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So the Surface RT has been out for 9 months
and Microsoft just declared a $900 million
dollar write-down. So how did this happen
and what does it mean for Microsoft’s
efforts to break into the tablet market? I
have been thinking a lot about most of the
information below since the Surface product
line was released. If you are looking for a
“Microsoft Is Dead” story, then don’t read
any further. But if you want an honest look
at what I think led Microsoft to this point
and what I think can be done to make Surface
RT devices better, then please continue
reading.
What Led Microsoft To The $900 Million
Write-Down
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Surface Unveiling:Microsoft totally missed the boat when
they unveiled the Surface product line on
June 18th, 2012.
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Microsoft should’ve been ready to post
the specifications of both devices
that night.
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Microsoft should’ve had a site up and
running right after the event so
people could pre-order the devices.
This would have given them a good idea
what the interest was in each device.
They could also have used this data to
make a better estimate for the number
of units to to have available for the
launch and beyond. They also lost out
on taking advantage of the excitement
generated by the Surface RT and
Surface Pro announcement. They could
have thrown in a free touch keyboard
to anyone who pre-ordered.
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The advertising should have started
right after the announcement and
gotten bigger as launch day
approached. Push for as many pre-order
as possible and build excitement for
the launch.
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Actual Launch (Surface RT): By
this time all excitement was gone from the initial
announcement, except for the Micorsoft faithful.
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Microsoft should have been ready to sell the
Surface in as many markets as possible at
launch. The limited market release was a real
letdown for a lot of people. A limited
release right after the initial announce is
understandable, but not at the official launch
of the product.
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Microsoft overpriced the device and now they
are lowering it to what it should have been to
start with. The $349 price is within the range
I suggested it should be at before pricing was
announced. (Surface Tablets: The Price Must Be Right).
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Limited ordering options online was also a
killer. User should have been able to buy the
base unit of each device and then add on
whatever keyboard they wanted to (this applies
more to the Surface Pro). There should have
also been a place where users could order any
additional add-ins that they wanted to buy
(covers, extra power supplies, etc.)
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Marketing was better and the dancing “Click
In” commercial was cool, but the ads comparing
the iPad with Siri should have been on the air
from day one of the announcement (or at least
the launch). Consumers want to know why you
tablet is better, not just that is has a
clickable keyboard and built-in kickstand.
They could have also compared it to some of
the other mid-range tablets if they had not
overprices it to begin with.
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Stock Applications (Mail, People, Calendar,
Music, Video, Reader and IE):
This is where Microsoft really blew it.
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They had all the time in the world to make
these applications the best of breed and
instead we got applications that seemed thrown
together. Some updates have made these
application better, but they are all still
lacking in features that should have been
there from day one. This did not help to
enhance a new users experience any.
** I will admit that the applications
that were data driven were first class
citizen’s and that makes it even more
perplexing why MS could knock it out of the
park with the Weather, Travel, Finance, Bing,
etc.) and fail so miserably on the core
applications users would use the most on a
tablet.
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Desktop on Tablet: The desktop
just is so out of place on the tablet
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I understand it was needed for Office but
think it would have been better to not have
the desktop in Windows RT, but instead open up
the Office applications in full screen mode,
in a desktop shell (same goes for IE11).That
way the user wouldn’t realize they are leaving
Metro and going to the desktop.
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The other option would have been to just not
include Office on Windows RT devices. Instead
they could have made awesome Widows Store Apps
for Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint. In
addition, they could have made the stock Mail,
People, and Calendar applications contain all
the functions that Outlook gives desktop
users.
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Having some of the settings in desktop mode
and others under “Change PC Settings” made
Windows RT seemed unfinished and rushed to
market.
What Can Be Done To Make Windows RT Based Tablets
Better (At least in my opinion)
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Either eliminate the desktop all together from
Windows RT or at least make the user experience
better by hiding the fact the user is running
Office/IE in the desktop. Personally I ‘d like
them to totally get rid of it and just make
awesome Windows Store Application version of Word,
Excel PowerPoint & OneNote. This might also
make the OS smaller and give the user more
available disk space. I doubt there will ever be a
Windows Store App versions of Office, but I still
think it is a good idea.
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Make is so users can easily direct their
documents, picture, videos and music to their
extra storage and can access these files from the
standard libraries. A user should not have to
create a VM on their microSD card or create
symbolic links to get this to work properly. Most
consumers would not be able to do this. Then users
get frustrated when they run out or room on their
main storage because nothing is automatically save
to their microSD card when saved to libraries.
This is a major bug that needs to be fixed,
otherwise Microsoft’s selling point of having a
microSD slot is worthless.
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Allows users to uninstall and re-install any of
the Office product that come with the Surface.
That way people can free up storage space by
uninstalling the Office applications they do not
need. Everyone’s needs are different, so make the
options flexible. Don’t take up storage space for
applications the user will not use.
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Make the Core applications the “Cream of the Crop”
Windows App Store applications. The should set the
bar for all other Store applications.
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Improve performance as much as possible, if it
seems to be sluggish on a tablet consumer will not
buy it.
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They need to price the next line of Surface
product very aggressive to undercut not only iPad
but also Android low end tablets (Nook, Kindle
Fire, and Nexus, etc.)
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Give developers incentives to write quality
applications for the devices.
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Don’t reward developers for cranking out cookie
cutter, low quality applications. I’d even suggest
Microsoft consider implementing some new store
certification guideline to stop these type of
applications being published.
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Allow users to easily move the recover disk
“partition between their microSD card and main
storage.
My Predictions for the Surface RT and Windows
RT
I honestly think even with all the missteps MS has
made since the announcement about the Surface
product line, that they are on the right path. I was
excited the Surface tablets when they were
announced, and I still am. The truth be told,
Windows 8 on a tablet (aka: Windows RT) is better
than both iOS and Android. My nephew who is an Apple
fan boy told me after he saw and used Windows 8 (he
got the beta running on his iPad), that Windows 8
kicked Apples butt as a tablet OS. So there is hope
for all Windows RT based tablets. I agree with my
nephew and that is why whenever anyone asks me about
my Surface, I love showing it off and recommend it.
The 6 keys to gaining market share in the tablet
market are;
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Aggressive pricing by both Microsoft and their
OEM’s
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Good quality devices put out by Microsoft and
their OEM’s (there are some out there, but not
enough)
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Marketing, Marketing, Marketing from both
Microsoft and their OEM’s (Need more ads showing
why windows based tablets are better than iPads
and Android tablets)
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Getting Widows tablets in retails stores all over,
and giving sales people incentive to sell them.
Consumers like to try electronics out before they
buy them, and most will listen to what the sales
person suggest. Microsoft needs sales people in
retail stores directing people to buy windows
based tablets over iPads and Android tablets. I
think the Microsoft Stores within Best Buy is a
good start, but they also need to get prominent
displays in Walmart, Target, etc..
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Release a smaller form factor Surface, Hopefully
the 8”-10” next generation Surface is not a rumor.
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Make “Surface” the brand name for all Microsoft
tablets and hybrid devices that they come out
with. They cannot change the name with each new
release. Make Surface synonymous with quality,
the same way that iPad is for Apple.
Well, that is my 2 cents on the subject. Let me know
your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Soon to
follow will be my thought on the Surface Pro, so
keep an eye out for it.
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