Does Telugu Bidda Satya Nadella Have the Cojones to Kill Surface Tablets?

Telugu Bidda Satya NadellaTelugu bidda Satya Nadella faces many challenges as the new head of the foundering technology giant Microsoft.

Among Nadella’s most formidable challenges (albeit one inherited from Steve Ballmer) – What should be done about those disastrous Surface tablets.

It’s clear to sane minds that in a million years Microsoft cannot make a success of its Surface tablets.

And the pitiful market share data proves Surface just doesn’t have a hope of taking on the more mature Android or Apple iOS (iPad) tablets.

Apple iPads have the branding, quality and fanboy advantages while Android tablets score on lower prices.

Lacking any advantage, Microsoft’s Surface tablet is doomed (Office compatibility is no longer a big deal in my opinion).

Surface Pro 2 - $899 Without KeyboardSurface Pro 2 – $899 Without the Keyboard

Surface – Billion Dollar Disaster

Late to the market, and with a confusing set of two operating systems, Microsoft has lost over a billion dollars on its tablet misadventure.

The company took a charge of $900 million last year on unsold Surface inventory and slashed prices of the older Surface models.

But the grim picture has not changed and Surface still encounters strong resistance from consumers in the marketplace.

Gartner recently put out tablet market share data for 2013 and the numbers show Microsoft in a horrible light.

Top Tablet Vendors 2013

Microsoft is not even a contender.

Hell, Surface is not even among the Top-5 tablet vendors.

In 2013, Microsoft sold a piddling 4 million tablets versus 70.4 million for Apple iPads.

The yawning gap between Microsoft and Apple or for that matter between Microsoft and Samsung is unbridgeable.

Even Lenovo (Android based tablets) did better than Microsoft last year with 6.52 million units.

Admittedly, the other vendors have been at the tablet game for a longer time. But that’s little consolation for Microsoft shareholders who bear the brunt of the  company’s losses in low share prices.

The tablet segment is a mature market in the U.S. and recent growth has come largely from sales of low-end smaller screen tablets.

Here again Microsoft is a disadvantage.

Unlike iPad or Android tablets like Samsung or Kindle, Microsoft does not even have a smaller-screen tablet.

Ridiculously Overpriced

According to Gartner analysts, tablet sales are now growing fastest in emerging markets.

In 2013, tablet sales in emerging markets were estimated to be up 145% in 2013 compared to 31% in mature markets.

Once again, Surface tablets are at a disadvantage since its tablets are hopelessly overpriced for emerging markets like India, Brazil or China.

Surface Pro 2 tablets (based on Windows 8.1 Pro operating system) start at $900.

No typo there. $900.

And that does not even include a case or cover.

You’d have to be completely out of your mind to fork out $900 for a tablet.

Surface 2 tablets start at $450.

Top Tablet Sales by OS in 2013

Nadella – Big Question

How long will it take and how many more billions will go down the drain before Microsoft’s new boss Satya Nadella sees the light and pulls the plug on Surface.

Given what we know of Nadella and his lack of bold moves in the past, it’s unlikely the Telugu bidda has the cojones to pull the plug on Surface any time soon.

Surface tablets will limp along, bleeding red on Microsoft’s quarterly balance sheets.

Microsoft will continue to take huge losses on these devices for the foreseeable future until one fine day it’s compelled to launch a fire sale a la HP to get rid of the inventory.

One Response to "Does Telugu Bidda Satya Nadella Have the Cojones to Kill Surface Tablets?"

  1. rmadasu   March 4, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    In another news Bill Gates is once again the richest man. For all the talk of Tech industry being cutting edge and innovative we still keep getting the same products with different version number every few years. They want to dominate the consumer market, the enterprise market, the server market. the game market, the search market and mobile market by selling the same thing they have been selling since 1995.

    They hired some top computer scientists but couldn’t come up with one original product. Their biggest money maker is still the same crappy OS they have been selling forever and the office stuff.

    When I think of this company all I am asking is Why is this company not dead yet? When is it going to die?

    I consider it truly fortunate that I did not have to use a single product of theirs since 2005 at work or at home, thanks to Linux, Google and Apple.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: When I think of this company all I am asking is Why is this company not dead yet? When is it going to die?

    Not to worry, sweetie.

    Even Balaji of the Seven Hills will find it hard to save this company.

    Microsoft Current Snapshot
    Dud on Tablets
    Dud on Smartphones
    Dud on Search Engines
    Declining in Enterprise
    Declining with Consumers (PC business slowing)
    Doing ok on Gaming Console
    Milking the bloated Office junk

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