Microsoft's Surface RT Launch 'Total Disaster' as Microsoft Takes $900 Million Charge on 'Inventory Adjustments' [Report]

By Michael Oleaga / m.oleaga@latinospost.com (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Jul 19, 2013 03:41 PM EDT

Tags Microsoft, Microsoft Surface, Microsoft Surface RT

The Microsoft Surface with Windows RT's launch was an "absolute and total disaster," a report stated, as the company officially released its new advertisement against Apple's iPad.

Jason Gilbert of Yahoo! News wrote of how much anticipation was given for the Surface with Windows RT tablet, but said the excitement fell short following its launch day.

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"After that night, it seemed like everything fell off a cliff, and then kept rolling and fell off another cliff, beneath which was a bottomless pit: The rollout of the Microsoft Surface was as badly-botched as any product launch I've ever seen," Gilbert wrote.

He noted how Microsoft failed to disclose the Surface with Windows RT's pricing, release date, or even a pre-order date until four months after the tablet's announcement, in October.

According to Gilbert, the four-month delay removed all hype and anticipation people might have had for the Microsoft tablet.

In fact, during the latest quarterly earnings, Microsoft revealed it was taking a $900 million charge "related to Surface RT inventory adjustments."

The "inventory adjustments," according to Gilbert, may refer to the unsold Surface tablets with Windows RT.

"The Surface RT is not dead, but given its horrendous beginnings, there will need to be a dramatic turnaround in order for it to be deemed anything but an expensive, ponderous failure," Gilbert added. "And if Microsoft wants to know why the Surface it's a failure, it shouldn't look at the product itself -- which I find totally adequate as a personal tablet -- but rather at the launch of the thing itself."

Meanwhile, Microsoft may be attempting to solve their problem of unsold tablets. As Latinos Post reported, prices for the tablets have been reduced. The tablet-only 32GB Surface with Windows RT at the Microsoft Store is now $349, down from the original $449 price, while the 64GB variant will cost the consumer $449 instead of $599. For consumers buying the Surface with Windows RT with a Touch Cover, it will cost an additional $100 for each 32GB and 64GB models.

Microsoft has also launched a new Surface with Windows RT advertisement, which compared the tablet to Apple's 9.7-inch iPad with Retina Display. Latinos Post covered the commercial on July 11 when it leaked on YouTube, but the YouTube Surface account has officially uploaded it on July 19.

The features for the Surface with Windows RT include a 10.6-inch ClearType Widescreen with 1,366x768 pixels. The Microsoft tablet utilizes the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and has 2GB of RAM. The Surface with Windows RT is also able to connect with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n.