Sales of the Microsoft Surface RT tablet has been so disappointing, Microsoft Corp. has decided to slash its price by $150 in an effort to increase its tiny market share. This makes the 32GB edition Microsoft Surface RT cost $349 without the cover that also works as a keyboard. Adding that cover-keyboard combo would put the 10.1-inch tablet at $449.
A report from market research firm IDC indicates that Microsoft has shipped about 900,000 tablets during the first quarter of this year. The shipment includes the Microsoft Surface RT and its premiere, arguably more popular cousin, the Surface Pro, which can also run older Windows programs.
The figures indicate that Microsoft has only been able to snag a slim 1.8-percent share out of the 49.2 million tablets that were shipped worldwide during that same period. Apple remained the leader in the tablet market with 39.6 percent, followed by Samsung, Asus, and Amazon. But there is a slither of good news in this disappointing report: Microsoft has able to crawl in the top five tablet producers at fifth spot, displacing Barnes & Noble and its Nook.
The price slash, which was implemented over the weekend, comes right after Microsoft reorganized its corporate structure to focus more on “devices and services.”
Perhaps Microsoft should also reconsider how it promotes the Surface RT tablet, as the tablet has yet to entice a broader audience into purchasing despite being included in last year’s Oprah’s list of her favorite things.
Source: USA Today
