Microsoft slashes Surface RT prices by $150 as it flounders against Apple's iPad
Having failed to gain traction in the tablet market, Microsoft has cut the price of its Surface RT tablet so low that the 10.6-inch device now costs nearly the same amount as Apple's entry-level iPad mini.
Microsoft's 10.6-inch Surface RT tablets saw their suggested retail prices slashed by $150 each in the last week. As a result, resellers such as PC Mall are now offering the 32 gigabyte Surface RT for $349, while the 64-gigabyte model is available for $449.
That means that the 32-gigabyte Surface RT is now just $20 more than Apple's entry-level iPad mini, which features a smaller 7.9-inch display and half the capacity with 16 gigabytes.
Of course, regardless of price, Apple's iPad lineup still trounces Microsoft's Surface RT in dedicated apps: The iPad App Store has 350,000 applications, making it the largest tablet-specific software download destination available.
Last month, Microsoft was selling the Surface RT for as little as $199, but that fire sale was focused on education and students. The latest revision is an apparent across-the-board reduction for the current lineup.
Microsoft's custom-built Surface tablets debuted last October with prices starting at $499, matching the entry-level cost of Apple's high-end iPad with Retina display. Accessories such as the much-touted touch cover are sold separately.
The Surface debuted around the same time that Apple launched its fourth-generation iPad and first iPad mini. The company went on to sell 22.9 million iPad units in the holiday 2012 quarter, a new record for Apple.
But sales of the Surface lineup were much slower than Microsoft had initially hoped. One estimate published in March found that the Surface RT, powered by an ARM processor, and the Intel-based Surface Pro had collectively sold just 1.5 million units since launch.
It's expected that Microsoft will unveil a second generation of custom-built Surface devices this fall. Rumors have claimed that Microsoft is working on smaller models for its next generation of devices, allowing the company to compete more directly with Apple's iPad mini.
Microsoft's 10.6-inch Surface RT tablets saw their suggested retail prices slashed by $150 each in the last week. As a result, resellers such as PC Mall are now offering the 32 gigabyte Surface RT for $349, while the 64-gigabyte model is available for $449.
That means that the 32-gigabyte Surface RT is now just $20 more than Apple's entry-level iPad mini, which features a smaller 7.9-inch display and half the capacity with 16 gigabytes.
Of course, regardless of price, Apple's iPad lineup still trounces Microsoft's Surface RT in dedicated apps: The iPad App Store has 350,000 applications, making it the largest tablet-specific software download destination available.
Last month, Microsoft was selling the Surface RT for as little as $199, but that fire sale was focused on education and students. The latest revision is an apparent across-the-board reduction for the current lineup.
Microsoft's custom-built Surface tablets debuted last October with prices starting at $499, matching the entry-level cost of Apple's high-end iPad with Retina display. Accessories such as the much-touted touch cover are sold separately.
The Surface debuted around the same time that Apple launched its fourth-generation iPad and first iPad mini. The company went on to sell 22.9 million iPad units in the holiday 2012 quarter, a new record for Apple.
But sales of the Surface lineup were much slower than Microsoft had initially hoped. One estimate published in March found that the Surface RT, powered by an ARM processor, and the Intel-based Surface Pro had collectively sold just 1.5 million units since launch.
It's expected that Microsoft will unveil a second generation of custom-built Surface devices this fall. Rumors have claimed that Microsoft is working on smaller models for its next generation of devices, allowing the company to compete more directly with Apple's iPad mini.
Comments
Wonder how long the base price of the iPad has held at $499...
Quote:
Originally Posted by grblade
And I still don't want it.
But...it magically solves crimes for the Hawaii 5-0 team!
But...but...it can have two windows open at once to do real multitasking! That stoopid iPad is so worthless since it can't do that. Apparently most consumers are just sheeple that can't realize the obvious superiority of Microsoft's tablet!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcoleman1
Wow. The thing just came out and they're slashing prices already? Crap.
