Microsoft Surface — The Windows Company Builds Its Own Tablet

Microsoft Surface is a line of PCs designed by Microsoft itself, the company that makes Windows. The first Surface was announced in Los Angeles on 18 June 2012, and the Windows RT model went on sale on 26 October 2012, the same day as Windows 8, from $499 for 32 GB in the US. Japan was not in the first wave; Surface RT arrived there on 15 March 2013 at 49,800 yen.

The dates

Two Surfaces

Both had a kickstand built into the case that folded away when not in use, and a magnetic keyboard that doubled as a cover: the 3 mm pressure-sensitive Touch Cover and the 5 mm Type Cover with moving keys. The casing was made with a magnesium moulding process Microsoft called VaporMg, which it said allowed parts as thin as 0.65 mm.

The June announcement gave no prices, saying only that they would be competitive with ARM tablets and Intel Ultrabook-class PCs. When prices came on 16 October, the Windows RT model cost $499 for 32 GB, $599 with a black Touch Cover and $699 for 64 GB with a Touch Cover. A Touch Cover alone was $119.99 and a Type Cover $129.99.

Surface RT in Japan

Microsoft Japan announced the Japanese launch on 1 March 2013 and put Surface RT on sale on 15 March.

It was sold through the Bic Camera, Yamada Denki and Yodobashi Camera groups and the online Microsoft Store, with Office 2013 RT, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, preinstalled.

The $900 million charge

The fiscal 2013 fourth-quarter results Microsoft reported on 18 July 2013 included a $900 million charge, or $0.07 a share, related to Surface RT inventory adjustments. That came less than nine months after launch.

Windows RT was Windows running on ARM, but it was the Windows 8 Pro model that was reported to run programs written for earlier versions of Windows. Running Windows on ARM would come back in a different form with the Copilot+ PC.

On to Pro and Laptop

Surface Pro 3's pitch, a tablet that replaces a laptop, made the shape the first Surface had shown with its Touch Cover and kickstand into the headline of the product.

Where it sits

Windows had long rested on a division of labour: Microsoft wrote the software and PC makers built the machines. With Surface, Microsoft put out a machine of its own on the day Windows 8 launched. The first Windows RT model ended in an inventory write-down, but the kickstand and keyboard cover carried on into the Pro line. For the company see the Microsoft timeline; for devices, the hardware timeline.