Microsoft’s chief executive officer, Steve Balmer, has told Le Parisien newspaper that sales of its new Surface tablet are off to a “modest start.”

 

While exact sales figures for the Surface RT weren’t elaborated on at this point, the company pointed out that the aforementioned  sales have been due to a lack of distribution rather than a lack of interest in, or demand for, the new tablet, as the Surface RT is apparently only being sold through Microsoft stores, according to Microsoft-news.

 

Additionally, the site also noted that the tablet is often in short supply, which could well indicate that the demand for it is in fact far greater than the sales currently suggest.

 

 

In the same interview with Le Parisien, Balmer also played up the big guns of its Surface line, the Surface Pro, which will sport a higher resolution display and Intel processors. In more positive news for the company though, it appears that the take-up of Windows 8 is brisk and gaining momentum, as Balmer reiterated that the company has sold four million Windows upgrades in three days.

 

Windows 8 has been postulated as being a make or break OS move for the CEO and the company, as it marks a radical departure from the customary user interface that Windows users have become accustomed to for more than two decades, in favour of a UI that is more touch device friendly, and thus more future-proof.   

 

Adding to the positive news on the Surface front, rumours have recently emerged that the company was planning a 7” Xbox Surface, which would also mark the company’s entry into the lucrative 7” tablet space, as well the handheld console market.   

 

The Surface tablet, which launched on the 26^th of October, has been marked by both a glowing reception by media mogul Oprah, who compared the tablet to a Mercedes Benz, and some concerns by general users. As to the latter, The Verge recently reported that some users were experiencing audio issues, while The Guardian noted that some users were seeing their Touch Cover split.

 

 

Nonetheless, these may well just be the teething problems which are often associated with new devices, and which are usually quickly addressed.

 

In short, there are plenty of reasons for optimism in Redmond. Microsoft’s Surface Tablets might be late to the tablet game, which to date has been dominated by Apple’s iPad,  and come at a time when its fierce rival, Google, has just launched its own 10” tablet, the Nexus 10, but it also means that the company’s tablets can only improve with time, as has the iOS behemoth.