14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Surface Pro, and what better way to do it than launching a discount for the latest-generation model?
The Surface Pro will be available this weekend with a $200 discount at the Microsoft Store and select retailers like Best Buy, so the model with a Core i5 processor 4GB RAM, and 128GB storage will cost only $799, the same price as for the m3 configuration. The promo does not include Surface Pro LTE and is limited to 1 device per customer.
The Surface Pro is Microsoft’s first really successful Surface model, after the original Surface RT, which launched in October 2012, failed to generate excitement and the platform eventually failed due to the lack of app support and OEM commitment.
With the Surface Pro, however, Microsoft used the same form factor but with full Windows 10, thus addressing the software issues of the Surface RT, such as the lack of apps, but still offering the new 2-in-1 approach with premium build that everyone seemed to like.
How the Surface Pro came to be
Looking back to the original Surface Pro, Panos Panay, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Devices group and the creator of the Surface brand, has captivating stories on how everything came to be, and some are described in the video embedded below.
Of particular note, however, is the launch of the first model, which proved to be a joint effort of the entire Surface team at Microsoft. Panos Panay describes the moment:
“ When we launched the very first Surface Pro five years ago, there was a snowstorm in New York. We’d planned to have our launch at a Best Buy in Manhattan, but the weather had other ideas. This was the second time weather had driven us out of New York, as during the Surface RT launch the previous fall, a hurricane hit within hours of our event and we had to flee from the city in a rush. ”
“ As the storm built, I remember sitting in a conference room trying to figure out what we should do. The streets of New York were virtually empty, and if we decided to keep the Surface Pro launch there it was unlikely that anyone would be able to attend, so we came together across the company and in a matter of hours we had a new plan. ”
“ The Microsoft Stores Team said we had just opened a store in Las Vegas at the Fashion Show Mall. They had a stage, it was a climate unlikely to be hit with either a snowstorm or a hurricane, and they had customers excited about the product launch. Within 24 hours we had set up an impromptu launch. We got a crew, we flew in the dancers from the Surface Pro commercial to perform, and we shared our new product with pride and some questionable fashion statements on my part. ”
You can find the Surface Pro with the said price cuts at the Microsoft Store this weekend, but keep in mind that the discount is available as supplies last.
