www.Surface.com, the Surface Blog and Surface on Facebook. Those interested can follow Surface on Twitter for additional updates.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
* Up to 8 hours.
