Microsoft Forced to Slash Surface RT Prices Despite Vigorous Anti-iPad Ad Campaign

[4TheLoveOfTech]

Apple Cut the Original iPhone $200, 10 weeks after release

When did Apple cut iPhone prices?.

$200 off 10 weeks after the introduction of the original iPhone. I know because I was one of the pissed off people that got compensated (ripped off) with a $100 iTunes gift card for being an early adopter.

http://news.cnet.com/Apples-iPhone-price-cuts-leave-mixed-feelings/2100-1041_3-6206367.html

"Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced Wednesday at San Francisco's Moscone Center that the 8GB iPhone now costs $399, a $200 discount off the initial launch price for Apple's first mobile phone, released just 10 weeks ago. The news of a 33 percent drop in the iPhone's price was sandwiched between the unveiling of the new iPod Touch and a performance by British singer KT Tunstall, almost a throwaway piece of the keynote speech on a day that saw Apple unveil new iPods in every category it occupies."

 

[AFDoc]

LoL pretty typical response. Yep... expected your type to flood in. No matter what I say to some I'll get the same response so at this point it's not worth the time it takes to tap out on the kb. You have your opinion which is probably made with no knowledge of the product. IF you do have real first hand actual use of the surface in any form let us know why YOU don't like it.

 

[ConCat]

The RT would have had a chance if Microsoft included an emulator to run .exe programs like apple did with rosetta.

It wouldn't have worked well on such a low-powered device. Doing well on ARM is all about optimization. There's very little room for compatibility layers or languages such as Java.

 

[pedrotaquelim]

Sorry, but this is not a MacRumors first page article.

 

[Onimusha370]

I've been an avid Apple fan for a number of years, but recently I have actually been quite amazed at the progress Microsoft has been making in revolutionizing
the way touch screens are used in computers. Though many people may laugh at me when I say this, Windows 8 and the Surface RT/Pro remind me of the old days when Apple used to really innovate. I just wish Microsoft had the marketing expertise that Apple has in appealing to the average consumer.

I don't understand why people keep bashing the RT/Pro and saying it should be priced at $99, and such nonsense. It can do so many more things than the iPad and includes a full version of Office. It's the perfect mix of productivity and casual tablet use.

Also, why on earth should the Surface Pro be priced to compete with an iPad? It's a full-fledged computer, for goodness sakes! I'm not going to write a mid-term paper on an iPad, nor can the iPad handle programs like Visual Studio or Civilization. Please do your research next time and stop listening to tech blog writers who don't take the time to fully research the benefits/drawbacks of both products.

Next time I'll make sure to research how to not research the people who don't fully research things

 

[BornAgainMac]

I expect a refresh in the Fall. They are just clearing inventory.

 

[Onimusha370]

How does MR know that Microsoft is forced to slash prices, and isn't just trying to clear out inventory for the refresh? When Apple does it, MR doesn't seem to post stories about how the iPhone is failing to sell.

That's because apple doesn't do it

 

[wingsabre]

It's almost been a year since the Surface came out, so I think they're just clearing inventory. A new Surface should be coming out soon, with improvements recommended by early adopters. Although fairly limited, it's not that bad of a computer for Microsoft's first ever produced computer.

 

[Neil Anderson]

What does RT stand for?

Return Tuesday.

 

[haruhiko]

Return Tuesday.

Real Turd

 

[appleisking]

How does MR know that Microsoft is forced to slash prices, and isn't just trying to clear out inventory for the refresh? When Apple does it, MR doesn't seem to post stories about how the iPhone is failing to sell.

27.4 million iPhone 5 models were sold in the final quarter of 2012. It beat everyone in the world including samsung's precious galaxy s3 and it certainly beat the 4s, yet come to think of it all I see is 4ses around me, so no idea where all these 5s are.

 

[Michael Scrip]

The iPhone's sales did actually dip recently, especially on Verizon. However, I haven't heard of an iPhone price cut.

Yeah sometimes iPhone sales dip a bit.

But even than... any other company would love to sell that many.

In the last year, Apple's quarterly iPhone sales range from 26 million to 47 million. And this is from a product whose average selling price is above $600.

I wouldn't be too worried about Apple.

 

[Parasprite]

Sorry, but this is not a MacRumors first page article.

I don't know... with how unremarkable some of the 2nd page articles are getting lately this really belongs on the 1½th page as it is at least probably more relevant to Apple and Apple's stock than Plants vs. Zombies 2 Launching in New Zealand and Australia, but oh well.

 

[appleisking]

Probably b/c the iPhone 5 is the best selling iPhone of all time. MR posts reports by analysts all the time though on how iPhones sales growth rate is stalling. So seems you need find some actual facts to support your rant.

Agreed, of course they're stalling why would any informed customer buy a device that they know will be updated in a couple of months. I just wanna smack people comparing gs4 sales to iphone 5. Yup I wonder why a brand new device will sell better than a year old one.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Probably b/c the iPhone 5 is the best selling iPhone of all time. MR posts reports by analysts all the time though on how iPhones sales growth rate is stalling. So seems you need find some actual facts to support your rant.

But - and correct me if I'm wrong - there's no facts to back up the expected Surface RT sales vs actual sales, only conjecture. It's just as possible that the Surface RT isn't selling well, as it's possible that they're simply clearing out the excess inventory before a refresh.

