(FILES)The new Microsoft Surface tablet on display following a press conference at Pier 57 to officially launch Windows 8 and the tablet in New York in this October 25, 2012 file photo. Microsoft has quietly cut the price of its entry-level Surface tablet computer by some 30 percent, after surveys indicating sluggish sales. The Surface RT tablet was being sold for as low as $349 for US customers on the Microsoft website on July 15, 2013, down from the introductory price last year of $499. The move comes amid a price war for tablets and a flood of new devices on the market. Amazon has slashed prices of its Kindle HD tablets to as low as $169 in the US and 139 pounds in Britain, while Barnes & Noble has cut the price of its Nook to as low as $129, and has announced plans to outsource production of its tablets. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY / FILESTIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images