14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has indeed launched a completely new Surface tablet generation, but the company has turned to a pretty surprising strategy for its revamped lineup.
Starting with October 22, the day when the first units are shipped to customers, the company will no longer sell the original Surface Pro model, while the RT will continue to be available.
The unexpected move comes because a much more powerful Surface Pro tablet will be offered to users, so the company most likely tries to avoid cannibalizing its own sales with the existing version.
What’s more shocking is that the current Surface Pro has been on the market for only 7 months, after being launched with much fanfare in February 2013.
In a statement for Neowin, Microsoft provided absolutely no reason for this decision, saying only that customers would be provided with an upgraded model that brings much more than the existing version.
At the same time, Microsoft refuses to launch a discount campaign for the Surface Pro (which would help to sell more tablets and clear out inventories), so the company most likely produced the device in limited numbers. Unlike the Surface RT, that is, which caused a loss of $900 million (€670 million) due to unsold units worldwide.
“When Surface Pro 2 becomes available, Surface Pro will no longer be available for purchase from Microsoft or its retail partners. Our goal is to help as many customers as possible experience all the benefits Surface has to offer. Starting at $349 for Surface RT 32GB, it’s extremely easy to join the Surface family,” Microsoft said.
The decision is a bit awkward given the fact that the RT was the first tablet launched by Microsoft and many people believe that this should be the one to be discontinued now that a new version is already available. Still, the company most likely tries to make it more affordable and increase the market share of the Surface as much as possible.