CIARA O’BRIEN
Microsoft is to make its Surface Pro tablet computer available in Ireland from the end of the month.
The device, which is a fully functional Windows 8 PC in tablet form, went on sale in the US in February, but Irish users had to content themselves with Surface RT, an ARM-based device that was released in the US in October 2012.
The Surface Pro is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and has a 10.6 inch screen.
The Pro, which goes on sale on May 30th in Ireland, will sell for €879 for the 64GB device, and €979 for the 128GB version. Microsoft’s Patrick Ward described the Surface Pro as “a unique Windows 8 device”.
The tech giant took the industry by surprise when it announced last year it would make its own line of tablets to showcase the Windows 8 operating system.
The company, which said it sold 100 million licences for its new operating system, is also planning to update Windows 8 later this year. The update will address user complaints such as the removal of the Start button in favour of its touch optimised user interface.
