Surface Pro storage constrained by OS, bundled software
updated 08:30 pm EST, Tue January 29, 2013
Windows 8 and pre-installed software consume 41GB
Similar to issues Microsoft had with its Windows 8 RT edition of the Surface tablet, reports are now circulating that the forthcoming Surface Pro tablet will also have its storage constrained in a similar fashion. The 64GB edition of the Surface Pro will have just 23GB of storage free, and the high-end 128GB model will have 83GB, with remainder taken up by the OS and preinstalled apps.
Microsoft has claimed that users can free up a "small portion" of this space by "creating a backup bootable USB [device] and deleting the recovery partition" on the 128GB version. Electronista spoke with a Microsoft employee who said that "at this time, the restore partition is unique to each Surface Pro tablet, and it would be unwise to lose the backup partition."
Also unknown is how Microsoft will deal with OS updates and security patches. Microsoft's regular patches will need to be applied, and will continue to eat into the device's internal storage. Device storage can be expanded using the micro SDXC or USB 3.0 slots on the device.
The Surface Pro tablet will be available at retail in the US and Canada starting on February 9. The 64GB model retails for $900, and the 128GB model sells for $1,000.
