Microsoft: Surface 2, Pro 2 'Close To Selling Out'

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Less than two weeks after Microsoft launched the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, the follow-up tablets are flying off the digital shelves - at least according to Redmond.

A Friday post on the Microsoft Developer Twitter feed said that the "Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are close to selling out."

Just exactly what that means is unclear: Redmond has not released details about how many next-gen devices have been built or sold. Did it make a million or only a few hundred?

Microsoft followers might recall that the company also said that its 32GB Surface RT tablet sold out back in Oct. 2012, knocking shipments back three weeks.

Earlier this summer, however, we learned that Surface revenue was $853 million between Oct. 2012 and June 2013. That might not seem too shabby, but Microsoft also incurred a $900 million charge for Surface RT inventory adjustments, and boosted advertising costs for Windows 8 and the Surface by $898 million.

According to May data from IDC, Microsoft shipped 900,000 Surface tablets during the first quarter, with reports of 1.5 million sold between October and March. For comparison, Apple sold 14.6 million iPads last quarter.

Recent regulatory filings, meanwhile, revealed that outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had his bonus docked in part being of lackluster Surface sales.

The Microsoft Web store currently shows that the 64GB Surface 2, as well as the 256GB and 512GB Pro 2 versions will ship four to eight days after their intended release date.

The Surface 2 has a Tegra 4 processor from Nvidia and arrives on Oct. 22 sporting Windows RT 8.1. It has 25 percent more battery life than its predecessor and is "thinner, faster, and brighter" than the original Surface RT, Redmond said. The Surface 2's touch display also has less reflectivity than the first-generation slate and the new tablet now supports USB 3.0.

The Surface Pro 2, meanwhile, is being billed as a full-blown, workstation-quality business product. Microsoft's new Intel-based tablet will ship with Windows 8.1 and it now has a docking station accessory that can support a 3,840-by-2,160-resolution desktop monitor.

Consumers can head to the Microsoft Web store to pre-order a 32GB ($449) or 64GB ($549) Surface 2, or splurge on the swankier Pro 2, available in 64GB ($899), 128GB ($999), 256GB ($1,299), and 512GB ($1,799) flavors.

But tiny tablet enthusiasts may want to hold out on buying a Windows-based device.

According to PCMag sister site Geek.com, Surface vice president Panos Panay recently suggested that a "Surface Mini" is in the works. During a visit to the Seattle Microsoft Store, Panay explained that the team "is working on many different resolutions and screen sizes as potential future tablet PCs," though that likely won't happen before the 2013 holiday season.

Original Aricle: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425262,00.asp