Microsoft launches Surface Go today in the US and Canada, says it’ll save you more time at work compared to Apple devices

After an unceremonious reveal last month, the Microsoft Surface Go is now officially available for purchase at the Microsoft Store and other major retailers in the in the US and Canada. Availability in other markets will come on August 28th, but you can now grab either a model with a 64 GB eMMC drive and 4GB RAM for $399, or an 128GB model with 8GB RAM for $549 at Microsoft (Type Cover and Pen sold separately). There’s even a variant with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD and Type Cover bundle at Costco.

To mark the availability, Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President, Windows and Devices Group, took to a blog post this morning. He penned the Surface Go as an “important inflection point in our Surface journey,” mentioning Microsoft’s pioneering of the 2-in-1 category. Interestingly, he also cited a Microsoft-commissioned Prowess study which shows that Surface is better than Apple devices for work.

According to Mehdi:

Surface devices are great for work and are proven to save you more time vs using an Apple device…. People using Surface devices consistently perform tasks faster, more easily, and in fewer steps than those using Apple devices. When a 200-employee company uses Surface Pro instead of iPad Pro for teaming, they save more than 72 workdays per year.

Mehdi goes on to mention some additional Microsoft Research which looked at the consumer relation which technology. He claims their research shows that people are conflicted about how devices fit into lives, frustrated by the limits of their tablets, and want devices associated with productivity. He adds:

This data reinforces the trend we have been seeing in the marketplace of 2:1 devices growing, while tablets continue to decline*. It speaks to what we have been hearing loud and clear from you – you want your devices to enable you to feel empowered and productive throughout your increasingly complex and blended life.

All that said from Microsoft, it will be interesting to see how Surface Go is actually taken with consumers in the next few months. Initial reviews of the device from various media outlets seem to be pretty good, and we also really enjoyed the device in our first testing. We’ll be diving deeper into Surface Go with own review in the next few weeks, so be sure to stay tuned for more.