Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 runs Windows 8 Pro, includes keyboard for $799

PC makers usually don't cough up pricing information on unreleased models easily, but apparently the folks at wpcentral merely asked Lenovo reps at a recent press event how much the ThinkPad Tablet 2 running Windows 8 Pro would cost at launch -- and the reps told them. The new slate will bow on October 26 -- the launch date of Windows 8 -- and cost $799. 

That price will apparently include a keyboard, which could make it a slightly better deal than Microsoft's own Surface Pro tablet, which may cost $799 with an additional $199 for its keyboard cover. (You may also be able to buy the ThinkPad Tablet 2 without the keyboard, presumably for $100-$200 less.) But it's also in line with Microsoft's assertion that Windows 8 Pro tablets will compete in price more with Ultrabooks than with consumer tablets.

Other specs for the ThinkPad Tablet 2 include a 10.1-inch IPS display with 1,366x768 resolution and a full version of Office 2013, with the processor rumored to be an Intel Atom Clover Trail running at 1.8GHz. There's also an optional dock that provides an Ethernet port, a trio of USB ports, and an HDMI output.

It's clear that the Windows 8 Pro tablet pitch is that you'll prefer the mobility of the slate over the mobility of a thin laptop, even if you don't get all the accoutrements you'd have carrying an Ultrabook around.  (And in case you mind paying a similar price, you get a full version of Microsoft Office thrown in.) There's plenty of skepticism about that strategy, including on ZDNet (see hereand here).

If all the pricing turns out to be accurate, Lenovo's pitch might be that you'll prefer to pay less for its Windows 8 Pro tablet-and-keyboard package than for Microsoft's. Are you buying?