Microsoft Surface Tablet Listed on Swedish Website for $1,003 [UPDATED]

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That price is for the ARM-powered Surface tablet, which is running Windows RT with 32GB of storage. The Microsoft Surface Pro, a higher-end unit packing 128GB of disk space and running Windows 8, will reportedly sell for an eye-popping $2,152 (14990 kr) in Sweden.

We contacted Microsoft, asking if company representatives had any comment about these prices that are much higher than other tablets. We will let you know if we get a response to our query.

Update: A Microsoft spokesperson responded: "Suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC. OEMs will have cost and feature parity on Windows 8 and Windows RT."

We also got a response from Anton Nilsson, who says he's purchasing manager of Webhallen in Sweden: "I can assure you that these prices are in fact just placeholders. We put products online as soon as we have the basic info in order to grab those early pre-orders from people who are really in to this stuff."

If these prices are anywhere near the U.S. retail prices for these two products, the lowest-priced Microsoft Surface tablet will be hitting a tough market costing roughly 50% more than a 32GB iPad with a Retina display. Perhaps Microsoft was thinking its pricing for Surface should be more in line with that of higher-end laptops.