Microsoft: No, We’re Not Killing Surface
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 10, 2017
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Confirming my earlier report, a senior Microsoft official this week finally responded to rumors that the software giant would kill its Surface hardware lineup in two years.
“It’s so far from the truth,” Microsoft corporate vice president Panos Panay said this week, responding to the rumors, “a tabloid rumor of the week.”
And that, literally, is all we have to go on. Compare this single-sentence retort to the firm’s all-out PR campaign to discredit Consumer Reports, when that very credible consumer advocacy publication declared that Surface reliability was the lowest in the PC industry.
Based on internal Microsoft communications that I viewed, the company was not able to counter the Consumer Reports claims, which were naturally skewed by the unreliable Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 releases. However, it feels that newer products like Surface Pro (2017) and Surface Laptop are more reliable. And it can point to very positive consumer satisfaction data: Buyers who stick with Surface tend to really enjoy the products.
But Microsoft also responded publicly to that event in a lengthy blog post. With the latest rumors of a planned Surface death in 2019, the firm has been notably quiet. And I’m surprised that only a single executive has issued a single sentence to address the claims.
Regardless, it was immediately obvious that reports of the impending death of Surface were based purely on speculation and wishful thinking. Which is, of course, what I initially reported. In other words, nothing to see here.
As for Microsoft, it has one more chance to respond: Mr. Panay is appearing at a company event later this month in London, and I expect him to at least make a quip about it.
Conversation 53 comments
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Bats
<p>The bottom line is that Microsoft is not making money with Surface. If that is not true, then Paul Thurrott needs to come out and say it. Afterall, he supposedly has access to the data. Anyway, I never really took what these analysts said, to be fact. I took it as their professional opinion based on facts and figures they have. </p><p><br></p><p>The fact is, we don't know if Surface is successful or not. We only know that, because Microsoft stated as so. Ya know…it's kinda funny, when I think about it, but Surface should have been a great machine. After all, like the Mac, it's a closed system, right? Yet, there are so many reliability issues and hardware failures for all the entire Surface line starting with Surface Pro 1 utlizing "Signature" Windows. In addition, I remember reading and hearing Paul stating how successful the Surface line was as well. Whether he came to that conclusion or on his own or got that from his Microsoft connection..I don't know. However, I do remember how shocked I was when Paul's posted something like the Top PC sales (or somethng like that) and Microsoft came in 6th or 7th. To tell you the truth, I was under the impression that Microsoft Surface computers were flying off the shelves.</p><p><br></p><p>So, is it believable that Microsoft could get out of the hardware computing business? Heck yeah! </p><p><br></p><p>I don't think Microsoft will admit to that, though.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#206184"><em>In reply to Daekar:</em></a></blockquote><p> "Everyone at the company where I work either has a Surface Pro 3 or later, or wants one."</p><p><br></p><p>Kind of a silly statement, IMO. How much money does MS make from people who want a Surface Pro but didn't buy one?</p><p><br></p><p>In any case, launching a product is expensive and can incur an opportunity cost if better alternatives exist. It takes many units sold to recoup the investment.</p>