RUMOUR:
Is Microsoft Set To Do An HP & Dump Millions Of Their Poor Selling Surface Tablet?
http://channelnews.com.au/Hardware/Mobility/P7B4T5G4

Microsoft missed the boat really. If you don't want Apple, you get Android. Both tried and tested platforms.

Hope this bring the surface Pro price down

I would be really pissed off if they sold them cheaply. The problem is zero PR, high price and availability only through MS stores, IMO.

Hmmmmm..... I can't see it even with the Pro not even out yet.

Who is that site?

Good question. And who is their source, Ingram Micro?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingram_Micro

Sales of Microsoft Surface tablets flop in the US:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/aust...-1226530936770

Lack of Distribution Is “Killing” Surface:
http://allthingsd.com/20121205/lack-...illing-surface

I call bullshit on this rumour. Why would Microsoft ask retailers and distributors to try and shift a stockpile at a reduced price because they aren't selling? Surface is sold only through Microsoft stores and isn't shipped to distributors.

Now I could believe that they've changed their tune on not selling to retail channels and have decided that actually putting it in shops is the only way anyone will buy it - but that doesn't translate to dumping them at a low price.

I mean let's be serious here. Aside from the ridiculously small outlet for Surface, is also only been on sale for six weeks. Its far too early for them to pull the rug out from under themselves.

Remember, these same rumour-mongers were claiming Surface would sell for only $200 a few months ago. They don't have the best track record.

Utter nonsense of a rumour.

It's just a rumour that it's nonsense...

Zero PR? You must not watch TV.

The ad has been on a lot.

Price is too high for my liking.

Most people are buying Nexus 7 + Nexus 10 or iPad + iPad Mini. The Surface is too overpriced and doesn't really do anything extra than other tablets, apart from if you pay the premium for the Pro.....Microsoft were just too slow to act in the market, and now they have to pay the price....

Windows Phone has failed to make any traction against Android and iOS in the mobile market, and I'm not surprised the tablet market is following that same trend.

Don't be daft Microsoft need to be in this market and they are not afraid to take a loss on a product that doesn't make money just look at XBox it's only really started money in the last year or two. For me they need to think about their positioning in the market - they're selling it at iPad prices but Microsoft just don't have the credibility for that.

They gave up on Zune after several years, this really would be too quick. Although boxes are bigger

Even Blackberry is doing alright, although inferior against iOS and Android, it's becoming popular with children/young adults.

Im which case they would reduce the price drastically, which is what the rumour suggests. Because of the poor state of the MS app store they'd need to be well below the price of the Nexus 10 to be competitive.

The question is whether or not that would be in conjunction with discontinuing production. All we know so far is that production will be halved. It seems likely that Microsoft will see how Christmas sales go before making a decision.

see i quite like the idea of the Surface Pro but the base model currently available doesnt interest me at all. I wonder if they should have released the Pro first and THEN released the 'cut down' version ?

..... oh and its way too expensive to really compete sadly ....

I don't believe for one minute that Microsoft will dump Surface this early in the game. At best they might rethink the pricing. Especially of the Pro version....

There seems to be quite a lot of websites now reporting that Microsoft will release the Surface into normal retail channels starting in January. Being that the only obvious reason why they kept its distribution so restricted was to not upset OEM partners - and that Microsoft are supposedly quite annoyed that their OEM partners made little effort to get supply of new hardware to market for the Windows 8 launch - I could well believe this rumour.

Kinda makes sense, they gave OEMs the opportunity to come out with good hardware and make some sales.

If OEMs let everyone down, Microsoft has to step in. It's no less than what Google has done with the Nexus series.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/micr...morrow-1408460

Having a browse on hot deals and it looks like john lewis will be selling the surface rt instore and online.

I think the main benefit of the Surface is also its main weakness - ie the tablet / laptop combination. There are better tablets out there, and there are better laptops out there, and most people will want one or the other, rather than a single device that isn't as good at either.

Instantly reducing the market demographic to "people who do want a laptop / tablet combo".

What they need to dump is their marketing division. They expected it would sell well with limited availability, high price, and zero marketing. And that's a pity, because the product is really good, I have it for a few weeks now and like it a lot. It did replace my laptop with common tasks like browsing, playing media, etc. And when I feel extra lazy to go to a table with my main computer I connect from Surface with a remote desktop and do it from there

I was all set to hold out for surface but when i seen the samsung galaxy tab 2 10.1 for 300 i went with it

Android has a massive store and it does everything i want /need so why spent more on the expensive surface same with ipad

Some broad-brush assumptions there, let's try and set out this "jack of all trades" notion a bit more rigorously. We are going to compare like with like here (i.e. pure Windows 8 tablets and laptops) to isolate the issue from a Windows vs iOS issue.

Tablets
What makes it worse than a pure tablet? Maybe weight and 16:9 aspect ratio? The question for each person is does the addition of laptop features and benefits outweigh the costs over a pure tablet or not?

Laptops
What is the loss compared to a similarly priced tablet? Difficulty using it on your lap? Keyboard is not as great? Fixed angle for screen? Versus the addition of tablet features such as increased portability: use in more use cases - the tablet use cases, an acceptable keyboard mitigates.

Hybrid
Ideal as a hybrid?

The point of me doing this is to show that yes it may not be as tablet-y as a pure tablet or laptop-y as a pure laptop. But the benefits of having a bit of both may outweigh any cons without needing a person to actively want a hybrid.