Surface Pro release date set for late January

Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet is set to go on sale in late January. After unveiling the pricing for its Windows 8 tablet late last year, Microsoft has remained relatively quiet about the exact timing of release outside of a promised January timeframe. Calls made to several Microsoft retail stores by CNET reveal that employees expect its latest tablet at the end of the month. Our own sources have confirmed to The Verge that the Surface Pro will be released in late January, despite rumors of a CES timeframe.

Priced from $899, the Surface Pro includes an Intel Core i5 processor and 1080p HD display. The Pro will run a full version of Windows 8, unlike the Surface RT running on Windows RT. Microsoft originally opened up pre-orders for its Surface RT tablet 10 days ahead of its release on October 26th. If the company is following a similar pattern of pre-orders then we’ll likely see an announcement shortly after CES. The software maker previously announced its plans to scale down its presence at CES 2013, with no booth on the show floor or a Microsoft-led keynote — a sign that the company wants to manage its own products and announcements separately from the industry trade show.