14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Windows RT-based Surface tablet PC is expected to arrive on shelves on October 26th, the same day when the Windows 8 operating system becomes available for purchase.
Of course, Microsoft has said before that the new slate is meant to hit shelves the very same day as Windows 8, but that was the only mention it made regarding the product’s availability.
However, it appears that official confirmation that October 26th will mark the commercial launch of Microsoft’s Surface for Windows RT has already emerged.
Paul Thurrott of WinSupersite notes that Microsoft did mention the release date in a filing with the US Security and Exchange Commission.
"The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012,” the filing reportedly reads.
“At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices.”
For those out of the loop, we should note that Microsoft also announced that only the Windows RT-based Surface slate would hit shelves this year.
The second model, running under Windows 8 Pro, is expected to land on shelves three months after the ARM-powered device – which would be late January 2013.
The Windows RT iteration of Microsoft Surface will be launched in two different flavors, one with 32GB of internal memory, and another with 64GB of built-in storage space.
The Windows 8 Pro variant, which packs an Intel processor inside, will be released with 64GB and 128GB of internal memory, respectively.
The Surface tablets will also sport a highly appealing design, featuring a thin body and being accompanied by special keyboards from Microsoft, which also act as screen covers.
For the time being, Microsoft hasn’t made an official announcement on the price tag these tablets will sport. However, it did say that the cost would be in line with today’s tablets – for the ARM version – and ultrabooks – for the Intel model.