Microsoft had bragged about selling between 2 million and 4 million Surface RT tablets, planning to sell those numbers in Q4 2012. However, analysts tell a different story, as they believe that MS has only moved around 500k to 600k slates like those. Surface RT has one big problem: poor distribution.
Right now, the tablet is only available online and in rare Microsoft retail stores that are scattered all over the US nation. This causes a big problem: the consumer can’t actually get some hands on time with the product and people who order it online have to do blind shopping, not having played with the product in their lives. Other factors affecting the sales are the $499 price tag and mixed reviews. Also, the slate doesn’t have a strong retail presence, another bummer.
AllThingsD claims that there are only 31 Microsoft stores and 34 holiday kiosks in the entire US. Microsoft originally wanted to sell the Surface through its own stores alone, but the plan didn’t pan out, so they may have to expand to the likes of Best Buy or Walmart.
