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Microsoft's Surface business is booming

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Oct 2016 9:51 User comments (6)

Microsoft's Surface business is booming

According to Microsoft's latest earnings report, the company's Surface business is booming, with growth that far outpaces other tablet and computer makers.
Revenue for the company's Surface products jumped 38 percent year-over-year, with revenue at $926 million for the quarter.

The boost for the quarter came via the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4, two products that are critically well received and have been given a large marketing budget. Microsoft is expected to launch a new Surface all-in-one next week at a special event, with perhaps a glimpse at future Surface tablets.

Source:
Microsoft

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6 user comments

122.10.2016 05:37

It's a shame that the Surfaces are not supported in India yet. Availability through third party only. Other than not-so-good battery life and no HDMI port, there's practically nothing to complain about Pro 4, IMHO.

222.10.2016 12:56

I don't believe this nonsense bullshit.

The Surface USED TO BE good.......now it's a P.O.S. that can't be repaired or upgraded in anyway with numerous issues.

If indeed its biz is "booming" then I'm completely shocked.

323.10.2016 10:14

Originally posted by hearme0:
I don't believe this nonsense bullshit.

The Surface USED TO BE good.......now it's a P.O.S. that can't be repaired or upgraded in anyway with numerous issues.

If indeed its biz is "booming" then I'm completely shocked.

It wasn't really very repairable to begin with. The idea of the surface is simple...make it as small as possible and charge as much as possible...like an iPad that can run actual software. Who cares if it breaks after it is out of warranty? Certainly not the consumers who do no research before buying. Who cares if you can get a laptop that is twice as good in every way with a larger screen for less money when this is small and light (not small and light enough for to avoid a case, but still). I understand the concept, and I understand that people buy such things...I do not understand why people buy such things, but then my laptop has to be able to run solid modeling software (nearly) as well as a desktop and I consider redundant RAID to be a good thing even if it adds a couple ounces.

423.10.2016 11:06

Originally posted by KillerBug:
I do not understand why people buy such things

The surface is built with a different purpose and philosophy. It's not for the people who are hardcore gamers, not even for the people who want desktop-like config in a laptop, not for the people who is looking for a "laptop" either. It's built for people like me who travel in unfriendly conditions, oh well, unfriendly enough so that you cannot afford to open a laptop. People like me are looking for a mobile device that can do a good balance between the official and personal works when traveling. Android, although better than iOS in this respect, is not capable enough. The surface allows you to do the laptop jobs when needed, allows you to use it like a tab whenever necessary, but you still enjoy the real Windows advantage, large display (compared to a phone or phablet), and ports for the common jobs.

524.10.2016 01:40

Originally posted by KillerBug:
Who cares if you can get a laptop that is twice as good in every way with a larger screen for less money when this is small and light (not small and light enough for to avoid a case, but still). I understand the concept, and I understand that people buy such things...I do not understand why people buy such things, but then my laptop has to be able to run solid modeling software (nearly) as well as a desktop and I consider redundant RAID to be a good thing even if it adds a couple ounces.
1. "Redundant RAID" is redundant.
2. My Surface Book is plenty small and light enough to avoid a case. I carry it around like a pad of paper, and with the stylus, it has enabled me to go completely paperless.
3. As for modelling software, I'm not sure what you're using, but obviously there are limits to what a 3-lb laptop can do. With that said, I run CAD software on mine, and it works just as well as my desktop.
4. The market for these devices is not huge, because there are a lot of people who prefer something more powerful for gaming/video work (and therefore heavier), and people who want a super light tablet. But for people like me who want a superlight device with full Windows, touchscreen, stylus, a day's battery life, and the ability to detach the screen to work with a stylus and tablet, this is a perfect device. I've been very happy with mine.

As for the point of the original article, nearly $1B in quarterly revenue is huge. For comparison, both iPads and Macs sell about $5B per quarter, so Surface revenue has risen to 20% of the level of each of those devices.

I'll be interested to see the Surface All-in-One that gets announced this week.

624.10.2016 14:02

Originally posted by SoTired:
Originally posted by KillerBug:
Who cares if you can get a laptop that is twice as good in every way with a larger screen for less money when this is small and light (not small and light enough for to avoid a case, but still). I understand the concept, and I understand that people buy such things...I do not understand why people buy such things, but then my laptop has to be able to run solid modeling software (nearly) as well as a desktop and I consider redundant RAID to be a good thing even if it adds a couple ounces.
1. "Redundant RAID" is redundant.
2. My Surface Book is plenty small and light enough to avoid a case. I carry it around like a pad of paper, and with the stylus, it has enabled me to go completely paperless.
3. As for modelling software, I'm not sure what you're using, but obviously there are limits to what a 3-lb laptop can do. With that said, I run CAD software on mine, and it works just as well as my desktop.
4. The market for these devices is not huge, because there are a lot of people who prefer something more powerful for gaming/video work (and therefore heavier), and people who want a super light tablet. But for people like me who want a superlight device with full Windows, touchscreen, stylus, a day's battery life, and the ability to detach the screen to work with a stylus and tablet, this is a perfect device. I've been very happy with mine.

As for the point of the original article, nearly $1B in quarterly revenue is huge. For comparison, both iPads and Macs sell about $5B per quarter, so Surface revenue has risen to 20% of the level of each of those devices.

I'll be interested to see the Surface All-in-One that gets announced this week.
In all fairness, you refer to your "surface book".......


that's a totally different beast from the Surface.

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