Microsoft killing off its Surface devices is just a rumour

Despite the endless rumours of new Surface devices, rumours arose last week claiming that Microsoft might potentially ditch its flagship range by 2019. Corporate vice president of devices Panos Panay has spoken out against this, claiming that it’s just a “tabloid rumour of the week.”

Fans of the Surface line of devices entered a panic after competing businesses came out of the woodwork to bash Microsoft’s leading brand for its devices. Chief executive of analyst company Canalys, Steve Brazier was the first to speak out at its Canalys Channels Forum event, stating that “the Surface performance is choppy… overall they are not making money. It doesn’t make sense for them to be in this business.”

Since then, Lenovo’s COO Gianfranco Lanci echoed the sentiment, going into detail as to why Microsoft should drop the branding. “Microsoft is making a lot of money on cloud, making a lot of money on Windows and Office, but losing a lot of money on devices,” said Lanci. “And frankly speaking, it is difficult to see why they should keep losing money.”

Luckily, Surface enthusiasts can rest easy for now as this is “so far from the truth” and that people simply have to look at Microsoft’s $900 million loss due to the Surface RT under-performing back in 2013 that the company still has faith in its devices. “There was no loss of confidence,” explains Panay. “There was a real belief in how we can change the world.”

And that’s just what they did with its 2017 revision of the brand, along with expected devices such as the LTE-enabled Surface Pro tablet, which has a rumoured release date of December 1st and a near certain full unveiling during its Future Decoded Event during the 31st October and 1st November.

KitGuru Says: It’s reassuring to know Microsoft’s stance on the matter, but of course the company wouldn’t reveal plans to ditch any of its lines until it was ready. I like my Surface Pro 4, but can’t say it’s the machine I’d hoped it would be when I bought it. Do you own a Microsoft Surface device?

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