Entry-level Microsoft tablet already sold out

Prospective owners in the US will have to wait three weeks to take possession of Microsoft's 32GB Surface tablet as available stock sold out in pre-orders.

The Microsoft Surface RT has only been available for pre-order in the US for 24 hours, but the entry-level $499 32GB tablet has already sold out. Visitors to the pre-order site in the US are being met with the message 'order now for shipment within 3 weeks.'

However, the more expensive 32GB model with touch cover ($599) and the 64GB model with touch cover ($699) are both still available for delivery on October 26 the device's official launch date.

Many experts have questioned Microsoft's approach to pricing its new tablet, especially the fact that the entry-level model isn't bundled with a touch cover keypad -- something that Microsoft has focused on heavily in differentiating the Surface from all other tablets on the market.

To gauge consumer feeling on the subject, computerworld.com has been polling vistors to its site. Of 1652 visitors so far polled, 32.32 percent believe that Microsoft's pricing makes the Surface competitive with the iPad, whereas 30.15 percent believe that the Surface RT would only succeed if it was cheaper than the iPad. Only 9.6 percent believe that there was no competition as the iPad is a superior product.