Surface Pro arrives in China today, Russia to get Surface RT this week

Microsoft is to start selling the Surface RT tablet in Russia from this Thursday, the company announced yesterday, as it delivers the Surface RT and Pro to Chinese consumers from today.

The tablet will be available in Russia from Moscow's electronics retailer M.Video from 4 April, and will be launched with a concert from Ukrainian-Russian pop star Vera Brezhneva.  

Microsoft has not revealed Russian pricing for the Surface RT and it appears Russia is one of the later destinations included in its expanded distribution plans, announced in late February, which also included Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan.

The Surface RT was released in New Zealand in March and is currently available from NZ$739 ($629) via retailers Harvey Norman and JB HiFi. It was also released in Japan from 49,800 yen ($533, including taxes) and is sold through six retail partners. It does not appear to have reached Taiwan, Mexico or Singapore.

Chinese consumers appear to have been served ahead of the next batch of countries marked for the Surface Pro, which included Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK, where Microsoft shows the device as "coming soon" on its website.

Surface in China

Microsoft has quickly ramped up its presence in China in the past month too. The Surface RT became available in China on 25 March from 3688 RMB ($594), while as of 2 April, the Surface Pro went on sale priced at ￥6588 ($1,062) from its online store and several retailers including 360buy.com, Tmall.com and Suning.com and others.

Microsoft has not released sales data for the Surface RT or Pro, however in recent months it has significantly expanded distribution across the globe, including most recently adding 13 new markets across Europe. The Surface RT went on sale on 26 October through Microsoft Stores only. The Surface Pro went on sale on 9 February.