Soon enough they'll be dumping them en masse in a firesale like with the HP Touchpads. Unfortunately even at $99 they are overpriced. At least with a Touchpad if you were a fandroid you could install Cyanogenmod on it. Same thing can't really be done with a Surface RT.
well, let's be fair. the abiity to have two windows open at a time *is* a useful feature. i'd love it. i'm an apple fan and stockholder, have a houseload of apple products, and will never buy a surface (or any microsoft product) but i could very much use the feature of having two windows open at once. to wit, safari for searching for stuff and iSSH for being connected to a machine, and not having to switch back and forth. that would be useful to me.
your attempt at sarcasm is misplaced and, to use your phrase, it is "stoopid."
If the news was
Microsoft slashes Surface RT prices to $150 as it flounders against Apple's iPad
Then there might have been a saving chance, although still very slim.
Yet the headlines on most news sites are "Apple is doomed, the competition is catching up, Microsoft is poised to take over, Android is winning!" All this really is is the iPod story all over again. Apple does it best, its competitors copy and flood the channel with clones, and eventually people realize the clones are mostly crap. The very loud, annoying, vocal minority of geeks on the internet rip Apple to shreds while Joe Schmoe just buys the high quality, reliable, easy to use Apple product.
I'm an Apple guy, but the media that covers Apple makes me want to quit the internet. But I won't, because now I want to go find all the articles from last summer saying that the Surface was an iPad killer. I'm coming after you first, CNET.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chadmatic
It amazes me that Microsoft truly thought they could go head to head with Apple's iPad, especially when everybody else who has tried has failed miserably. Is it an ego, complete ignorance, or simply being a glutton for punishment?
Then again, some people thought Apple didn't stand a chance in the already crowded cell phone space. I don't fault Microsoft at all for trying. They have to respond. You can't sit idly by while someone steals your lunch. Microsoft continually responds too late.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pooch
well, let's be fair. the abiity to have two windows open at a time *is* a useful feature. i'd love it. i'm an apple fan and stockholder, have a houseload of apple products, and will never buy a surface (or any microsoft product) but i could very much use the feature of having two windows open at once. to wit, safari for searching for stuff and iSSH for being connected to a machine, and not having to switch back and forth. that would be useful to me.
your attempt at sarcasm is misplaced and, to use your phrase, it is "stoopid."
I never said it wasn't a useful feature. Simply that that seems to be the only real thing Microsoft can use to promote their product other than people dancing around like idiots. The problem seems to be that very few consumers actually seem to care about said feature otherwise it wouldn't need to be reducing price to clear inventory.
Oh and I love your immediately defensive "i'm an apple fan and stockholder" remark, though. Why did you feel the need to throw that in or think I would care?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo63
Then again, some people thought Apple didn't stand a chance in the already crowded cell phone space. I don't fault Microsoft at all for trying. They have to respond. You can't sit idly by while someone steals your lunch. Microsoft continually responds too late.
No, they respond poorly. It's a big difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pooch
well, let's be fair. the abiity to have two windows open at a time *is* a useful feature. i'd love it. i'm an apple fan and stockholder, have a houseload of apple products, and will never buy a surface (or any microsoft product) but i could very much use the feature of having two windows open at once. to wit, safari for searching for stuff and iSSH for being connected to a machine, and not having to switch back and forth. that would be useful to me.
your attempt at sarcasm is misplaced and, to use your phrase, it is "stoopid."
To compare two things it would be useful, however, on such a small device it may not be practical. I don't quite see the need to have a Facetime and a spreadsheet as the advantage of seeing someone while reading something is, well, stupid. You can't do both simultaneously even if your tablet can. The ability for the other person to maintain visual while you are doing something else seems logical.
Quote:
Originally Posted by c4rlob
You mean people across the nation don't really want a tablet that inspires them to have breakdance and dubstep meetings in their conference rooms??! Shocking.
But that fat dude with an iPad couldn't have two windows open! They should have been flocking to Surface RTs for that feature alone!