Microsoft Surface 3 (Photo : YouTube/MobileTechReview)
Microsoft's affordable Windows tablet, the Surface 3 will be taken off the shelves just a year and half after its launch. However, the Redmond tech giant is yet to announce a successor to the device.
Microsoft has confirmed that it will stop producing the Surface 3 by the end of December, ZDNet reported. The company told the outlet that as of now, the stock of the tablet is "limited." So, people desiring to own a Surface 3 may not the model if they do not hurry.
The Redmond tech giant launched the Surface 3 in May of 2015 as a reasonably priced 2-in-1 targeting students as well as people who may have drawn towards the iPad, rather than going for a complete laptop. However, the stocks of the device was running low of late and finally the company has confirmed that it would wind up production of the tablet over the next six months.
Following this confirmation, industry watchers and tech enthusiasts have been wondering whether or not Microsoft will offer a replacement by the time it withdraws the Surface 3 from the stores, Engadget reported. According to the company, there has been a "strong demand and satisfaction" for the 2-in-1, but still they would wind down sales of this popular product about six months before production stops.
Priced at $499 at launch, this Atom-based tablet is packed with Windows 8.1 operating system. Nevertheless, the device can be upgraded to Windows 10. Microsoft even rolled out LTE variants of the device.
Currently, the higher-end Surface Pro 4 as well as the Surface Book is the stars of the present hardware generation, the report added. On the other hand, though the Surface 3 brought down the barrier to acquire a Microsoft tablet with pen support in addition to a full app ecosystem, the Atom chip and limited storage of the device make it difficult to market as a substitute for laptop.
However, the end of Surface 3 production does not mean an end of the company's non-Pro Surface models. Microsoft may plan to rebound when it will be able to sync the products with a new big-bang Windows release. There are reports that the company may deliver the next Windows edition, for instance the Redstone 2, in early 2017.
Watch the Microsoft Surface 4 Pro review below:
