Microsoft Orders Up to 5 Million Surface Tablets for 2012
Shipping figures are in line with Google and Amazon's Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire tablets.
Microsoft is instilling enough confidence into its Surface tablet that it has commenced a "large volume production" of the device, which may see up to 5 million units being shipped during the fourth quarter.
According to component supplier sources in Asia, the Wall Street Journal said Microsoft will build between 3 million and 5 million Surface tablets before 2013 arrives.
Sources suggest that Microsoft's figures are in line with both Amazon and Google for their Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 tablets, respectively.
Back in August, IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell told CNET that he expects Microsoft to produce "a little more than 3 million Surface tablets" before the coveted Christmas holiday season arrives.
As for Microsoft's expectations of Surface's commercial performance, chief executive Steve Ballmer had said it hopes to sell "a few million" over the next 12 months.
Microsoft recently unveiled the long-awaited prices announcement for Surface, which launches alongside Windows 8 come October 26.

I think the pro version will be great, imagine having all those great steam indie games on the move
best of luck MS!
I do hope they do well...competition in the market is a good thing. I hope they can help spur more innovation in the market....how can this be bad to have more players in the market competing?
Anyhow, GO MS, I hope you do well..... although I hope Win8 dies a horrible death, my experience with that on a test computer was terrible (I started to cry and shake it was so bad). It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. MS better have an update all ready to go that allows bypassing the start screen and that adds a decent start type of menu back in. The backlash will be intense and the best thing they can do is push out an update ASAP in response. I hope you are listening MS!
Well, it can't be bad, especially if they do well. When there is competition the costumer is always the winner.
"32 GB without Black Touch Cover
Order now for shipment within 3 weeks"
Yup these things sure aren't selling folks...
I expect Bill Gates to buy them and donate them to Africa. There they could use them as floor tiles.
The ceapest ones are already sold out... Toms Hardware are just a few days late to the party...
There's more than that and they purchased iPads. The surface has MS Office so that alone makes it far more useful.
Oh, by the way:
http://www.bgr.com/2012/10/17/microsoft-surface-preorder-demand-sold-out/
SOLD OUT!
Well done MS. May all the haters simply shut up. Maybe try using one?
Sell 3-5 million to who? Who needs to have something that doesn't have much for apps. Enterprise needs to evaluate it so thats sales in 6-12 months. Regular people? Why this over an iPad?
I think Microsoft needs to lower their expectations or they will dump this into the no good pile quickly. People aren't just going to dump money onto an expensive item that has questionable merit compared to the alternatives ... building that kind of support and trust takes time.