There has long been speculation about how much Windows RT tablets will cost compared to the current king of the tablet market the iPad, and now the first Windows RT tablet has been priced.

In accordance with yesterday's announcement from Microsoft, ASUS has begun pre-orders of their Vivo Tab RT through retailers like Staples and Tiger Direct, and the cheapest option will retail for $599.99. Technically it is on-par with the iPad, since the 32 GB versions of both tablets are offered at the same price. However, with ASUS offering this as the starting price, it is still being outpriced by the 16 GB version of the iPad — which coincidentally happens to be the most popular version because of that $100 difference.

Now if you're thinking Microsoft might undercut Apple's tablet with their Surface RT, don't get your hopes up. The Windows RT flagship tablet is also coming with 32 GB internal storage as its lowest option, which implies it will be priced at the same level as the Vivo Tab RT and the iPad 32 GB. In other words, expect to pay $599 come October 26th.

There's always a chance Microsoft will sell the Surface as a loss-leader and set a price below that, but the odds of that happening (especially with concerned hardware partners breathing down their neck) seem slim. How do you feel about the Windows RT pricing? Does the software offer enough bang for the buck?

Source: The Verge, Staples, Tiger Direct