1 iPad Threat2 Surface Go
Data from AdDuplex shows the Surface Go already has 1.24% of usage in terms of all Surface devices. Still way ahead is the Surface Pro 4, which was used by 32.7% of Surface customers. Many are still hanging around on the Surface Pro 3, which accounted for 18.6%. We will likely see the Surface Go increase its usage share in coming months and take more percentage from its more potent (and more expensive) siblings. Yes, AdDuplex looks at usage and not direct sales, but people have to be buying them to use them.
iPad Threat
Apple has had the tablet market fairly sewn up since day one of the iPad. Sure, that market is dwindling as consumers don’t upgrade tablets like they do smartphones, but Apple is on top. When Microsoft released the Surface Pro, something happened. A new category of device was created, a cross between the convenience of a tablet, but with the full productivity of a PC. Ok, Microsoft did not create that category, but the Surface Pro got it just right. Since then, Apple has attempted to nudge its way into that category with the iPad Pro. This is a device I happen to love, but I still don’t use the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement. My Surface Pro on the other hand is not just a laptop replacement, it is my daily driver. Not for the first time in the tablet market, Microsoft tried to aim for Apple’s position with the Surface Go. This is a full Windows 10 machine priced like a regular slate. Apple’s iPad has serious competition and the data from AdDuplex seems to show the threat the Surface Go poses is real.
Surface Go
Yes, the data only presents information for Windows devices. However, it shows that if a consumer is in the market for a Windows device, they are increasingly choosing the Surface Go. It is worth mentioning Surface devices are never blockbuster sellers. They do good numbers, enough to justify the division, but they are not “hits” in the truest sense. I have often argued they are not meant to be. Microsoft builds Surface products to show the hardware potential on Windows 10. The company was tired of Windows devices being looked on as inferior in terms of build quality and aesthetics. Surface is the answer to that; any success is a welcome bonus. While the Surface Go is unlikely to ever catapult to the top of the tablet market, its increasing popularity should worry Apple. Tablet sales are on a downward slope, while hybrid laptop/tablets running Windows 10 are increasing in popularity. Surface Go is best poised to reach mass appeal consumers.