The difference is that one has a negative connotation, the other a positive connotation. And in one case, MR doesn't make any negative accusations about a 35% iPhone price cut, while there is a negative tone directed against Microsoft's 30% price cut.

Seriously, Apple offers a greater percentage discount, where's the outrage!?

 

[JohnGrey]

RT is complete utter garbage we can all agree there. As for surface pro. It's a good device in theory, but it's just too demanding for a tablet right now. Why would I buy a tablet that weighs over 2 pounds, if I can buy an ultrabook with a bigger screen and better specs at the same price point. If they upgrade the storage, lower the price point, and significantly increase the battery life then it could really kick off. If they pull their cards right, they can save this device in the next gen but it will never compete with the iPad, which has a 3 year solid head start on it. Nor does it have to. This tablet should market to the productivity people. People who want the tablet-hybrid experience that can do everything a laptop can. But Microsoft wants it to compete with the iPad for some reason, which I don't really understand. It's the poor marketing that's killing it.

This is the essence of Microsoft's problem right there. There is no reason for any prospective buyer to purchase one. Tablets, be it Apple's walled garden or Android's digital evolutionary circus, are media consumption devices. There is nothing innovative or attractive about shoehorning middle-of-the-road components into a tablet silhouette, touting it as a productivity device yet making the keyboard attachment, which remains the only time-economical input method, as a $150 attachment, and further cripple its ecosystem by having two versions with incompatible architectures. To borrow a page from Apple's history, this is the kind of schizophrenia that characterized the Macintosh/Lisa rivalry and destroyed any chance that Apple had to regain market share after the Apple III debacle. Microsoft's foray into tablets is a case of pure red-ocean desperation. Low cost desktop saturation has been reached and increasingly tablets are the first and often only device for non-prosumers or people on a budget. The OS sales volume isn't anywhere near what it once was and that ubiquitousness was MS's bread and butter for over two decades. That paradigm is becoming increasingly obsolete.

It's funny because I caught part of Pirates of Silicon Valley the other night and I remember the scene where Jobs and Ballmer dupe IBM into licensing DOS for their PC market. One of the suits smarmily says that everyone knows that the money is in the hardware sales, and Gates just smirks. I wonder if he would be smirking now.

 

[Liquorpuki]

The concept of a super-thin screen-cover, with real mechanical keys, that snaps on magnetically, in a choice of colors, IS genuinely interesting and appealing.

I give full credit to Logitech who did it first:

Image

(And Apple who started the colorful magnetic lid thing to begin with.)

That Logitech solution is just a BT keyboard glued to a cover. Not the same thing

Meanwhile, kudos to the Apple marketing team. They got a buttload of people to spend $40 for a piece of floppy colored plastic that does absolutely nothing

That's amazing

 

[Dzupiris]

What does RT stand for?

Retweet.

 

[28monkeys]

Did they think we can be convinced with anti ads to make us buy their product?

Do better than that!

 

[Liquorpuki]

But - and correct me if I'm wrong - there's no facts to back up the expected Surface RT sales vs actual sales, only conjecture. It's just as possible that the Surface RT isn't selling well, as it's possible that they're simply clearing out the excess inventory before a refresh.

It doesn't really matter anyway, MS doesn't care about pushing Surface RT volume. They're just using it as a branding tool to popularize the RT ecosystem. That's why every commercial they show an RT ASUS or some other OEM RT slate instead of the Surface.

On that note, the RT ecosystem is failing anyway. They should do what they did for WP8 and start paying developers to put apps on it. Personally I would just kill it and go all-in on x86 / Atom

 

[Lindsford]

Wow. I read the headline, and did a LOL in my head, then I came here to post it, and see that I was beaten to it by several people. So here it goes, LOL.

What a piece of junk. But hey, that baseball scout sure loved his Windows tablet!!!!! Who would buy these. They could price them down to $100, but that means devs would be running away from the platform. Consumers would stay away as no good apps would be coming. What a mess.

Folks, if you want a tablet, just get an iPad mini. I've had both full size and mini, and boy do I love the mini. What a joy. I can't wait for retina!!!!!

My LOL was deleted by MR.

 

[4TheLoveOfTech]

It's funny because I caught part of Pirates of Silicon Valley the other night and I remember the scene where Jobs and Ballmer dupe IBM into licensing DOS for their PC market. One of the suits smarmily says that everyone knows that the money is in the hardware sales, and Gates just smirks. I wonder if he would be smirking now.

He's the richest man in the world because Microsoft's stock is at a 5 year high.

I'd imagine he's smirking everyday. He's worth $70 Billion Dollars.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2013/05/22/bill-gates-is-worlds-richest-bumps-slim/

 

[Quu]

I'd totally be willing to buy one at these prices if they were the Surface Pro. To me the Surface RT is a total waste of space because if I'm buying a Windows tablet I want to run the full back catalogue of Windows software. It has an attachable keyboard and trackpad for good reason, but the RT version makes that accessory pointless because everything is in the "Metro" touch-first environment.

 

[AnonMac50]

I honestly do not like Windows RT much in that it's very limited.

 

[Mr. Gates]

He's the richest man in the world because Microsoft's stock is at a 5 year high.

I'd imagine he's smirking everyday. He's worth $70 Billion Dollars.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2013/05/22/bill-gates-is-worlds-richest-bumps-slim/
Image

It's quite possible