surfacertMicrosoft is looking to jumpstart sales of the Surface RT, dropping the price on the 32GB tablet from $499 to $349. The 64GB device also is getting a price cut, dropping to $449.

The price cuts were spotted by Computerworld, which noted that the new prices were being offered through the Microsoft store as well as on Best Buy and Staples and may be an effort to clear inventory in advance of a new slate of Windows RT devices.

Microsoft also recently inked a deal to provide 10,000 teachers with Surface RT devices as part of its Windows in the Classroom Surface Experience Project.

Free might be the best price for the device, according to Microsoft watcher Paul Thurrott, who writes that the device is a “piece of junk.” He notes:

Folks, put away your credit cards: Surface RT isn’t a good deal at any price.

The issue here is simple. Windows RT is the first-generation version of a new kind of Windows that is completely incompatible with the Windows desktop applications you actually use and much of the hardware peripherals you already own. And Surface RT, based as it is on current generation ARM hardware that was designed for smart phones and media tablets, is simply too underpowered to provide a satisfactory experience.

Previously on GeekWire: Microsoft stacks up Surface vs. iPad with mixed results

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