The Microsoft Surface will have a retail price comparable with competitive ultrabook-class PCs.
Steven Sinofsky addressing pricing expectations at the Microsoft Surface event.
I was very curious to see what a “competitive ultrabook-class PC” cost. So I googled some stuff. From the Wikipedia entry on Ultrabooks, I gather that ultrabooks typically cost between $800 and $1,200, with some going up to as much as $1,500.
The buzz is that Microsoft wants to cull Apple’s momentum in the business world. Positioning it as a premium tablet, then, could make sense. But with virgin hardware and software, no significant app market, and no entry date in sight, don’t expect an iPad-killer any time Zune.