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September 16, 2014

The Surface 2 Slow Fade

The 64GB SKU of the Surface 2 is sold out on Microsoft’s website, and, according to a sales person that Neowin spoke to, it likely won’t be restocked. The sales rep said the company is looking to get rid of inventory of the older device and “focus on the newer version of Surfaces.”

Remember the Surface 2? Microsoft introduced the successor to the Surface RT last year, along with the Surface Pro 2. The device was a large step past the original Surface device. Akin to the RT, it was aimed at students and other groups that needed mobility over power.

Lost in the cancellation of the Surface Mini and the release of the Surface Pro 3 is Surface 2 — it isn’t clear how well it has sold, and the future of its operating system, Windows RT, is somewhat occluded at the moment, as Microsoft isn’t expected to demo its successor until early next year.

Microsoft recently cut the price of the Surface 2 by $100. In a statement asking for comment on the lack of SKU inventory, Microsoft demurred to say anything of substance, instead mirroring its past message that it wants to get Surface into the hands of as many people as possible. Cutting its price is a way to do that.

You can still buy a 32GB Surface 2, or the most expensive 64GB SKU that also includes LTE capability.

It seems that Microsoft is leaving the Surface 2 behind. RT-based Windows tablets haven’t done well since inception, and the Pro 3 is likely Microsoft’s main bet for the Surface line this year.

I haven’t uncovered chatter regarding an immediate successor to the Surface 2. It might have been the Surface Mini. If that’s the case, there might not be one.

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