Microsoft dumps online-only Surface sales, heads to retail

Technology giant Microsoft has made an abrupt U-turn on the sales strategy for its high-stakes iPad challenger, the Surface, scrapping plans to sell it only online in Australia and turning to trusted high street retailers in a bid to get sales moving.

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Microsoft dumps online-only Surface sales, heads to retail

it's about time, people don't buy tablets just by a spec sheet and picture.

it's all about how they feel in the hands that counts.

who cares about Australia?

MS will lose on Surface if they do not release it to Store Shelves.
Why? Cause of at least 2 things..... Store Specific Credit, which is how a lot of people buy these types of products.
and, All the OEM's will be out there to touch, feel, and carry out with them. Why buy the Surface and wait, when I can have something similar now?

NOT putting on store shelves really is a monstrously stupid move by MS.

The thing is, the WHOLE point of not hitting retail stores was to not infringe on OEM partners...

Guess not.

Wait a second,, screw the OEM's.
If people can not compete on their own with better pricing and product, let them fail.
Competition in the market place does work. But gov't needs to stay out of the way.

If MS are doing it of their own free will, due to the OEM's begging, then ok. but they will lose by tying their own hands, that is their business, to do so, but it's a bad one.

And, I would say the same about any of the OEM's as well. this is not just an MS Surface thing,, it's any product really.
If HP did the same thing, believe me, they would not sell very many.
And if tables were turned, you think any of these OEM's would oblige MS with an online only product? Hell no.

I want to walk in the store and see them all lined up, and choose the best product for my dollar, OEM's or MS be damned.

Final Note: if you create a product and price it out of the market, to where people can not afford it, you will lose.

I couldn't even find any OEM Windows RT tablets to try out since Windows 8 release, none at Best Buy or Staples. Poor execution by OEMs for getting their product out there and to add no marketing effort at all. I did finally see other tablets at the Microsoft Store, but I walked out with the Surface instead.

They have the Asus Vivo Tab RT at HHGreg. I bought 2 of them,, decided I didn't want the RT and took mine back.
Convinced the wife as well, and we are taking hers back and waiting till some of the pros hit shelves and see what we can get.
Won't be till about May though unfortunately. By then I expect a lot of things to be ironed out.

Seriously, the ONLY RT tablets I've see were in att and Verizon stores, not even in best buy. They only have the ASUS Vivo RT tablet in a box and not on display, in the android/tablet section.

I agree, OEMs and Microsoft be damned about not stepping on each other's territory. I want to be able to check out EVERY PC regardless of manufacturer or company and make that judgment myself on whose territory to step on. As of now, the Surface Pro is the best choice for what I want in a tablet and portable PC.