$499 Windows RT Tablet Pre-Orders Sell Out!
With all the negativity surrounding the launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8 over its controversial new touch based interface and removal of the Start button, it looks like the product might be quite successful after all. Pre-Orders for the cheapest $499 Surface RT tablet have now sold out – that’s the ARM-based one that was expected to be less popular than the x86-based one. This has resulted in shipping dates slipping from launch day, October 26, to a somewhat more vague “within three weeks”. However, the higher end $599 and $699 models are still available to pre-order with the original October 26 target date, so either there’s not so much interest in them, or Microsoft have ordered a larger production run.
Since Microsoft hasn’t revealed how many of the $499 tablets are being manufactured in this first run, it’s possible that Microsoft simply restricted the number available to make the product seem more successful, but that would be taking the cynical view… It remains to be seen how successful the platform is in the end and we’ll know that in a few months.
At the very least, this early sellout is a sign that at least a few people are eager to get Microsoft’s first serious attempt at building PC hardware into their hands. Early Android tablets were hampered by the fact that they cost the same amount as the much higher-profile iPad, and have only found serious mainstream success after models like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 brought tablet prices down. With the amount of money and time that Microsoft has been spending on advertising and PR for Windows 8 and the Surface, it’s probably hoping to avoid a similar fate.
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