In an interview published today by the MIT Technology Review, Steve Ballmer snuck to the initial question of whether he was satisfied with the sales area.
"I am super happy with this choice of surface," Ballmer said in response. "I think it is important - and not just for Microsoft but for the entire Windows ecosystem - to see the hardware and embedded software."
But the CEO admitted that the surface is not likely to dominate the PC market.
"Surface is a real business," he told the publication. "In an environment where there are 350 million PCs sold, I do not think the surface will dominate the volume, but it is a real business."
RT surface tablet launched in late October, while sales Pro edition kicks in about a week and a half. But Microsoft did not share actual sales figures, leaving analysts offer their predictions.
IHS iSuppli analyst Rhoda Alexander told CNET late last month that the first shipments of surface to retailers probably numbered about 1.25 million. But actual sales to customers "were significantly lower, perhaps around 55 to 60 percent of this figure," which means somewhere between 680,000 and 750,000.
Alexander did not see this as unusual percentage, citing the same results for some new Android devices. But the rate of return to the surface RT tablets were high due to steep learning curve for Windows 8, she said.
The analyst said at the time she did expect more momentum in the industry for the Pro model surface and similar devices. Surface RT RT runs on Windows, which almost exclusively limited to Windows applications populations Store. Surface Pro runs the full version of Windows 8, allowing people to install and run their traditional desktop applications.
Surface Pro debuted a promising start. The tablet sold fairly quickly when its initial launch, at least in the online store of Microsoft. After storage over stocks, the store now has a waiting time of 10 days for the 128GB edition. The 64 GB version is available immediately. Other retailers, such as Best Buy and Staples have also worked to increase their stock, according Microsoft.Beyond bringing its share of turnover, surface was also designed as an example for Windows PCs and tablets suppliers .
In the interview, Mr. Ballmer said computer pen as something that Microsoft has touted for years. But apparently, the company ran the resistance of manufacturers who were not sold on the idea. Surface is an attempt to avoid the same mistake.
"Now we are trying to carry around with Pro surface," he said..
