The Verge - Microsoft's Surface tablet: everything you need to know

Microsoft makes Surface available in more countries, Pro model hits UK next month

2013-04-23T16:18:25Z

Microsoft has announced a sweeping international expansion of Surface Pro availability. Until this point, Microsoft's top-tier Windows 8 tablet has only been for sale in the US, Canada, and China. But by the end of next month, that's going to change in a big way; Microsoft says Surface Pro will reach the UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland by the end of May. In June, the international tour will continue with availability planned in Russia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. The company's base Surface RT product has already seen much wider availability overseas, but Microsoft plans to...

Microsoft underestimated its own Surface Pro storage, tests show

2013-02-08T09:09:49Z

Microsoft's original Surface Pro storage estimates, that the company supplied to The Verge, are incorrect. In a series of tests, Ed Bott over at ZDNet has found that a 128GB model of the Surface Pro actually has 89.7GB of free usable space compared to the incorrect 83GB figure. It appears the reason for Microsoft's mistaken values stems from a difference between pre-production and final shipping hardware.

Final Surface Pro models shipping with more storage than expected

"A source inside Microsoft tells me the employee who confirmed the numbers did so using pre-production machines that contained different disk images and debug code that is different from final shipping units that will be on sale beginning this weekend," explains Bott....

Microsoft addresses Surface Pro battery life and storage concerns in Reddit AMA

2013-02-06T20:00:34Z

Reviews of Microsoft's latest Surface Pro tablet went live late last night, and Microsoft has been answering a number of questions from Reddit's community today during an AMA session. Two hot topics are around the battery life and usable storage. Microsoft previously revealed to The Verge that its 64GB Surface Pro model would only have around 23GB of usable storage, but the company says its initial estimates "were conservative." Final production units are arriving with around 6-7GB of additional space, bringing the total up to 30GB on the 64GB model.

It seems a recovery partition is taking up additional space, but Microsoft says this can be removed. A Surface spokesperson says the company didn't want users to lose a USB recovery key and...

Surface off to a slow start, but Microsoft will reveal sales figures eventually

2013-02-04T17:30:39Z

Despite rumors of Microsoft building three to five million tablets for its Surface RT launch, it appears that the company may have only shipped less than one million in the recent quarter. IDC says the figure is "just shy of 900,000 units into the channel," as Microsoft looks to compete with other tablet makers. "There is no question that Microsoft is in this tablet race to compete for the long haul," says IDC's Ryan Reith. "Reaction to the company's Surface with Windows RT tablet was muted at best."

Microsoft has pumped millions into advertising campaigns for Windows 8 and its new Surface tablets, but the holiday execution was less than perfect. The slow reaction could be blamed on a number of factors, including a lack of retail...

Microsoft's 64GB Surface Pro will only have 23GB usable storage (update)

2013-01-29T18:24:07Z

Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet, due on February 9th, will have a smaller amount of storage space than expected. A company spokesperson has confirmed to The Verge that the 64GB edition of Surface Pro will have 23GB of free storage out of the box. The 128GB model will have 83GB of free storage. It appears that the Windows 8 install, built-in apps, and a recovery partition will make up the 41GB total on the base Surface Pro model.

Microsoft says users will be able to free up additional storage space by "creating a backup bootable USB and deleting the recovery partition," but out of the box they'll be left with as little as 36 percent of the advertised storage available. The storage situation is similar to Microsoft's Surface RT tablet. The...

Surface orders delayed in the UK, Microsoft hands out £50 store coupon as a peace offering

2012-10-26T16:17:28Z

Microsoft's Surface launch may have gone smoothly in New York, but orders across the pond in Britain aren't going as well. The software giant has been unable to ship units to customers in the UK on time, and several readers have contacted us to let us know that deliveries have not arrived. Microsoft did previously warn customers that Surface would be delayed until November 2nd in the UK, but the company later claimed that was a mistake. It appears the Surface units are being dispatched today, but they won't be delivered until early next week.

Microsoft is providing a peace offering to pre-order customers in the form of a £50 ($80) coupon to spend at its online store. It's not quite a refund of sorts, but it cushions the blow for...

Surface launch at Times Square: at Microsoft, it's hip to be square

2012-10-26T15:44:48Z

Today marks the beginning of Windows 8 and a new era for Microsoft, a company that has struggled to win over consumers' hearts in recent years. At a launch event in New York last night, Microsoft flexed its marketing muscles for all to see. From taking over the famous digital screens at Times Square, to rows and rows of outside areas with Windows 8 machines, Microsoft created what can only be descried as an expensive spectacle.

Midnight crowds

A holiday pop-up store in the heart of Times Square proved to be the focal point for Microsoft's Surface and Windows 8 launch. The software giant let press, VIPs, and some customers lining up outside into the store ahead of a midnight debut to buy a Surface. Microsoft was only selling Surface...

Initial Surface US pre-orders sold out, some UK orders delayed to November 2nd (update)

2012-10-20T09:59:30Z

Microsoft's initial stock of Surface RT devices has sold out in the United States. The 32GB base model, at $499, sold out earlier in the week, but all stock has now been depleted with a wait time of within three weeks rather than a guaranteed October 26th delivery. Alongside the sell out, a number of UK readers are reporting that Microsoft has delayed the release of Surface by a week.

"The release date for the preorder product has changed," reads an email sent to some buyers who pre-ordered a Surface in the UK. "The product listed below will now be available on 02 November 2012." It's not clear from Microsoft why the Surface is delayed in the UK, but we understand from sources that it could be due to units being held by UK customs....