Microsoft cuts original Surface Pro pricing by $100

Happy days for those of us who haven’t picked up the first, and fairly  powerful Surface Pro 1 yet. Microsoft’s just announced that it’s slashing R1 000 (US$100) off the price of its 64, 128 and 256GB models. The sale pricing is available on the Microsoft Store, right now and the offer ends 31 December 2013.

Currently, there are only two models available for purchase on the US Microsoft Store, the 64 and 128GB models, priced at R7 000 (US$699) and R8 000 (US$799) respectively. For your money, Microsoft is also throwing in a month of Office 365 which is a fair enough deal, as the “world’s favourite” productivity app starts from R1 000 (US$99) if brought new.

What you won’t get for your coin is the Touch or Type keyboard cover, which is a must-have if you’re going the Surface Pro route. The Windows 8 tablet is less interesting and usable without one. Touch covers start at R800 (US$79) so you can use the money you saved to purchase one. Trust us, you’ll need it.

It’s possible to get a Surface Pro for R3 000 less, if you trade in an old iPad or iPhone that is. Last month, Microsoft announced a gift card exchange program that offers a “minimum US$200 gift card” for trading in an iPhone 4S, 5 or an iPad 2,3 or 4.

The tech specs of the original Surface Pro is still pretty damn impressive. A 10.6″ full HD display, 4GB RAM, a Core i5 CPU, Windows 8 Pro, two 720p cameras and an optional Pen makes up a very impressive package. While the sales of the Surface are admittedly terrible, this price cut could see it landing in a few more hands before the Surface Pro 2 removes its predecessor from this mortal coil.

Be warned, this offer does not include the new Surface Pro 2 models. Microsoft points this out in fine print at the bottom of its offer. If this new offer is taken up in combination with the iDevice trade in, a 64GB Surface Pro would only cost R5 000 (US$499), or the price of the latest 16GB iPad Air. In that case, you’d be choosing power over prettiness. And that, is one hell of a hard choice to make.