The long-awaited Surface Pro ultrabook/tablet hybrid went on sale in the US and Canada on Saturday, and was reportedly sold out in many retail outlets and even online.
In an official blog post, GM of Microsoft Surface, Panos Panay, wrote: "Customer response to the launch of Surface Pro has been amazing."
However, Panay did not offer any indication of how many units were actually made available and did not quantify the "amazing" consumer response. Reports also suggested some outlets received a handful of devices, indicating the supposed sell-outs of the Surface Pro may not be reflective of a good start.
Panay said: "We're working with our retail partners who are currently out of stock of the 128GB Surface Pro to replenish supplies as quickly as possible. Our priority is to ensure that every customer gets their new Surface Pro as soon as possible."
Angry consumers flocked to the Surface blog to voice their frustrations over the lack of availability of the new product. Some of the comments included the following:
"Most stores received only a couple of units. My local Staples got one unit (64GB), Best Buy got seven (four 64GB, three 128GB) all available only to the folks who reserved one. I was the first in line today at BBY and didn't get anything. This is a complete disappointment and failure."
"I found this to be one of the most disappointing and pathetic product launches by a technology company in recent history...I went to two store openings (a Staples and a Best Buy). Staples did not have any 128GB models and only one or two 64GB models. Best Buy had two Surfaces at their store and these were already reserved for pre-orders."
"Why doesn't the Microsoft online store accept orders and provide estimated delivery dates with an option to opt out? That is basic online retail support. If I want a Surface Pro, I have to waste my time canvasing the Microsoft store, Best Buy and Staples. Frankly, a competitive product is starting to look real good."
"Most of all I am just blown away at the incompetence and total willingness to accept failure as an option, and then make it seem as though it was a great success for Microsoft. This was not a shining example of a beautiful product being delivered to tens of thousands of eager hands; this was a deliberate ploy to sell that 'sold out' success story. And it's so blatantly obvious, too."
Sales figures?
The Surface Pro features an Intel Core i5 processor and runs the full version of Windows 8 Pro. It has been punted as offering the "performance of a laptop in a tablet package" and is primarily targeted at corporate customers. The tablet is available in 64GB and 128GB models, and has an estimated starting retail price of $899 (about R7 960). The entry-level 32GB model of the Surface RT has an estimated retail price of $499 (about R4 420).
The Surface Windows RT tablet first went on sale together with the launch of Windows 8 in October last year, and has been slowly rolling out to additional markets.
Despite initial reports of sell-outs of the Surface RT, analysts have indicated that sales have been less than stellar. IDC estimates that about 900 000 units have been shipped, while iSuppli estimated that 1.25 million units had been shipped. iSuppli also noted that actual sales were only about 55% to 60% of that figure, and the return rate for the device has also been "very high". Microsoft has not released any official sales figures.
There is still no indication of when the Surface RT or Surface Pro will be made available officially in SA.
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