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Microsoft lets companies buy Surface tablets in bulk
As often as Microsoft pitches the Surface and Surface Pro as tablets for getting work done, corporate customers haven't had an easy way to order the devices by the bushel. We know that the process is now considerably smoother for eager large-scale adopters thanks to a ZDNet peek at a Commercial Order page. "Commercial customers" can spring for large quantities of either slate model, along with an Extended Hardware Service Plan that bumps support to three years for North American buyers. Microsoft isn't saying just who's eligible, although the order system is more likely to center on firms that are already comfortable buying all things Windows in volume. You'll know how far it reaches if there's a Surface at every cubicle on Monday morning.
Microsoft sells out of 128GB Surface Pro models online and in some stores
If you were wondering how well the public would take to a Microsoft-made tablet costing $899 or more... quite well, at least from initial impressions. The 128GB Surface Pro has sold out at Microsoft's US online store, and checks suggest a lack of stock at both the company's retail stores as well as Best Buy and Staples. Canada is facing similar shortages at Best Buy and Future Shop. Not surprisingly, storage worries (since partly alleviated) have left the 64GB tablet as the only one in consistent supply, and we suspect that the 128GB model in Microsoft's Canadian store won't last for much longer. We'd be cautious before declaring the Surface Pro a runaway hit, however -- there's no word on how many units each store had, and Microsoft has refrained from reporting Surface sale numbers to date. Still, the early uptake is good news for Microsoft's first foray into designing an x86 PC, and it shows that many early adopters aren't hung up on the price.
CES 2013: Tablet roundup
The tablet landscape has changed greatly in a year's time, at least if you gauge what we've seen on the CES show floor. The 2012 expo was led mostly by high-end Android tablets. This year, Windows 8 understandably garnered much more of the spotlight now that it's available, while Google's platform mostly surfaced in the budget category, where it was much more prevalent than before. Whatever the platform, we saw our fair share of experimentation -- some companies weren't happy with just a spec bump in a familiar form factor. Check past the break for some of the more daring (or at least well-executed) examples from CES 2013.
Did the Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro just hit the FCC?
Tablet lovers who've been eying Microsoft's elaborately named Surface with Windows 8 Pro may be one step closer to getting it in their hands now that a mystery Microsoft tablet, the 1514, has swung through the FCC's approval process. While there's no neon lights advertising the slate's identity, it's described as running Windows 8 -- the current Surface appeared at the FCC clearly labeled as a Windows RT device. The 1514 number is also just two digits away from the 1516 of the Surface we can buy today. Prospective buyers hoping for unadvertised wireless features won't get them, as there's just 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth, but we don't think they'll mind. If the hardware truly represents the high-end Surface variant, an FCC appearance means one less obstacle to the planned January release.
