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$499 Microsoft Surface preorders slip to three weeks

The least expensive Surface tablet has raked in enough preorders to push shipments back a few weeks.

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headshots_Brooke_Crothers_140x100.jpg
Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers
The $499 model appears to be garnering enough preorders to push orders back to within three weeks.
The $499 model appears to be garnering enough preorders to push orders back to within three weeks. Microsoft

Are we seeing the first signs of keen consumer interest in Microsoft Surface?

Answer: at this stage -- the first day of preorders -- we have no idea if Microsoft's first branded PC is a hit. But one backordered model may point to some momentum.

The $499 model is already showing shipments pushed back to "within 3 weeks," while the two other pricier models are available for delivery by October 26, when Surface goes on sale.

Without knowing how many Surface tablets Microsoft has in the sales channel ready to ship, we don't know what a three-week backorder means. Though it is interesting to note that consumers are apparently opting for the model without the Touch Cover combination cover/keyboard.

Which, by the way, Microsoft has been promoting almost as much as the tablet itself.

That novel keyboard -- it has almost no tactile feedback and no button depression -- is not cheap. It adds $100 to the price. And if you want one that behaves more like a traditional keyboard, the Type Cover will cost you $129.

At this rate, Microsoft may not be running out of keyboards anytime soon.

[Via Neowin ]

See also:
• At $499, is Microsoft's Surface tablet priced to move?

Microsoft Surface unveiled: The first Microsoft-branded Windows tablet.
Watch this: Microsoft Surface unveiled: The first Microsoft-branded Windows tablet.