Microsoft Surface RT becomes avaiable outside of MS Stores in a few days

[Silent Rage]

According to Paul Thurrott, it looks like wider availability of Surface RT will be happening real soon.
I can?t say too much about this, but within days, Microsoft?s Surface with Windows RT tablets will be available far more broadly than via its current, limited distribution system (i.e., only via Microsoft?s retail and online stores). This was always going to happen in very early 2013, but the software giant has apparently decided to ramp up the speed and make it happen before the holiday selling season is over. That said, reports about Microsoft selling only 500,000 to 600,000 of these devices are probably incorrect?I?ve heard that they?re actually selling very well, given the ?modest? distribution?and Surface sales represent one of the few bright spots in what is becoming an increasingly dire late-2012 launch season.

Interesting note about the sales of Surface RT as opposed to nay-sayers across the Net. I'm still on the fence about the Surface RT and what's holding me back is the price. Personally I would love to see them be a little more aggressive like $399 as the base price. Here's to hoping the Surface RT pops up in Best Buy so I can check it out myself.

 

[derek533]

About freaking time (if true)! I honestly believe only being available in a MS store at one of the pop-up kiosks has probably not given it the attention it deserves. If you were able to cross shop the other tablets and take into account value aspect of it, it would sell like hotcakes. I understand why MS chose the route they did initially, but with only 30 something odd dedicated stores and a few more kiosks, it is not enough to get the market penetration this thing deserves and would get otherwise.

What good are all the cool ads if you can't see one in person?

 

[Silent Rage]

I wholeheartedly agree with you! The closest Microsoft store from where I live is literally in another country (Toronto, CA)!! I hope Best Buy is one of those channels as I think that makes the most sense at this point.

 

[Ruined]

Hopefully we will see a better price. I think we should be able to buy the 32gb version for $399 and 64gb for $499, separate from touch covers. The margins may be thin or maybe even a loss, but if MS is serious they may have to lose a little to make inroads like they did with XBOX1.

 

[ugadawg239]

The device needs to be cheaper.

 

[derek533]

The device needs to be cheaper.

I don't understand this rationale. It's the same price as a 16gb iPad W/O Touch Cover and the same price as a 32gb iPad W/Touch Cover. It's also 10x more functional than an iPad too.

Would I have liked to have paid less for mine? Of course, but since acquiring it, my 1st gen. iPad has become my wife's new favorite toy (not that kind of toy!) and I have honestly not used it longer than 2 minutes since I got my Surface. Browsing on the iPad compared to the Surface is like a Camry vs. a Bugatti Veyron I chit you not.

 

[Old_Cus]

I don't understand this rationale. It's the same price as a 16gb iPad W/O Touch Cover and the same price as a 32gb iPad W/Touch Cover. It's also 10x more functional than an iPad too.

Would I have liked to have paid less for mine? Of course, but since acquiring it, my 1st gen. iPad has become my wife's new favorite toy (not that kind of toy!) and I have honestly not used it longer than 2 minutes since I got my Surface. Browsing on the iPad compared to the Surface is like a Camry vs. a Bugatti Veyron I chit you not.

That may be true but iPads are established and are the tablet leaders right now. As the new kid on the block Microsoft needs to give people a reason to check the Surface out instead of automatically just buying an iPad.

I feel (as many others also do) that Microsoft made three mistakes when they released the Surface: 1-Launched with a lower price or 2-Include the keyboard with the tablet instead of it being an extra cost option and 3-Offered the Surface at retail outlets (what they are now doing) at launch also. I live in the metro Detroit area and there are three Apple Stores within a 30 minute drive of me but I have to drive to either Cleveland, Toronto or Indianapolis to get to a Microsoft Store.

 

[brmiller1976]

Microsoft's strategy is not a "dominate immediately" strategy. It's a snowball strategy. They're going to roll out new stores and keep pushing devices in a slowly growing way.

Remember, it took Apple ten years to get to their present retail ubiquity. And they're larger and better capitalized than Microsoft. MS cannot just go hog-wild and open 200 new stores and sell Surfaces at a loss.

I have no doubt they'll be successful. The slow-burn is how they work. You turn around one day and realize that people are all using the Microsoft product now, and the digirati who all hate Microsoft say "how could this happen?" It happened with Windows, with Office, with Internet Explorer, and with Xbox.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I think this is a great strategy. The only thing I would change is include the touch or type keyboard, rather than charge extra for it. I do not think the price would be too high if the keyboard were included.