Microsoft"s commitment to its Surface line has been in question ever since its first tablet, the Surface RT, was released to poor sales results. In a new statement posted on the official Surface blog, however, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the line isn"t going anywhere.
The post on the official Surface blog touts the benefits of Surface Pro 3 for businesses, though the most notable part is the following statement from Nadella on Microsoft"s commitment to the tablet line:
We believe a strength of the Microsoft platform for enterprise is the rich ecosystem of hardware and applications developed by our partners, the community at large, and some of our own teams at Microsoft. In particular with Microsoft Surface Pro 3 we are now offering an enterprise-class device that can deliver great end user productivity. Microsoft is putting its full and sustained support behind the ongoing Surface program as one of a number of great hardware choices for businesses large and small.
Nadella"s comment comes after a dubious report claimed Microsoft would cease production of Surface tablets and cancel the entire line. As pointed out by ZDNet"s Mary Jo Foley, however, the biggest question probably isn"t what Microsoft will do with the Surface line as a whole, but what it will do with the ARM-powered variants in its tablet line.
Microsoft has been relatively cagey about the future of non-Pro versions of the Surface line, and the company pulled the release of a smaller ARM-powered Surface tablet in May, right before an event for its announcement. Instead, Microsoft only revealed the Surface Pro 3, despite invitations to the event clearly hinting at the smaller tablet.
Company officials further dodged questions about its ARM tablets at the Windows 10 unveiling last week, declining to comment on whether the new operating system would come to existing ARM tablets. Microsoft has commented that ARM devices will receive Windows 10, though it"s yet not clear what that means for devices beyond smartphones. Foley said she"s heard from "one of [her] trusted sources" that Microsoft will no longer make ARM tablets, though she stresses she hasn"t heard that from anyone else yet.
As with today"s blog post as a whole, Nadella positions the Surface Pro 3 as a do-everything device for enterprise customers. That point is further hit home by a new offer from Microsoft and its retail partners called the "Surface Laptop Replacement Bundle." Through this deal, Microsoft and resale partners will give up to $150 off a Surface Pro 3, Type Cover and Docking Station when the trio are purchased together.
Source: Surface Blog