By Michael Oleaga / m.oleaga@latinospost.com (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Oct 11, 2013 08:20 AM EDT

In preparation of its new Surface tablets, Microsoft announced a midnight launch event across 10 U.S. cities for late October.

According to Microsoft, 10 Microsoft retail stores will celebrate the launch of the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 starting Oct. 21.

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With a start time of 10 p.m., the Microsoft retail stores will feature mini events such as the Surface Challenge, which will offer contestants to participate in interactive and physical games. The winner of the Surface Challenge will get to travel to Orlando, Fla., to watch Pitbull perform at the Mall at Millenia store opening.

The Microsoft Store Facebook page is also offering other prizes such as being the first to test the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 as well as their accessories.

"We've worked hard to ensure that Microsoft retail stores will be the best place to experience and purchase the most productive tablet on the planet - Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2," said Microsoft Retail Stores' Chief Operating Officer David McAughan. "Our stores are all about having fun with our customers and connecting with local communities. These Surface launch events are a great example of the type of experiences you can enjoy at our stores as we kick off the holiday season."

The 10 Microsoft retail stores participating in the Surface midnight launch are the Bellevue Square Mall, Westfield San Francisco Centre, Scottsdale Fashion Square, Dadeland Mall in Miami, Lennox Square Mall in Atlanta, The Shops at Prudential Center at Boston, The Westchester in White Plains, N.Y., The Domain at Austin, Texas, The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Virginia, and the Oakbrook Center Mall in Illinois.

The new Surface tablets have been available for pre-orders since Sept. 24 and will be released across 22 markets including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. China will get to see the tablets by early November.

As seen on the online Microsoft Store, the Surface 2's 32GB model, priced at $449, is expected to ship by Oct. 21. The 64GB of the Surface 2, however, is expected to ship on Oct. 25 with a price tag $549.

The Surface Pro 2's 64GB model, with a price tag of $899, is expected to ship by Oct. 21. The 128GB model, priced at $999, is set to ship by Oct. 25. The 256GB and 512GB models are expected to ship on Oct. 29 and are priced at $1,299 and $1,799, respectively.

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For the latest updates, follow Latinos Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO

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