A 64GB Surface Pro, said Singh, would add a minimum of $320 to the BOM of the RT, resulting in a total of around $629. The biggest part of that increase? The expected Intel Core i5 processor, which adds $204 to the Pro's bill.

The BOM led Singh to peg the Surface Pro's list price at $799 to $899, which would give a margin of 21% to 30%. An $899 price, for example, would put the margin at 30%.

"Most mid-range x86 Windows 8 tablets should retail at the same price [range], with higher-end models priced above $1,000," said Singh.

Again, his estimates were in line with earlier prognostications from other analysts, who interpreted Microsoft's pledge to price the Surface Pro near an Intel ultrabook-style notebook to mean $800 at a minimum, more than $1,000 at the top end.

At a price between $399 and $499, the Surface RT will have to compete with Apple's iPad on cost as well as features, and app quality.