Microsoft Surface tablet to arrive on October 26 along with the release of Windows 8

The release of Windows 8 on October 26 will come with a little bonus for those who have been waiting for accompanying hardware, according to the company’s SEC filing, the Surface tablet will go on sale the same day.

In its annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, Microsoft states: “The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices.”

Typically ambitious, Microsoft hopes to sell  “a few million Surface PCs” in the coming year”, but with the established hold over the market that Apple has, along with the recent arrival of Google’s Nexus 7 tablet, it might be a tougher battle to reach the proposed figures Mr Ballmer would like to see.

Speculation on pricing for the tablet has been rife and not terribly positive. The initial rumours of $599 for the Windows RT model, and $999 for the Windows 8 Pro version were seen as too high and so it is not surprising that the latest rumblings based on a Swedish seller aiming for the $1000 dollar mark for the cheapest model have also been criticised.

As attention increases on the Surface line, our own Alex Wilhelm rightly points out, “From a PR perspective, Microsoft needs to clear the air, and start talking numbers.” Speculation leading to the idea that Microsoft’s tablet will be too expensive could be a bad start to its launch.

For those still curious, regardless of price and thinking about saving for October 26, here’s the specs you need to know.