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Updated with comment from Microsoft and specific retail stores to carry Surface RT.
Microsoft is boosting its efforts to sell its Surface RT tablet. The company has already increased production for Surface RT, and the tablet will begin appearing on third-party retail shelves as early as mid-December, Microsoft announced on Tuesday.
Microsoft has been long-rumored to be expanding its Surface RT retail efforts. Since its October 26 launch, the device has only been available for purchase in Microsoft's physical and online stores, limiting its market penetration. A recent report from Chitika found that Surface RT currently makes up a paltry .17 percent of tablet web traffic compared to the .91 percent of Google's also recently launched Nexus 7 and 10; Apple's iPad makes up a whopping 88 percent.
Making the tablet available through other channels will put the Surface RT in front of more people's faces. Clearly, Microsoft is hoping that will give the tablet a sales boost, especially as the expansion coincides with the massive holiday shopping season.
"We believe the stores establish a complementary distribution channel. Surface is a new product for Microsoft. We wanted to be incredibly thoughtful about how we brought the product to market. The Microsoft Stores enabled us to do this in a focused way out of the gates, and now we are at the natural place where we can expand beyond to other retail partners," a Microsoft spokeswoman told Wired.
Consumers in the U.S. and Australia will be the first to see Surface RT on third-party retail shelves, like at Staples, which will start carrying the device as early as December 12. The company says other countries will see roll outs in the coming months. Microsoft also made no announcements about whether its upcoming Surface Pro, which is expected to launch in January, will be available through other retailers.
It does not appear that retailers will get any special pricing on Surface RT. The tablet will continue to start at $500 without a Touch Cover (an additional $120). Microsoft will continue to sell Surface RT through its own stores and online. The company also announced that it will extend all of its holiday pop-up shops, and even transition some of them into permanent Microsoft store locations.
