Sales of Microsoft's new Surface Pro 2 kicked off this week both online and through the company's retail stores. Though at $899 without a keyboard (or $999 with) the Intel-based, full Windows 8.1 tablet is dangerously close to ultrabook territory, those looking for a bargain or anyone who doesn't need to be on the cutting edge can now find the original Pro at $699 for the 64GB model and $799 for the 128GB.
This is the second $100 price cut in two months for the device. Back in August, Microsoft trimmed Surface Pro prices from the earlier $899 for the 64GB version and $999 for the 128GB option to $799 and $899, respectively. It was limited time offer but the company made the change permanent in the following weeks.
Similarly, the new offer expires on December 31st, or while supplies last. It's unlikely that Microsoft is planning to sell whatever inventory remains of the original Surface Pro after this date, however – not directly at least. While the company continues to promote the first generation RT model (now simply called Surface) for $349, there's no longer any mention of the original Pro on the main Surface site.
It's also worth noting that officially the discount is only available to customers in the US and Canada. However, ZDNet reports that customers in Europe can get the $100 cut in their stores.