Microsoft Surface pre-orders sell out

They sold out??? If I find out they were offering more than a few thousand pre-order units, I will lose all faith in humanity.

Originally posted by KillerBug:

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They sold out??? If I find out they were offering more than a few thousand pre-order units, I will lose all faith in humanity.

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That was my thought as well.

Who the hell is buying these?!

I believe this is all a marketing scheme to get media attention. I'm not saying that this tablet sucks, because Microsoft hasn't given us the slightest idea of what it does (except for the release keynote a few months ago); but considering Microsoft's track record with mobile devices, I expect the Surface to be another flop.

i'm betting a few thousand were available and they were all bought by M$ employees

I'm betting more on people who aren't aware of the limits of Windows 8 RT.

Which goes to show how out-of-touch the self-proclaimed experts, bloggers, and Afterdawn posters are. If it comes remotely close to living up to its billing, this is the sort of product people want. The limitations of RT are an issue for only a very small percentage of the population. The vast majority of people will be fine with it.

I expected this to sell out...lets just see what their quarter statements are. I have no faith that this will sell 4 million units, and if it does then, well, my faith in humanity would drop that much more.

There must have only been about 4 cases of these things actually available for them to have 'sold out' because I simply don't see these devices being all that great.

I mean Win 8 looks to be like the Concord going into the ground like a dart & NOBODY in the technological circles has given a good reason for RT to even exist.

I'm ReAlLy going to hate life when one of relatives show up with one of these things expecting me to fix it.

Would it be possible to install Windows 7 on this? Also,how much they want for this piece of plastic?

Originally posted by fandr78:

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Would it be possible to install Windows 7 on this? Also,how much they want for this piece of plastic?

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No, you cannot. It's ARM-based.

That does make me wonder, however, if it's possible to hack the Surface Pro to run Win7. I imagine it'd be very difficult, due to UEFI, but still...

That leaves, however, the problem of getting the touchscreen and keyboard (either the video or case one) to work in Win7, even if you got it to boot.

Originally posted by SoTired:

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Which goes to show how out-of-touch the self-proclaimed experts, bloggers, and Afterdawn posters are. If it comes remotely close to living up to its billing, this is the sort of product people want. The limitations of RT are an issue for only a very small percentage of the population. The vast majority of people will be fine with it.

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The limitations... like locking out applications/games that don't have Microsoft's gold star, costing the same as two laptops and dropping support for the API that drives the software that about 90% of computer users presently depend on?

If a vast majority of people are really fine with that, they will just as easily be fine with a comparable Android tablet that costs less than half as much. For all intents and purposes, Windows RT is not Windows, and offers no technical benefit to former Windows users over an iPad or Android-based device. Though the latter two at least have established app repositories. The only reason I can see Windows RT tablets appealing to someone over the competition is aesthetics, but that's a subjective advantage at best.

Originally posted by nonoitall:

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Originally posted by SoTired:

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Which goes to show how out-of-touch the self-proclaimed experts, bloggers, and Afterdawn posters are. If it comes remotely close to living up to its billing, this is the sort of product people want. The limitations of RT are an issue for only a very small percentage of the population. The vast majority of people will be fine with it.

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The limitations... like locking out applications/games that don't have Microsoft's gold star, costing the same as two laptops and dropping support for the API that drives the software that about 90% of computer users presently depend on?

If a vast majority of people are really fine with that, they will just as easily be fine with a comparable Android tablet that costs less than half as much. For all intents and purposes, Windows RT is not Windows, and offers no technical benefit to former Windows users over an iPad or Android-based device. Though the latter two at least have established app repositories. The only reason I can see Windows RT tablets appealing to someone over the competition is aesthetics, but that's a subjective advantage at best.

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Every professional with a real job will appreciate the ability to use Office as a critical advantage over both Android and iPad tablets. By itself, that's a game changer.

Originally posted by SoTired:

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Originally posted by nonoitall:

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Originally posted by SoTired:

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Which goes to show how out-of-touch the self-proclaimed experts, bloggers, and Afterdawn posters are. If it comes remotely close to living up to its billing, this is the sort of product people want. The limitations of RT are an issue for only a very small percentage of the population. The vast majority of people will be fine with it.

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The limitations... like locking out applications/games that don't have Microsoft's gold star, costing the same as two laptops and dropping support for the API that drives the software that about 90% of computer users presently depend on?

If a vast majority of people are really fine with that, they will just as easily be fine with a comparable Android tablet that costs less than half as much. For all intents and purposes, Windows RT is not Windows, and offers no technical benefit to former Windows users over an iPad or Android-based device. Though the latter two at least have established app repositories. The only reason I can see Windows RT tablets appealing to someone over the competition is aesthetics, but that's a subjective advantage at best.

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Every professional with a real job will appreciate the ability to use Office as a critical advantage over both Android and iPad tablets. By itself, that's a game changer.

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There are office compatible apps for both iPad and Android tablets that are more than adequate for professionals.

Originally posted by SoTired:

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Every professional with a real job will appreciate the ability to use Office as a critical advantage over both Android and iPad tablets. By itself, that's a game changer.

