The first Surface RT tablets were extremely limited. They could only run apps specifically written for Windows 8, and only used the classic "desktop" mode to run Microsoft Office. The new Surface Pro tablets, on the other hand, can run "normal" Windows games and apps, and the premium 128 GB model is widely reported to have sold out both online and in brick-and-mortar stores.
According to Business Insider's Steve Kovach, however, not that many were made to begin with. And while Windows enthusiast Paul Thurrott says people at Microsoft Store locations are reporting "Apple-like" lines, the writer of the Virtual Pants blog notes that his store sold out in 15 minutes, "which means there wasn't much to sell."
With that and the continued dominance of Apple's iPad tablet in mind, where does Microsoft now stand in its attempt to turn things around from the "post-PC era" into the "PC plus" era?
Apple's still winning on apps
The iPad now has hundreds of thousands of games and apps available for it. Windows 8 now has 40,000, according to PCWorld's Brad Chacos, but the rate at which new games and apps are added to the Windows Store has slowed to a near standstill.
Surface Pro's Windows apps come at a price
Surface Pro's ability to run old Windows software in the classic desktop significantly adds to the number of apps available for it. Reviewers note, however, the trade-offs Microsoft had to make in order to make this happen, including an increased price tag, thicker and heavier design, and lower battery life.
Apple's still ahead in profit share
According to All Things D's John Paczkowski, a report by analyst Tavis McCourt shows Apple taking 77 percent of the combined smartphone and tablet industry's operating profits, on top of 43 percent of the revenue. So almost one in every two smartphone- and tablet-buying dollars (or other denominations of money) is spent to buy Apple products, and the company takes three of every four dollars in those markets after expenses.
Apple is now on top of the PC market
If you count the iPad along with notebook and desktop computers -- like how most people count netbooks, even though they're smaller, cheaper, and in many ways less capable than the iPad -- Apple sold almost as many last quarter as PC titans HP and Lenovo combined, according to Canalys. The two would otherwise have been on top of the market.
Sold-out Surface a start?
Whether you look at it in comparison with Apple or not, Microsoft has successfully demonstrated that there's demand for high-end, Windows-compatible tablets, which cost as much as an ultrabook or MacBook Air when the Touch Cover is factored in.
One thing to keep in mind, though: Since it's been widely publicized that the slightly-lower-end 64 GB Surface Pro only has 23 GB of actual usable space, the sales of 128 GB Surface Pro tablets may also reflect a belief that the 64 GB model doesn't have enough space for the classic Windows games and apps people want to put on them.
Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.
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