Competition on the Surface

Are other business tablets gaining a head start on Microsoft? Hannah Breeze investigates

Silence is golden, so they say, and it appears that Microsoft has heeded this advice when it comes to the distribution strategy of its Surface Pro tablet.

The new business-focused tablet launched in the US and Canada a few weeks ago and is said to have flown off the shelves, despite the vendor keeping mum on how many devices it has sold, or even shipped, to its online and retail stores.

Microsoft has been tight-lipped on when the tablet is set to launch in the UK, and has played its cards close to its chest as to whether or not the device is ever set to be sold through the channel, despite a number of calls from its partners practically begging to know.

But if shrouding the launch in mystery was the plan, it may have backfired. That is according to some resellers that claim their customers have waited too long for news on the elusive Surface and have looked elsewhere - and been pleased with what they have seen.

Richard Gibbons, software manager at reseller Bechtle, said that since HP announced that the channel can sell its ElitePad, enquiries for Surface Pros have noticeably fallen.

"I used to get a few enquiries about the Surface Pro a day, but I have only had one recently," he added. "The ElitePad seems to be the most sensible alternative; HP has the credibility and the brand, plus, from an accessories point of view, it has different jackets, some which give it a type of keyboard, which is similar to the Surface."

Gibbons added that some customers he has spoken to were waiting for the Surface to come out until they saw the ElitePad, whose accessories won them over.

Communication breakdown

While customers have not ruled out the Surface Pro completely, if they have already bought an alternative brand it makes sense for them to stick with it to keep maintenance and accessories simpler in future. Gibbons said Microsoft's silence on the device's future has gone on too long and has ended up putting business customers off.

"If Microsoft had said for whatever reason [the Surface] was not coming to the channel until June, for example, at least we would know. Likewise, if it said we would never get it, we could plan accordingly. It feels like it is causing confusion and uncertainty for no real reason."

And it is not just resellers and customers getting the silent treatment from Microsoft regarding its new tablet offering. When questioned by CRN for an interview for this feature, a Surface representative was not available and no comment was provided.

But there might be a reason Microsoft is not keen to trash its hardware partners and talk up its own tablet, according to Insight EMEA president Stuart Fenton.

Fenton points out that while the vendor competes on hardware, every sale of a rival's tablet device still chalks up a Windows 8 sale for the software giant, which can't be bad news.

He said: "HP and Lenovo and other traditional OEMs with strong support, services and warranties will be preferred suppliers regardless, because of their great history of support. In terms of the product, I think the ElitePad is the strongest so far.

"All product sales from Lenovo and HP [tablets] that run Windows 8 are good for Microsoft; if a client buys a Surface or an HP device, there is still an upside for Microsoft and it will be very happy with that."

While it may seem that Microsoft is enjoying the best of both worlds, other channel onlookers believe the firm's tablet devices may not have the intended impact on the market.

Canalys last month described the vendor's flagship RT tablet launch as a "non event", and Context's product manager for mobile technology, Salman Chaudhry (pictured, left), said he thinks the new Pro tablet will also pass without much of an impact.

"I do not really see a long life span for Surface hardware, based on our analysis. Microsoft does not even have a credible online presence, so why it is doing it [alone, not through the channel] is beyond anyone," he said. And he was another to suggest there might be other reasons why Microsoft is leaving the channel on the sidelines with the Surface Pro.

"The only hypothesis I have is that [Microsoft] is doing it on purpose and does not want to upset OEMs. Surface Pro is a business tablet that is not going through business channels; that is suicide. But it seems it wants this, and OEMs are taking advantage. HP and Lenovo have done well."