Hasta La Gadget!

The Microsoft Surface tablet when first debuted was hailed as the iPad killer, thanks to a familiar operating system and impressive build quality. Unfortunately the tablet did not go on to be the iPad killer that some had hoped, and to help cut their losses and salvage what they can, Microsoft decided to reduce the price of the tablet by $150 and ultimately write-down $900 million worth of inventory. Well it turns out that the price cut might have helped out a bit because as far as Walmart is concerned, they have managed to sell out their inventory of Microsoft Surface RT tablets.

For those who are looking to get their hands on the tablet, fret not because Walmart expects to get more units in the store sometime this week. Some believed that reducing the price would not help improve sales, and while one retailer stocking out hardly counts as a victory, perhaps down the road we will start seeing more retailers make more Surface RT sales due to the reduced price, a move which helped companies such as HP move their now-defunct TouchPad tablet.

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Microsoft Surface RT Sold Out At Walmart Due To Price Cut original content from Ubergizmo.

Hello and welcome to another Friday. It’s a scorcher out there, AMIRITE? But we’re here to cool things down a bit with yet another episode of the TechCrunch Gadgets Podcast.

This week, Microsoft revealed that no one actually wants the Surface RT. Meanwhile, Google earnings call placed a focus on Moto X (and we also just like to talk about it). Finally, TechCrunch invaded Seattle just yesterday with the TC Meetup + Pitch-off with over 900 people in attendance.

John Biggs, Jordan Crook, and Chris Velazco discuss all this and more on this week’s episode.

Enjoy.

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Intro Music by Rick Barr.

Windows RT is a dog. We’ve been saying that from the beginning. We weren’t alone. It’s very hard to find a positive review of Windows RT, and more specifically, the nine-month-old Microsoft Surface with RT. And now Microsoft, in its latest earnings report, finally revealed that we were right.

The company took a massive $900M writedown last quarter because of unsold Surface RT’s. Even more telling is that Microsoft actually revealed this loss. It’s that big. The company had to tell investors why it didn’t meet Wall Street’s expectations.

Sadly, the Surface RT hardware is not at fault here. The tablet itself is actually a beautiful machine: sleek, solid and downright stunning. It’s hard to pick one up and not be impressed. The Surface RT’s designers and engineers should be proud of their creation. It’s not their fault.

Windows RT should not exist as a consumer-facing product. It’s a reactionary move against the iPad and the multitude of Android tablets flooding the market. It’s Microsoft punching down where it should have just walked away from the fight. While Intel is quickly bringing most of the advantages of ARM chips to its x86 line, Microsoft decided it couldn’t wait and built a product that ignored Windows’ main advantages of legacy software. The Surface RT was sadly part of the ecosystem that is predictably failing.

The Surface product line was a big risk for Microsoft. The company went all-in on a PC for the very first time. And in a way, it was successful. The Surface RT and Pro brought a lot of attention to Windows 8 tablets — much more attention than HP, Dell, or Samsung could have provided. The striking product line put a lot of consumer electronic companies on notice, especially since Microsoft — historically a software-first outfit — took on the task of creating their own first-rate hardware. These tablets are the standard for Windows 8 tablets even if it’s clear after today’s news that they failed to live up to Microsoft’s expectations.

Without the Surface Pro and RT, the Windows 8 tablet world would be as stale and lifeless as Windows 8 laptops.

All signs point to a new Surface line being announced in the coming weeks. And even with today’s news, it’s entirely possible that Microsoft will release a second generation Surface RT with a starting price point much lower. If anything, Microsoft is a company that does whatever the hell it wants even if no one is buying the products.

Last week it was rumored that Microsoft was going to be slashing $150 off of Surface RT price in the U.S. It did indeed do that, but only a couple of days back we found out that they have in […]

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo.

We heard a few days ago that retailers were beginning to discount Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet, but it wasn’t clear if this was a retailer-focused sale, or if Microsoft was beginning to discount its lower-end tablet line altogether. However, Microsoft officially lowered the price of the Surface RT to a mere $349 in Microsoft Stores.

The entry-level 32GB model costs only $349, which is a discount of $150 from the original $499 price tag. As for the 64GB version, that’s now selling for $449 (originally $599). Both Best Buy and Staples also have the discounts up and ready to go, although they jumped the gun a bit early a couple days ago.

However, Staples noted that the sale lasted until July 20 (or while supplies last), but Microsoft’s website lists no specific end date, suggesting that the price drop may be permanent, which would officially undercut its main competitor by a whopping $150. This could lead to tablet buyers taking a second look at the Surface RT.

We’ve similar deals in the past from Microsoft, but this could be an attempt by the company to clear inventory and make room for a second-generation device. We’ve heard very few rumors about a refreshed Surface slate, only hearing that we would see one at last month’s BUILD conference (which didn’t happen), but we could still see it later on this year.

Windows RT has largely been ignored lately, with most users more interested in the Surface Pro with a full copy of Windows 8 installed. We’re not sure what the second-generation Surface will include, but we wouldn’t be too unhappy if Microsoft went ahead and ousted Windows RT in favor of full support for Windows 8 Pro.

VIA: Computerworld

SOURCE: Microsoft Store

Microsoft Surface RT discount official is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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