There’s only one unit of Surface Pro tablet available in the whole of Middle East…

Microsoft launched its Surface Pro in the United States and Canada only to let customers know that it has run out of stock, especially the popular 128GB version.

A listing on Dubai-based classified site Dubizzle says the only available unit not just in the UAE but in the whole of the Middle East is priced at Dh5,999, almost 75 per cent more than the actual price of the tablet.

“Brand new Microsoft Surface Pro with Windows 8 (original pack, never opened); (Sold out in the United States) comes with original Microsoft touch white colour keyboard and digital pen,” the listing claims.

The 128GB Pro is priced at $999 (Dh3,666) at the Microsoft online store, while the 64GB version is priced at $899 (Dh3,299).

Microsoft had last year announced that it planned to come up with Surface series of tablets aimed at taking on Apple’s iPad and rival android versions.

The Surface RT which was released late last year and priced at $499 is selling in the UAE for Dh2,500 runs Windows 8 is a lighter version of the Pro, which uses the most powerful version of Surface to run full versions of software desktop applications and apps from the Windows Store.

In a blog post, Microsoft announced that the Surface Pro will be launched in 13 additional markets on February 14.

On February 14th, we’ll be bringing Surface RT to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

“Surface Pro gives you the power and performance of an Intel Core-powered PC in a tablet package. Whether you’re a road warrior looking for the one device to pack or you’re looking for a PC that will get the job done and still help you have fun, this is the device for you,” the Microsoft promo says.

Microsoft also launched a new Wedge Touch Mouse Surface Edition and three new Touch Cover Limited Editions in red, magenta, and cyan to go along with the new Surface Pro.

Meanwhile, while initial users have praised the performance of the Pro, doubts have also been expressed about some of its features, especially the performance of the stylus. Microsoft has responded by saying that it is working towards fixing the issue.

There has also been a lot of criticism about the way Microsoft has handled the launch.

One user commented by stating the following: “I found this to be one of the most disappointing and pathetic product launches by a technology company in recent history. This is someone who has purchased Microsoft products since Word 1.0 (for DOS) and went to the midnight launch of Windows 95.”

The resident of Seattle in the US says he went to two store openings (a Staples and a Best Buy) and found that Staples did not have any 128GB models and only 1 or 2 64GB models. Best Buy had two Surfaces and were already reserved for pre-orders.

“As others have mentioned, I went to Microsoft Store site online (starting on Friday night) only to find that the 128GB was sold out, and you could not even place a back-order. How antiquated an order processing and supply chain system do you have at Microsoft?” said the disgruntled customer.

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