Microsoft Corp’s Taiwan branch expects shipments of its Surface tablets to grow this year, as users will be able to upgrade to the Windows 10 operating system at no extra charge.
“The free-of-charge system upgrade could convince consumers to buy the existing Windows-based tablets without waiting for the new operating system to hit the market,” Microsoft Taiwan general manager of marketing and operations Roan Kang (康容) said on the sidelines of the Surface 3 tablet launch.
“We have various display sizes of Windows-based tablets for consumers, and solutions for both work and entertainment purposes. The product is more than a laptop and a tablet,” Kang said.
Photo: Bloomberg
Kang said the launch of the Surface 3 tablet, which is priced between NT$16,888 and NT$21,888 (US$548.65 and US$711.09), is an effort to expand the series’ reach to budget-conscious families and students.
The company said the two-in-one detachable Surface tablets generated US$713 million in revenue last quarter, up 44 percent year-on-year, driven by robust demand for the high-end Surface Pro 3.
Grace Chou (周文英), an official at Microsoft Taiwan’s Windows and Surface marketing and operations department, said shipments of Surface tablets would grow this year on strong demand for the 12-inch Surface Pro 3 and the cheaper 10.8-inch Surface 3.
International Data Corp (IDC) in March forecast shipments of Microsoft’s tablets would jump 40.51 percent to 16.3 million units worldwide this year from 11.6 million unites last year.
Global tablet shipments could grow 2 percent to 234.5 million units this year, IDC projected.
Global tablet shipments, including two-in-one detachable models, totaled 229.7 million units last year, IDC said.
“Microsoft is doing a lot of good things right now and we believe the launch of Windows 10 later this year will not only have a significant impact on Microsoft’s share of the market, but on the industry as a whole,” IDC research director for tablets Jean Philippe Bouche said in a report on March 11.
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