“Sales of Microsoft’s new Surface tablet have been ‘modest,’ according to the software giant’s CEO Steve Ballmer,” James Rogers reports for TheStreet.
“Microsoft began selling the ARM-processor-based Surface RT tablets in late October, but plans to launch a more advanced Intel-powered version of the device, running Windows 8, in early 2013,” Rogers reports. “Ballmer described the new tablet as a ‘top of the range’ version of the product, which also offers a higher-definition screen, during his interview with Le Parisien.”
Rogers reports, “The Microsoft chief reportedly attributed the slow Surface start to limited availability on the company’s online retail sites and a few U.S. Microsoft stores.”
MacDailyNews Take: Yeah, riiight, like it wasn’t the reviews:
• Microsoft Surface Touch Cover splits within days, exposing wire; early users complain – November 9, 2012
• Slate reviews Microsoft’s Surface tablet: Too slow, mercilessly buggy; why is it so bad? – November 6, 2012
• Microsoft’s bloated Windows RT eats 16GB of Surface tablet – November 5, 2012
• InfoWorld reviews Microsoft Surface RT: A disappointment; you’re better off with Apple’s iPad – October 31, 2012
• Acer delays Windows RT tablets; adopts ‘wait and see’ approach after poor Surface RT reviews – October 30, 2012
• Gizmodo reviews Microsoft Surface RT: Do not buy; inferior to Apple’s iPad; the worst of both worlds – October 25, 2012
• The Verge reviews Microsoft Surface RT tablet: ‘The whole thing is honestly perplexing; who is this for?’ – October 24, 2012
• Analyst: Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet priced too high, could be the next Zune – October 18, 2012
• Dvorak: ‘Microsoft’s Surface tablet isn’t the Apple iPad, so it shouldn’t be priced like one’ – October 18, 2012
• Microsoft inexplicably claims Surface RT tablet lower resolution screen beats iPad with Retina display – October 17, 2012
• Microsoft’s Suicide, er… ‘Surface’ – June 19, 2012
• ZDNet Sr. Tech Editor Perlow: Microsoft’s Surface has catastrophe written all over it – June 19, 2012
• ZDNet’s Kingsley-Hughes: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is an awful, horrible, painful design disaster – June 8, 2012
• Dvorak: Windows 8 an unmitigated disaster; unusable and annoying; it makes your teeth itch – June 3, 2012
• The Guardian: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is confusing as hell; an appalling user experience – March 5, 2012
Rogers reports, “Microsoft shares dipped 1.86% to $28.30 in Monday trading.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Zune.
I love this guy. I love him a lot.
Sales have been modest.
Ballmer is bragging again.
Well, they could have been “smooth” right?
(cue Christopher Walken) “You know what this product needs? More Monkey Boy sweat!”
Or as “I’m a PC” in the old commercials suggested, Microsoft can spend more money on advertising.
As one who downloaded the preview and gave it my best shot at a fair evaluation, it’s just shit. A kludge if there ever was one.
If you are seeking the comfort of a traditional desktop style interface it disappoints with the Metro interface glued on top getting in the way. Conversely, those seeking a tablet experience will be frustrated by the tile layout and endless compromises made to be all things to all people.
It tries to be a tablet AND a desktop and fails at both.
[hulu id=pmmf9mjkzpu_yaach_4saa width=512]
LMAO…THANKS!!
FYL..the intro commercial was for the Windows Phone…
@Agent…: “the Metro interface glued on top…” This sounds so familiar. Wasn’t the original Windows glue on top of DOS? Is DOS still the underpinning of whatever GUI is being displayed on the screen?
Sales are just scratching the surface….
Hint to Microsoft: To stay relevant, try making software for the iPad, etc.
I think MS is looking for “Hint Technicians.”
Perhaps you might consider applying?
If STEVE FREAKIN’ BALLMER – the guy who insists that Microsoft is always winning all of the time – is calling Surface sales “modest” then… Wow.
The Surface gonna get Kin’d.
Yeah, if he says “modest,” then sales were abysmal.
What a bunch of BS, the Surface was D.O.A. I can see it now, Boxing Day blow out ( or blow up) sale $99 or best offer.
That’s “After Christmas Clearance” blow out sale for the Yanks.
Touch + Keyboard + Childish UI + poor OS + poor apps = for the very very retards only. Modest is a very good word.
Modest is a term that should be applied to Ballmer’s management skills if you wanted to be nice, however I think he proves what an idiot he is every time he opens his pie hole, much like Carl Rove.
