Microsoft is infamous for being late to the mobile revolution of smartphones and tablets, and in recent months they have been desperately trying to play catch up. Microsoft has already purchased Nokia this year to shore up their smartphone strategy. Now they’ve released new versions of their tablets—Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. Although Microsoft has addressed the issues of the first editions of the devices, they still haven’t presented consumers with a product compelling enough to lure them in significant numbers. According to engadget.com:
“What’s the definition of insanity? Trying the same thing several times and expecting a different outcome. While we wouldn’t suggest that Microsoft’s finest minds are in need of urgent medical care, it does seem as if the company’s executives have failed to heed the lessons doled out this summer. After all, it was only a few months ago that Microsoft had to admit that very few Surface RT tablets had been sold, and booked a $900 million loss on inventory that remains rotting in warehouses.
“Unfortunately, the changes [the] describe involved making the device thinner, faster and giving it a full-HD display — criticisms that few had leveled at the first generation of the hardware. No, the problems that every critic had were the limitations of the Surface’s operating system: Windows RT.”
Microsoft has improved some hardware aspects of the Surface tablet, most notably the battery life of the Surface Pro. However, they still have a huge image problem with their mobile products and lack the right approach for a mobile ecosystem. As reported by Cnet.com:
“The company on Monday unveiled its newest tablets that feature jacked-up components and nifty new dual-position kickstands. The Surface 2, which runs Windows RT, now will come with Outlook, while the Surface Pro 2, which runs Windows 8.1, will continue to operate like a full PC. Microsoft fixed nearly every hardware issue that buyers criticized in the first versions of the devices while sticking with the same essential design.
“But it faces a big hurdle in getting consumers to look at its newest products differently from their predecessors. As much as Microsoft has tried to make Surface seem cool, it’s still largely seen as a tablet for business users.”
Microsoft still has a long way to go to win over the hearts and minds of consumers. Luckily for them, they have a large business enterprise of other products, giving them time to figure things out.
Check out the new Surface Pro 2 and Surface RT below.
