Microsoft's Windows 8 Pro-based Surface tablet, which is set to release on February 9, will only have an initial shipment volume of one million units, far lower than the four million shipments of the company's Surface RT tablet when launched, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Microsoft will release two versions of the Windows 8 Pro Surface – one with 64GB storage, priced at US$899 and one with 128GB at US$999, both featuring Surface Pen, a touchscreen stylus and a 10.6-inch display.

Currently, the tablet market is dominated by iPad and Android-based models and there are only a few Windows 8 tablet devices available in retail channels. Among the Windows-based tablet vendors, Asustek Computer is the most aggressive player promoting products, while some players are mainly focusing on the enterprise market.