Surface 3 (Non Pro) expectations, and hopes

[millertime_1985]

I don't know about anywhere else... but where i stay, most of the physical stores have either run out of S2 stock (both 32 and 64GB versions), or completely discontinued sales of S2 devices, all within the last week. Only a handful of places (within 200 miles) have any left, and even then it's only one or two. Even Microsoft have sold out of the64GB versions...

Maybe i'm adding 2 and 2 together and getting 5... but figured an s3 may be being prepped for release.

 

[jnjroach]

Its possible, the RT and S2 came out in the Fall (Northern Hemisphere), they could surprise everyone and release the Mini's they wrote off....

 

[GreyFox7]

I don't know about anywhere else... but where i stay, most of the physical stores have either run out of S2 stock (both 32 and 64GB versions), or completely discontinued sales of S2 devices, all within the last week. Only a handful of places (within 200 miles) have any left, and even then it's only one or two. Even Microsoft have sold out of the64GB versions...

Maybe i'm adding 2 and 2 together and getting 5... but figured an s3 may be being prepped for release.

Reading the tea leaves...

Then again it may just be mixed messages from MS causing a pullback or rumors of battery issues depleting supplies or the effects of the price reduction... then again price reduction might signal a coming update. I guess the beans will finally spill or not in due time and then we will know.

If they don't do a refresh they risk losing sales and traction in the market. You don't want to go into the holiday season with last years model going against all the latest from everyone else. They just have to make sure the new software six months out supports it (shouldn't be that hard). If your developing software you should have a darn good idea what hardware is available and its capabilities well before six months of completion.

iPad Air is rumored to get minimal updates ... A8, fingerprint, perhaps a side whistle... Samsung and everyone else SoC upgrades and spec tweaks ... if you don't follow suit expect sales to be sparse. Given Tegra K1 is the cream of the ARM crop this year a winner is in the box if you just ship it with a screen upgrade, and shave a millimeter or two off the thickness. Copy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S features or just OEM the device from Samsung, install WinRT on it with a Surface or even Lumina name badge. Done.

Then only mistake you can make is doing nothing.

 

[millertime_1985]

Even if you consider Nokia (Devices) being part of MS... either a new Lumia tablet or a Surface RT tab would need to be released soon to maintain , as you put it... traction.
The Surface 2 was unveiled about this time last year (wikipedia lists it as Sept 23rd), and the Lumia 2520 was announced at the end of October last year.

Personally, i'm keeping my fingers crossed for something next week at the MS/Windows event

 

[GreyFox7]

BlackBerry pulled this stunt... they went into hiding while they tried to figure out their next move and in the meantime everybody left. When they finally emerged with their solution there was no one left that wanted it. Windows Phone has been just a bad... had it not been for Nokia with some interesting hardware it probably would have beat BlackBerry to the grave. That's the really scary part of merging RT with WP, the doofuses managing WP will screw it all up. I have a few niggles with RT but the main problem RT really has is horrible Marketing and bad press. As a Tablet the Surface with Win RT is fine and has plenty of capabilities.

In part this may be Steve Ballmer itus. The BIG BET mentality. go off an work on something in the dark and hope when it comes out you can hit a homerun. pfft. Couple that with the MS project management style and you have fertilizer and diesel fuel; not in a good way... not a rocket, a bomb. Then you have to spend months digging out of the crater.

 

[millertime_1985]

:..rather conveniently, the Microsoft Store is now sold out of the 32GB S2, as well as the 64GB.

Only one they still have in stock is the 4G version.

Really is starting to seem like a successor is due soon

 

[InspectHerGadget]

Battery issues have caused supply headaches evidently

 

[GreyFox7]

MS could be draining supplies of Surface 2 in advance of a Surface 3 release. What better way to kick off a new device then with a little pent up demand.

 

[millertime_1985]

So much for my theory... atleast one large chain store has seemingly been resupplied overnight.

Just when you think they're going to zig, they zag... very frustrating