Microsoft sell 900,000 Surface RT tablets

Microsoft have shipped around 900,000 Surface RT Tablets last quarter, slotting in at 6th place among the world's tablet makers.

Ryan Reith, analyst and program manager of IDC's mobile device tracking said “There is no question that Microsoft is in this tablet race to compete for the long haul. However, devices based upon its new Windows 8 and Windows RT operating systems failed to gain much ground during their launch quarter, and reaction to the company's Surface with Windows RT tablet was muted at best.”

Microsoft have so far avoided a discussion of Surface RT sales figures which will tend to make many analysts feel as if they are not achieving their goals.

IDC's Surface RT estimate was based on the firm's ongoing tracking of Asian component suppliers. This number is similar to a previous estimate, putting Surface RT sales around the 1 million mark.

The Microsoft Surface RT launch was far from ideal. The company decided to only offer the tablet exclusively through their online store system and some of their retail stores. In December the company decided to expand distribution to other retailers in the hopes of driving additional sales.

Many people are waiting on the X86 Surface Pro range of tablets which runs the full version of Windows 8 and will work perfectly with millions of applications already developed for Windows 7 and Windows 8 desktop. The only concern will be the pricing and potentially reduced battery life.

Kitguru says: Windows RT a success or flop? 2013 will be critical for Microsoft. If they get Surface Pro tablet pricing wrong it may end up badly for them.

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