Microsoft has announced it is to widen the availability of both its Surface tablet devices by introducing them to new markets.
The firm highlighted that both the Surface RT and Pro would be available in both the UK and additional countries "in coming months," with a roll-out set to begin around "late March."
Expansion of the Surface Pro will see the device make its way to the UK in addition to Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, China and Hong Kong.
Microsoft's decision to widen the device's availability comes at an interesting time, as the Surface Pro continues to suffer supply issues in the US and Canada, with the 128GB edition of the device recently selling out for the second time since its launch.
The device was even late for its debut in the US; with Microsoft initially stating the Pro would launch 90 days after the release of the standard RT Surface. However, the Surface Pro didn't emerge until well over 100 days after the original Surface became available.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is boosting the availability of the Surface RT tablet by releasing the device to countries including Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, New Zealand, Russia and Mexico.
Success of the device sales-wise remains uncertain given the stock shortage of certain models of the Surface and the constant addition of new markets.
However, Microsoft is set to face greater competition as gaming manufacturer recently made its dedicated games tablet, the Razer Edge, available for pre-order.
Despite the Surface's label as the tablet for professionals, both devices offer similar specifications and the Pro edition of the Surface has even been proven to be a capable gaming device.
With both devices carrying price tags of close to the $1,000 mark, it will be interesting to see which of the devices comes out on top.
If Razer can effectively capture the gaming market, whilst avoiding the stock shortages the Surface has experience, it may very well take the edge – with, the uhm, Edge.

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