Complaints with the Surface Pro

[Arizona Willie]

Your experience was unusual. My Staples and Best Buy both had ZERO units on day one. ZERO.

After a week, still ZERO units both places.

So I ordered online and got it in 5 days.

Microsoft DID bungle this launch and whoever the executives in charge were they SHOULD BE FIRED.

It depends on your personal experience.

On day one, I walked into Best Buy and bought the 128GB Pro. Probably helped that I was there when the store opened, but still, they had 'em.

Then on Wednesday of last week, walked into another Best Buy and bought another 128GB Pro, for a gift.

Not doubting you, but I had zero problems getting a couple of 'em.

 

[cme4oil]

No offense but I call BS. How exactly was MS supposed to estimate exactly how popular or many SP they would sell? What if it only sold a few instead of being so popular?? Then you would just call them fools for making so many.. You just can't please everyone.

Your experience was unusual. My Staples and Best Buy both had ZERO units on day one. ZERO.

After a week, still ZERO units both places.

So I ordered online and got it in 5 days.

Microsoft DID bungle this launch and whoever the executives in charge were they SHOULD BE FIRED.

 

[polbit]

I really think we need to cut Microsoft some slack here. It's their first time with a large hardware venture, with a lot of unknowns. Even the mighty Apple, supposed king of distribution, didn't get it right first few times.

 

[zhenya]

No offense but I call BS. How exactly was MS supposed to estimate exactly how popular or many SP they would sell? What if it only sold a few instead of being so popular?? Then you would just call them fools for making so many.. You just can't please everyone.

Most companies do this by accepting pre-orders for several weeks or a month in advance to gauge demand in order to better prepare production. 1-2 units in a metro area of 150,000 people is not exactly hedging your bets; it's being unprepared.

 

[HD_Dude]

I really think we need to cut Microsoft some slack here. It's their first time with a large hardware venture, with a lot of unknowns. Even the mighty Apple, supposed king of distribution, didn't get it right first few times.

+1

I'm in Chicago on business, and walked into the Microsoft store on Michigan Avenue. They had plenty of 128 GB Pros. They say they usually sell out of them before lunch, but that's a lot like Apple too. Whenever they debut a new iPad, or iPhone, you cannot get one unless you stake out the store early in the day, or if you wait a month or two for the initial frenzy to pass.

I just don't see a big issue here.

 

[zhenya]

We're a month on from launch, and you are in a big city. The Microsoft stores generally had decent stock; however there are less than 40 MS stores in the US compared to 250 Apple stores. Most of the country doesn't have one nearby.

The other difference is that, again, with Apple, you could place an order and generally have one the day of launch or within a week or so afterwards; waiting a month or two not necessary.

 

[J515OP]

Is it really being unprepared? It seems to me everybody would have called them bunglers and been outraged had MS said "we have some supply issues and need to move the launch date back to March 1 to ensure we have an adequate stock to satisfy the predicted demand..."

"MS blew it!" "What are they hiding?" "Surface Pro has major problems forcing a delay." "Surface Pro not ready for prime time." "MS shafts customers by delaying release." Yada yada yada would have been the response.

The reality is MS has never been through a launch like this for any product. Xbox would have been similar but not the same and was launched back in 2001. Launching a highly anticipated device once a decade hardly qualifies as experience in product launch and release. Other more experienced players struggle with some big launches even when they are use to launching multiple products every year.

The situation is far from ideal but I bet most people would rather have a trickle and the ability to get one here or there than delay the whole launch a month or more. It still isn't clear that the inventory satisfies the demand which means the launch date probably couldn't have been March 1 either. Maybe March 26 or even later and then MS does legitimately run into an issue of having too many on hand if they would have had a complete bomb. As it is people want them and will eventually get them.

 

[Sojum]

Anyone else have problems with the compass? I tried a couple of different apps and West shows South. MS says it's highly sensitive indoors. But I've tried it in every room of the house with or without a lot of electronics and it still behaves the same. I have not tried it outdoors yet. Note, that I don't have this problem with my iPhone compass.

 

[Nuspieds]

I really think we need to cut Microsoft some slack here. It's their first time with a large hardware venture, with a lot of unknowns. Even the mighty Apple, supposed king of distribution, didn't get it right first few times.

What the vast majority of us experienced at launch and the weekend after was not experienced by the fanboys and fangirls of Apple.

Again, even if MS decided only give 2 units to each retailer, then provide online ordering! That's just one example of how launch could have gone much better.

Furthermore, we all know that the Apple fanboys and fangirls have had their tablet toy for such a long time now, that it was only a matter of time for the Windows fans to have our turn--and by turn, I don't mean Surface RT! We wanted and waited for the real thing, the Surface Pro. I am not at all surprised with the enthusiasm, so I would be surprised if MS--with far more research and metrics than I have--would not know how to properly forecast and prepare.

 

[xterrapro]

What planes are you flying. Plenty of room on md80's.

It does not fit on airline trays...

How and why would Microsoft design a device to be used while traveling that does not fit on economy seat trays?

OUCH!


Battery life... Problem back in the mid to late 1990's, why would Microsoft design a device that has TERRIBLE battery life.


OUCH

No Ethernet port


OUCH!


#@$@%#@


But I love my surface pro!

 

[Talldog]

I am not at all surprised with the enthusiasm, so I would be surprised if MS--with far more research and metrics than I have--would not know how to properly forecast and prepare.

Having owned the first 3 iPads, I can tell you that even by the iPad 3, Apple still didn't have the demand forecasting down. The one thing they did that MS should have done was to allow online ordering when the device was out of stock and ship them when they came in. Shutting down ordering was lame.

 

[Cike]

Is it really being unprepared? It seems to me everybody would have called them bunglers and been outraged had MS said "we have some supply issues and need to move the launch date back to March 1 to ensure we have an adequate stock to satisfy the predicted demand..."

J515OP, when I read this I interpreted it in a certain way and want to make sure I understand. Did you mean to say:

1. It's good strategy for companies to be dishonest
2. Companies should never admit mistakes
2. Customers should feel good about companies that they feel mislead them
3. That people are not already saying Microsoft bungled the Surface Pro launch.

Does that sound right?

C