Last week, William announced the Microsoft Surface as Microsoft’s next foray into the tablet market. He then stated that the Surface would be his next computing purchase. However, over the weekend, the popular deals website Woot.com announced that the Surface was doomed and would eventually end up on it’s home page. Here’s a little excerpt of their prediction:
These Klipsch speakers’ front-mounted volume controls let us sing it from the rooftops: “The Surface is doomed for Woot! The Surface is doomed to Woot! Huzzay! Huzzah! The Surface is doomed for Woot!”
Sure, the subwoofer provides more than enough thumping bass for music, but it also lets us highlight the laughable game of catch-up that Microsoft seems perpetually trapped in. “People want phones?? Quick, do what Apple and Google did 5 years ago!” “Tablets? Uhhh, uhhhh, OK! Presentations with dudes in v-neck sweaters? You got it!”
Anybody with a finger on the pulse of ANYTHING could tell you that the Surface is doomed for failure. And you know where failed products inevitably land? RIGHT HERE, BABY. GIMME GIMME GIMME.
If you don’t know anything about Woot.com they are a website that has a different deal every 24 hours. A lot of times they are old items, or warehouse surpluses. For example, the HP TouchPad has been featured on it a few times after everyone else ran out of stock. Somehow, Woot got their hands on some refurbished models and sold them all out. So you never know what kind of items you will find on Woot. The item descriptions are always funny, and Woot even does funny video demonstrations for some of their products. The deal of the day was actually a set of Klipsch speakers, but the entire write up was ragging on the Surface. Hit the link to read the rest of the prediction.
[Woot]
It needs to be priced *absolutely perfectly* for Woot (and other naysayers) to be proven wrong. I don’t think pricing it to be competitive with ultrabooks is the right move. Mainstream consumers see it as an iPad competitor and don’t care if people like us say they’re wrong.
I’m not sure how seriously I will take any predictions from Woot…
Lol, I don’t take much seriously from Woot, just thought it was pretty funny.
What’s funny is that Woot is owned by Amazon… Kind of an odd shot across the bow from the company that’s racing to the bottom with the Kindle (it’s nice for now, but more flexible tablets will eventually make it obsolete).
I do agree pricing is gonna be key for all these Win8 hybrid devices. Ultrabooks are already premium laptops and some of these devices seem to be built at an even higher cost, not sure how they hope to compete with ever cheaper low end Android devices at the bottom end (or w/the larger 13″+ laptops w/no touch components that people will want for over a grand).
There’s a middle ground somewhere in there for hybrid devices to thrive, I’m just not sure anyone (including MS) knows what the right combination of software (WinRT, Win8, mobile OS?) and hardware (ARM, Medfield, i5?) will be. They seem to be throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, which isn’t always the best way to define a new product category.
You have to sell people on the concept first, then sell them the exact device to realize that.
The lack of returns (line spaces) on the current comments section really really stinks!
Instead of Location, Location, Location, you are right that it will be Pricing, Pricing, Pricing. The problem is that since this is a new category no one knows and it will almost have to be trial by fire, and I can about guarantee that whatever price Microsoft does set, it will be too high.