Microsoft to end Surface 3 production by the end of December 2016

Microsoft has finally confirmed that they will no longer be making more Surface 3 Windows tablets by the end of December 2016 which means that interested buyers should purchase them now.

The news comes several days after retail and online stores report that there has been a shortage in the supply of the Microsoft Surface 3 tablets. There has been no confirmation yet as to why the Redmond-based company is ending the product line or if they will be introducing a new successor to be sold next year.

Microsoft first launched their Surface 3 tablet powered by the Intel Atom chipset in May 2015, ZDNet has learned. The device was one of the most affordable tablets that supported the full Windows software ecosystem of apps.

After more than a year of being sold in the market, Microsoft is finally ending their production at the end of the year. Microsoft did admit that there has been a "strong demand and satisfaction" from customers and that the inventory is now limited.

There could be more users opting for the higher-end versions of the tablet laptop such as the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4, Engadget reported. Another possible reason on the product's discontinuation is Intel's plan to drop the Atom line of chips altogether.

Without any new chips from Intel, the Surface 3 tablet will no longer be available to produce. Microsoft is better off finding a replacement chip and launching a new product.

Microsoft is not the only one planning to discontinue a product. Apple has also confirmed recently that they will be stopping the production of their Thunderbolt Display as rumors of a new one being developed surfaces.

There are still no concrete evidences regarding a new Surface tablet product from Microsoft. Since the Surface 3 was designed and marketed towards students, maybe its predecessor can be geared and priced similarly as well.

For now, users will have to buy their preferred choice for a Surface 3 model as the stocks gradually become depleted across retail stores and online shops. Microsoft plans to stop the production by the end of this year.