Microsoft slashes Surface prices for resellers

Customers buying in bulk through the channel to get discounts on latest device

Microsoft is cutting the price of its Surface Pro 3 tablet to customers buying in bulk through channel partners.

The Surface Pro 3 – Microsoft's latest tablet, which it claims is a true laptop replacement – is set to land in the UK market on 31 August and retail prices start at £639.

But for channel customers buying in volume through its Authorised Devices Reseller (ADR) network, discounts are up for grabs.

The vendor remained tight-lipped on exactly how much it is cutting off the price, but it did say the size of the discount will correlate to the quantity purchased. A minimum of five units must be bought to qualify for the discount and the offer includes the Surface pen, but not the keyboard.

The Surface tablet collection has not been a massive channel hit since it came to market in 2012. It was initially sold direct – much to some resellers' dismay – before Microsoft eventually let a handful of large resellers onto its ADR programme.

Kelvin Kirby, treasurer of the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMPC) said the latest discount could herald the arrival of a newer version running an Intel Core i7 processor.

"Discount is always good and it is probably coming ahead of the new i7 model [launch] – the current model is i5. I suspect one of the reasons for the sale is they are clearing out stock of i5 as people wait for i7, which could come out within the next few weeks.

"For what you get, it is really good value, to be honest," he said. "Given the scope of what it does, [the price] is pitched not too far off."