<p>Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave the strongest indication yet what the company's new Surface tablet computer would sell for when it comes on the market Oct. 26between $300 and $800.</p><p>In an interview with the Seattle Times, Ballmer addressed the pricing issue in only a roundabout way: "If you look at the bulk of the PC market, it would run between, say, probably $300 to about $700 or $800. That's the sweet spot."</p><p>Even so, at least that range narrows the price guessing down from what Internet pundits had estimated itwhich was anywhere from $199 to more than $2,000since Surface was unveiled in June.</p><p>The company was more specific about pricing for Office 2013, its widely used suite of productivity software including Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and other apps. When the new Office was unveiled in July, Ballmer touted its availability in a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, dubbed Office 365, as an alternative to on-premise.</p><p><a href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Microsoft-Hints-at-Pricing-for-Surface-Tablet-Office-2013-251995/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/262330/microsoft_is_going_all_in_with_windows_8_and_windows_phone_8.html">Microsoft is going all in with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8</a> (PCWorld)</p><p><a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/microsoft-surface-is-this-an-ipad-alternative-for-college-students">Microsoft Surface: is this an iPad alternative for college students?</a> (Examiner.com)</p><p><a href="http://nvonews.com/2012/09/16/microsoft-surface-tablet-release-date-will-it-come-with-full-office-package/">Microsoft Surface tablet release date: Will it come with full Office package?</a> (Northern Voices Online)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&ned=us&ncl=d8gbiPoMVq6g4BMSJKE6pB8G_RHcM">313 additional articles.</a></p>