Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Legacy Archives

First-ever 256GB Surface Pro coming to Japan with Office 2013 and exclusive Touch Covers

Add as a preferred source on Google
Microsoft-Surface-Pro
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft’s been rolling out its international Surface Pro tablets in waves. The U.K. just got the Pro on May 23, and the Chinese version launched back in April with a full copy of Office 2013. Now, those living in Japan can finally buy a Pro. They’ll be getting the same package as the Chinese version (Office 2013 and Windows 8 Pro), but there’s something special about the Japanese version: storage.

If you’re buying a Surface Pro in the U.S., your only options are 64GB or 128GB. However, if you’re buying the Pro in Japan, it looks like the 64GB version is out of the picture, leaving only the 128GB version and, for the first time ever, a 256GB option.

Recommended Videos

It’s possible Microsoft’s ditching the 64GB version for a larger capacity tablet because of complaints that the 64GB Pro only actually had 23GB of free storage, and the company’s realizing it might be time to dissolve this model. Either way, the 256GB version will cost a pretty penny – about $200 more than the 128GB model. At about $1,175, the tablet will be available along with its 128GB cousin on June 7.

And if the option for more storage wasn’t enough, the Japanese version will also be available with exclusive Touch Covers. The designer covers come from Beams, Rodeo Crowns, and Arise.

 Surface_Pro_Japane_Touch_Covers

No word yet whether the U.S. will be getting the 256GB version, but with Microsoft’s Build developer’s conference a few weeks away, there’s a good chance we might hear some more Surface news there.

Jennifer Bergen
Former Computing Editor
Jennifer Bergen is the Computing Section Editor at Digital Trends and is in charge of all things laptops, desktops, and their…
Intel may bring back older desktop CPUs because DDR5 is getting too expensive
Older Intel Core CPUs from 10th to 14th Gen may get a second life
Intel Core i5-12400F box sitting in front of a gaming PC.

Intel may be preparing an unusual response to the ongoing memory crunch. According to Chinese outlet ITHome, citing ChannelGate, the company’s latest production plan includes restarting production of 13th-gen and 14th-gen Core processors.

The move is expected to increase supply across Intel’s 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen CPU families, especially in mainland China. For DIY PC builders, the timing is important. DDR5 memory prices have climbed sharply, making newer platforms harder to justify for anyone trying to build an affordable gaming PC.

Read more
Amazon wants to design in-house chips for Kindles, Fire TV, and Echo speakers
Apple did it first. Amazon is doing it now, starting with 40 million chips a year and a partner most people have never heard of.
Amazon Kindle Scribe dark mode featured image.

Apple's decision to design its own chips reshaped the consumer electronics industry. Amazon may be about to make the same call, just about two decades later.

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Amazon is preparing to shift away from externally sourced processors for its consumer electronics lineup, marking what he describes as the company's first major processor procurement change in 20 years. The transition is expected to begin in 2027.

Read more
AI wants to summarize it all. TripAdvisor’s misleading reviews show AI will also ruin your travel plans
Spotless, friendly, and totally wrong. AI summaries are hiding the reviews that actually matter.
Tripadvisor logo on MacBook

Planning a trip is stressful enough without wondering if the glowing hotel summary you just read was written by an AI that skipped the scary parts. As it turns out, that might be exactly what's happening on TripAdvisor.

According to an investigation by consumer group Which?, reported by the Guardian, TripAdvisor's AI-generated review summaries are smoothing over serious guest complaints, and in some cases, downright dangerous ones.

Read more