Unsubstantiated
rumors suggest that Microsoft could be planning to withdraw from the tablet
market. The company’s original Surface RT sold so poorly that Microsoft had to
write off $900 million of its earnings due to unsold Surface tablets and
accessories. However, subsequent Surface models, especially the Pro tablets
running the full versions of Windows 8.1 rather than the cut- down Windows RT,
have gained rave reviews. This makes the report in Taiwanese newspaper
DigiTimes all the
more surprising.
The
article states that Microsoft “is reportedly planning to cancel the product
line since shipment performance has been far lower than expectations”, citing
“sources from the upstream supply chain”. DigiTimes goes on to blame
large-screen smartphones for “impacting tablet demand”, which it says will mean
poor sales for the latest Surface Pro 3, however, were not convinced.
Microsoft’s
big selling point for the Surface Pro 3 is that it’s “the tablet that can
replace your laptop", which means that it can never be replaced by a
smartphone - even a big one. Also, on 9 October, a post about the Pro 3
appeared on the company’s Surface Blog with the strapline
“Committed to business”. The post begins “Surface Pro 3 is off to a strong
start with both individuals and businesses and Microsoft goes on to list
several prestigious companies that use the tablet, including Coca-Cola, BMW and
the Lotus Fl team.
Although
Microsoft lags way behind Apple and Google in the tablet market, we’d be very
surprised If it abandons the devices just yet. The Surface Pro 3 has the
benefit of working seamlessly with a clip-on keyboard and makes using Windows
8.1 feel much more natural than on a desktop PC. With Windows 10 on the
horizon, we expect more rather than fewer tablets from Microsoft.
