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Surface Book preorders back on track, but you may wait weeks for the laptop

Microsoft's new laptop launches on October 26, but preorders show a wait time stretching well into November.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read

Microsoft again has the Surface Book in stock for preorder but with long estimated ship times. Microsoft

You can once again preorder a Surface Book through Microsoft but don't expect it to land on your doorstep anytime soon.

The Windows 10 laptop that turns into a tablet via a detachable keyboard is set for release on October 26. It has been available for preorder since October 7. On Tuesday, Microsoft's online store displayed an "email me when available" message, indicating that all five models of the Surface Book were sold out for preorder.

The device is once again available through Microsoft's website, but with some lengthy ship times listed. Three of the models show ship times of five weeks to six weeks, while the other two won't ship for seven weeks to eight weeks. You can also preorder and try out the Surface Book at a Microsoft retail store, but the wait time to receive one will be the same.

The Surface Book is Microsoft's attempt to shake up the computer market in light of weak overall demand. Microsoft's goal is to generate sales for its first homegrown laptop and also show other PC vendors how to build a laptop that takes full advantage of Windows 10. Panos Panay, Microsoft's head of devices, calls it the " thinnest, most powerful PC ever created."

The Surface Book is Microsoft's 'ultimate laptop' (pictures)

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Microsoft must first get the Surface Book into the hands of consumers, though.

"We've seen strong demand for Surface Book and have sold out of preorder supply for October 26 availability," a Microsoft spokesperson said Wednesday. "We will have limited quantities of Surface Book available in store on October 26."

So what are your options if you're yearning to get a Surface Book? You can hope your local Microsoft store will have one in stock come October 26. In the meantime, you can try to preorder at a couple of other online vendors, though not all models are in stock.

Amazon shows some variations of the Surface Book as available and will email preorder customers when it has an estimated delivery date. Frys.com lists two variations available and estimates that preordered units will ship by October 26.

Best Buy will also carry the Surface Book, but its website displays a few Surface Book models with a "coming soon" message and no option to preorder.

Update, 9:07 a.m. PT: Adds information from Microsoft.