Microsoft will release the first version of its Surface tablet computer Oct. 26, simultaneous with the general availability of Windows 8, the company says.

The statement, included in Microsoft’s annual Form 10K, reiterates what the company said at the Surface unveiling, but the confirmation is notable in part because of reports that the company was having a hard time securing enough magnesium to produce the device in large quantities.

“The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012,” Microsoft says in the regulatory filing. “At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices.”

The first release of the Surface will be a tablet running an ARM processor and Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 for ARM processors. The company has said previously that a second version of Surface will be available about three months later, running Windows 8 Pro on an Intel processor.

The last big unanswered question is price. Reports of a starting price of $1,000 have been debunked. Microsoft has said only that the price of the Surface is “expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC.”

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