Modest is a term that should be applied to the Romney campaign’s management skills – despite Mr. Romney being some sort of hotshot money manager. He got eaten by his own killer whale, ORCA.
As the presidential race reached a climax, the Romney campaign had a plan. Campaign volunteers would monitor polling stations in swing states and report back to the headquarters on who had already voted. The Republican Party would use this data to target citizens who had yet to show up to the polls.
This “strike list” strategy has long been used by both Democrats and Republicans, but the Romney campaign wanted to add a high tech twist: Poll monitors would enter the names via their smartphones, providing the campaign with quicker access to the data. There was even a button for reporting voter fraud or other election problems. They called it Project Orca.
Orca is another name for killer whale.
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/11/project-orca/
ORCA as experienced by an active, tech savvy Romney campaign volunteer: http://ace.mu.nu/archives/334783.php
Regardless of your political point of view, ORCA was pure, unadulterated incompetence.
@mrfergus & Necron99: Will you two please just stop baiting other readers of these posts? The election is over. I and many others around here don’t particularly care to read off-topic political tangents. They just get in the way of topical comments.
Thank you.
Please, Necron99, this is just a copy and paste of a previous post. Get a life.
If Steve Balmer says, “modest,” wow, sales must be poor.
It’s kind-of too-bad. At least Microsoft came-up with something original and licensed Apple, etc patents, rather than Android-copying this time.
So, it hasn’t clicked then?
🙂
Surface is the new Zune.
Maybe they should do a brown one
Sales are “modest”. My laughter is at an all time high.
If the current version is the low-end product, how much is the premium version going to cost??
Buy one and get a free big ass table. It’s the surface two for one deal.
Let us know when you’ve sold 100M of them….
Oh yeah, just a supply issue – sure demand is through the roof!!!!
Amazon is already selling the Surface at a 42% discount… http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Windows-Tablet-only/dp/B009XKJ4H8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352754009&sr=8-1&keywords=microsoft+surface
…and only six left as of 18:30 EDT! How many did Amazon start with? Oh, and by the way, Amazon states that the price is for the tablet only. Like what else would one expect? Some crapware apps installed?
Wow!!! So much hate along so much ignorance … great combo.
Amazon “sale” of surface is actually about $78 more than it is priced at MS stores (kind of surprised it actually sold one).
Stop by the store and actually try one before continue to post non-sense here.
LOL at all the MS employees and fanboys posting positive reviews on there. Funny how so many of them say its better than the iPad that they supposedly also own. They must think everybody is stupid.
Wow, they sold one!
Then again, MDN is a hangout of one-eyed Mac fans. But objectively, if you read the user reviews on amazon, most of them are very positive. Most of the reviews also own iPads, and regard the MS Surface as better than the iPad.
As for me, I’ve owned Macs for several decades, and currently have 2 iMacs, 2 MacBook Pros, 1 MacBook Air, 1 iPhone. But no iPad. The reason is it is not great for getting office work done. The filing system is designed for people that play or just use it for home admin, not office work for business. So I have used the iPad of my family members over the last 2 years, and have never been tempted to get one myself, even through it would cost next me nothing with tax deductions and re-selling it after depreciation. I just don’t need an iPad.
But, I might check out a Microsoft Surface. Synching with SkyDrive might be a good way to sync with my other Macs. No doubt Dropbox for RT will arrive soon.
Look, get this: when Apple are purposely designing their iPad with NO file system, and only filing data in the app, because they treat its users as morons, that’s an indication of where the iPad is going. Forget the iPad. I need something that can help me get my work done.
You one-eyed Apple fans, you need to comment on the largely positive amazon.com user reviews.
Look, get this: When Apple is designing with no file system, it isn’t trying to sell to the propeller-heads who eat up file systems and directories and deep dark strata that resemble an archeologist’s nightmare. If that’s your cup of tea, go for it. If endless layers of file system crapola help you get your work done, that’s great! The Surface is indeed for you. And your list of supposed Apple gear isn’t too impressive. Even Rob Enderle has a bunch of it laying around.
“if you read the user reviews on amazon, most of them are very positive. Most of the reviews also own iPads, and regard the MS Surface as better than the iPad.”
That’s astroturfing for you.
I told Ballmer he needs to buy Radio Shack and push windows product thru them as an immediate solution to distribution. But he is thick as a brick !!!
Modest = code word for ‘shit’
Hey Balmer
Why not arm twist every MS employee, dealer, reseller and associate to buy one for each of their family members. Then u too can brag abt sales numbers !! And thanks for keeping up with windows “standards”. Enough of (healthy) Apples, we need “junk” food too 🙂