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Methinks professionals wanting to do office work will appreciate a laptop or desktop computer with a full size keyboard and screen.

Originally posted by DSWarrior:

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I believe this is all a marketing scheme to get media attention. I'm not saying that this tablet sucks, because Microsoft hasn't given us the slightest idea of what it does (except for the release keynote a few months ago); but considering Microsoft's track record with mobile devices, I expect the Surface to be another flop.

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It will be a flop, unless you have a 'surface' to prop it up on!

Originally posted by nonoitall:

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Originally posted by SoTired:

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Every professional with a real job will appreciate the ability to use Office as a critical advantage over both Android and iPad tablets. By itself, that's a game changer.

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Methinks professionals wanting to do office work will appreciate a laptop or desktop computer with a full size keyboard and screen.

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As one of the professionals of whom we speak, you are mistaken.

I am constantly stuck bringing both tablet and laptop on trips because neither one is sufficient for what I need from the other. The Surface is exactly the sort of device I have been wanting for a long time. Most of my colleagues have said the same thing, and plan to get one.

And Bloke2000, no, the office-oriented apps on existing tablets are not even remotely sufficient for serious work. Which is why everyone I know in my profession brings a laptop as well as a tablet when they travel.

All of which is consistent with the fact that pre-orders have sold out, and the posters above are all in shock that, by all accounts, the rest of the world does not share your attitude toward the product.

The market is not filled with college students and bloggers alone.

Then, by your own logic you should wait for the Surface Pro, which DOES run standard Windows software, and doesn't completely glue you to the Windows Marketplace teat.

Sorry, but now how much you polish the Surface RT, it's still a turd.

Originally posted by Bozobub:

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Then, by your own logic you should wait for the Surface Pro, which DOES run standard Windows software, and doesn't completely glue you to the Windows Marketplace teat.

Sorry, but now how much you polish the Surface RT, it's still a turd.

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Whether you are sorry or not does not change the fact that consumers are disagreeing with you, as reflected by the pre-order sellout. But if you don't believe those numbers, wait and see how the sales look for the RT over the next couple of months.

As for the "logic," Office RT has all the functions a typical professional will want. Professionals will also be drawn to the bigger battery life compared to the Pro, which is helpful when you are stuck travelling an entire day. The Pro is definitely a slick machine, but the RT will be the better choice for many.

Again, the fact that you can't grasp why professionals will want it does not change the fact that they will, and the fact that it is already selling faster than you and many others projected.

Oh, I can grasp why professionals want the RT model. I can also grasp how they are doomed to disappointment later, if not sooner =) .

I never once claimed the Surface RT sales number were bogus, or that it wouldn't sell well; my position is that it shouldn't sell well. There's a big difference. All that lovely M$ PR, which implies the RT model is running a version of Windows 8 that has anything to do with previous Windows versions, is quite convincing, at least for a large number of users. That doesn't do a single thing about the *many* disadvantages of the RT tablet.

As several users have noted above, about the only thing the Surface RT has over the iOS or Android offerings is M$ Office, which by the by, does NOT include - among other things - Outlook, or Excel (Visual Basic) macros, both BIG problems for many business users! Office RT is also only licensed for non-commercial use, and you technically are supposed to buy a business license for corporate use. Oops!

The Pro version has *many* advantages. Here's just a few:
- USB 3.0 vs. 2.0 for the RT, with powered USB available.
- 1920x1080 resolution, vs. 1366x768.
- 64-128 GB SSD/eMMC storage, vs. 32-64 GB eMMC (both are expandable, however, up to an additional 64 GB via microSDXC)
- Compatibility with previous Windows applications AND Metro apps.
- Comes with the keyboard/case, as well as the digitizing stylus. Both are a separate purchases for the RT.

Still going to claim the RT is going to be better for most business users?

Originally posted by SoTired:

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Originally posted by nonoitall:

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Originally posted by SoTired:

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Every professional with a real job will appreciate the ability to use Office as a critical advantage over both Android and iPad tablets. By itself, that's a game changer.

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Methinks professionals wanting to do office work will appreciate a laptop or desktop computer with a full size keyboard and screen.

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As one of the professionals of whom we speak, you are mistaken.

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You're assuming that "we" both define "professionals" the same way. When I used the term, I was not referring to you. I was referring to those whose jobs require them to do things with their machines like run existing software, type more than a few words per minute and have the screen real estate to efficiently work with multiple applications at once. In addition, many workers have their equipment purchased for them by the company they work for. Those companies are going to have to decide how they want to use their budgets, and gambling on expensive, unproven technology that many reviews report is bad for productivity is something I think few will do.

Since neither of us knows how many units Microsoft had stocked before selling out pre-orders, there is little concrete we can say about the Surface's adoption other than what was already stated in the article's title. We can deliver commentary about what we think the facts indicate, which is what most here are doing. There is little point in bickering over whose suppositions are correct though, as there is no way to reach a resolution until the facts establish themselves.

My final comment on this article, as I suspect I am feeding a troll.