should I buy one with 8gb ram and 256gb ssd if I am a regular user( intenet+ reading apps)?

For regular user you don't need 256GB. even 64GB or 128GB will do. I would say 128 or 256 because both have i5 processor.

So if I want more storage, all I need is a micro SD card?

Yes. I am using SP4 with 128GB micro SD Card. It works find. 256GB card is too expensive for me. And I want to add a point, for now, unless you have some windows skills, you cannot install Windows Store Apps on SD card. Microsoft may add this feature in the future, but for now, not. So, the card would serve mainly as a storage for music, pics, and docs. But you can install desktop program on card, although I would not recommend that. For the card size choice, I choose 128GB, even 2 128GB cards are cheaper than 1 256GB card. Currently I use my old computer serving as a file server to store all the big files: HD videos, software collections, DVD images, some huge data and so on. You cannot expect 128GB card to store too many DVD images, right?

Does this comes with the surface pen and the type cover or do I have to order them separately?

It comes with pen(stylus), and I do have a keyboard available, but the keyboard is not a option on this listing

Is it true that the tablet has a shorter battery life than the keyboard? Most it be recharged separately? Is this also true for the Surface book?

Cindy, sounds like you are confusing the "Surface Pro 4" and "Surface Book", which are "2-in-1's" but different in size and internal guts. I have a Surface Pro 4 of 512Gig internal stirage drive, 16Gig Ram and i7 processor. My experience is that battery life is lower - by a lot - than Microsoft claims. I keep the charge cord nearby. Intense tasks drain the battery faster. A troublesome loss of battery power occurs in all the units of the early runs (through into 2016) when the user puts the Pro4 to sleep by closing the cover or choosing sleep from the Start menu. (...or any other move that results in sleep.) The reported work-around for this is to change Windows' 10's power settings (easy to do) to "hibernate" in all situations which *would* have resulted in "sleep". Hibernate is a deeper sleep, and it only adds a few seconds to the re-appearance of the screen and sign-on routine. You can research this issue in the Microsoft community forums. If you carry the Surface in a bag make sure other objects do not hit the power switch to wake up the unit. Perhaps a sleeve (this is what I plan to get right away.) Microsoft plans a fix in early 2016 so really just weeks away. The hibernate option is a really good idea anyway for a unit that MUST work as long as possible on a charge.

Standing screen display size	12.3 Inches
Screen Resolution	2736 x 1824 pixels
Max Screen Resolution	2736x1824 pixels
Processor	3 GHz core_i5
RAM	8 GB LPDDR3
Hard Drive	256 GB SSD
Graphics Coprocessor	Intel
Chipset Brand	Intel
Card Description	Integrated
Wireless Type	802.11abg
Number of USB 2.0 Ports	1
Number of USB 3.0 Ports	1
Average Battery Life (in hours)	10 Hours
Brand	Microsoft
Series	Surface Pro 4
Item model number	CR3-00001
Hardware Platform	Windows
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro
Item Weight	1.7 pounds
Product Dimensions	15.17 x 9.21 x 1.58 inches
Item Dimensions LxWxH	15.17 x 9.21 x 1.58 inches
Color	Silver
Rear Webcam Resolution	8 MP
Processor Brand	Intel
Number of Processors	1
Computer Memory Type	Unknown
Flash Memory Size	256 GB
Hard Drive Interface	Unknown
Optical Drive Type	CD-R
Power Source	Corded Electric
Batteries	1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included)

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