Microsoft Brings Its Most Powerful Surface Models to 10 New Markets

Microsoft announced today that it is bringing the 1 TB versions of its Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book devices to 10 new markets These devices had been available only in the U.S. and Canada since their initial January launch.

“Ever since Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 launched in October, we’ve loved seeing and hearing from our customers as they discover the power and versatility of Surface,” Microsoft senior communications manager Dan Laycock writes. “We’re happy to announce that 1TB storage-configurations of both Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book are becoming available in 10 additional markets starting today, with more to follow this summer.”

Availability is actually a bit staggered: Customers in Australia, Austria, China, France, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom can purchase the devices at Microsoft Store and participating partner retailers and authorized resellers, Microsoft says. Availability in Germany and Japan begins later “this month” (since its June 30 I assume that means “July”). And customers in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands will be able to get a 1 TB Surface Pro 4—but not Surface Book, for whatever reason—later “this summer.”

As Microsoft notes, each of these devices also includes 6th generation Intel Core i7 processors and 16 GB of RAM, and in the case of Surface Book, discrete NVIDIA graphics as well.

While the benefits—or necessity—of 1 TB of local storage is probably evident enough to most, Microsoft still feels the need to justify the heady costs of these devices, which range from $2700 for Surface Pro 4 (before the Type Cover) to $3200 for Surface Book.

“We talk to videographers and photographers who want the capacity to capture hundreds of large image files every day and process them in real time, without having to go back to their studios,” Laycock explains. “We hear from engineers, designers and researchers who render large files and work with huge amounts of data who appreciate the ability to access what they need whether they’re connected to a network or not, without being tied to a desk or office. Finally, there are people in a huge variety of fields – from legal to sales to medicine to digital art and music – who depend on a library of presentations, digital content, and image and video files relating to client projects who want truly instant access to all of these resources on job sites, in the air, and wherever else they may find themselves.”