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Latest Microsoft Surface table available for preorders: Will you notice?

According to Microsoft and Samsung, the street price for the Samsung SUR40 will be about $8,400. Businesses may bite at that price.
Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor

If Microsoft's latest greatest Surface tabletop fell into a business lobby near you in early 2012 would you notice?

We're finally about to find out. Microsoft and Samsung said that they are starting to take preorders for the Samsung SUR40. As noted by Mary Jo Foley last month, the Samsung SUR40 Surface 2.0 multi-touch tabletop was unveiled by Microsoft in January 2011, but then pushed off until January 2012.

The problem was that Microsoft had software issues with Surface 2.0 and pushed the Samsung launch off.

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Credit for both images: Samsung

According to Microsoft and Samsung, the street price for the Samsung SUR40 will be about $8,400. Your pricing will vary based on taxes, tariffs and other financial moving parts. This new Surface system will be available in 23 countries via Samsung resellers.

Although Surface is best known for making a splash and failing to garner mainstream adoption---even as Apple made touch navigation the norm---there's an opportunity for Microsoft to make the Surface a real business tool.

The Samsung SUR40 can be used as a table, wall-mounted screen or kiosk. Combined with Xbox's Kinect, which already may have business uses, the Surface effort could gain traction. And if prices come down maybe the Surface becomes fancy coffee table.

In the meantime, we wait for the Samsung SUR40 and see what the business uptake is. Microsoft touts Surface business cases in automotive, education, finance, retail and healthcare among other verticals. The Samsung Surface tabletop will need enterprise traction before it winds up going mainstream.

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