Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and Surface 2 Sold Out at Many Locations

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By Adario Strange2013-12-15 20:00:52 -0500

With just a week and a half to go before Christmas, shoppers are in full-on spending mode, but those looking to score the new Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2 may be disappointed. As of this writing, Microsoft’s online store shows both models and all configurations of the new tablet as “sold out.”

A check for either version of the device on Walmart’s online store also showed the device as “out of stock.” A number of customers are also reporting that the device is sold out at Best Buy. However, a quick check of the Best Buy website shows the device as available.

See also: Surface Pro 2 Is a Workhorse PC Like No Other

In order to untangle the conflicting stories between online commenters and Best Buy’s website, I conducted my own unscientific test to see what would happen if I called local stores looking for either the Surface Pro 2 or Surface 2 in any configuration. In a random sampling covering three Best Buy stores in New York City, Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas each local salesperson told me that neither device, in any configuration, was in stock.

And, for the conspiracy theorists out there thinking that this might be some clever retail stunt to make the new Surface seem more popular than it really is, these didn’t appear to be prepared answers that I received as soon as I asked. Each Best Buy salesperson put me on hold (in one case, for 20 minutes) while they conducted a local fact finding mission, ultimately coming up with nothing available.

When I questioned the salesperson in New York City about the shortage, asking if the device was really that popular, she didn’t hesitate when she said the device is “extremely popular.”

Consumers around the country have begun to post their frustrations on Twitter, in some cases directly asking Microsoft when the tablets will be available again.

Meanwhile, a quick search for both versions of the device on Amazon reveals that supplies are dwindling there as well. In the case of the Surface Pro 2 (128GB and 64GB), as of this writing the site showed only eight left in stock for each, while for the Surface 2 (32GB) the site only had three left in stock.

The current shortage of the Surface Pro 2 and Surface 2 is not a glitch on some website or the result of unfounded Internet chatter, it’s real. The only question now is whether the shortage is due to Microsoft purposely producing fewer units in response to last year’s less-than-stellar sales, or if it’s a Christmas miracle and Microsoft finally has a new hardware hit on its hands.

“As somebody working on the surface team it’s certainly been exciting to see the public reaction to these two new products,” Ben Reed Senior Manager for the Microsoft Surface team, told Mashable.

“With regards to specific inventory levels or sales numbers we don’t comment on those specific figures... I would say that it’s our goal to get these two tablets into as many people’s hands as possible and we’re actively working with manufacturing teams and retail partners to replenish stock where it’s been sold out as soon as possible.”

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Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Topics: Gadgets, Microsoft, Mobile, Surface Tablet, Surface 2, surface pro 2, tablets, Tech