surface

Suppliers in Asia have apparently spilled the beans on Microsoft's production line plans for its coming Surface devices.

If the information is to be believed, MS have put in component orders to ensure they are able to produce 3 to 5 million of the devices for the fourth quarter. With such an order Microsoft looks set to go into mass production rather than just produce a limited run as some speculated on.

Earlier we reported that Suning (reads "soo-ning") gadget chain (a good equivalent of Best Buy in the US) is going to distribute Microsoft Surface tablets in China, making Suning the first ever third-party distributor of Surface globally.

Just a while ago, Suning sort of confirmed the rumor, and hinted at a bit more, by posting a very interesting update to its official account on Chinese social media website Sina Weibo.

Photos have been captured of what appears to be Surface ads in Paris. Taking on the same form of graffiti style as those seen in the US recently we’re wondering if this is the start of a concerted effort to get the message out to those in Europe.

These type of ads have been appearing in the US for some time but so far we haven’t had anything at all globally, leading many to begin to worry about availability across the pond.

In his latest letter to shareholders, Steve Ballmer has reiterated the desires of the company to become a devices and services company, contradicting what Charlie Kindel, former Windows Phone General Manager, had to say about the hardware dream with the Surface.

With the coming release of Windows 8 and the subsequent decision for Microsoft to dive in and develop its own tablet, it’s becoming clearer where this is taking them. A company that makes and delivers the entire stack. From cloud services to the device in your hand, this appears to be their vision.

Microsoft has kicked off a rather aggressive Surface marketing campaign with promotion material being erected in a number of cities in the US. San Francisco is the latest host with an array of photos being sent in from a Windows Phone Central reader. As one can see from the photos, the software giant is making the most of the infrastructure to apply advertising almost everywhere.

It seems once all the screens and display units were full, they then turned their attention to the floor. We previously covered Surface advertising at public transport links in New York and Washington DC. Head on past the break for more shots of the action in San Francisco.

They may be small, but they're pretty

Although Microsoft has been opening quite a few full-fledged retail Stores over the past few months, the last time we counted there are still less than 30 nationwide. Microsoft’s solution for this, albeit temporary, is to open mini “Holiday Stores” in malls and shops across the country.

While we don’t know the range for these little popups meaning if some will be big and some tiny, we do know they will look quite nice. Case in point are these two photos from the Galleria mall in St. Louis, where we can see two Microsoft kiosks being prepped for the 26th.

Microsoft's Surface advertising campaign appears to be in more public locations than first believed, thanks to a batch of photos sent in by Windows Phone Central reader Micah. The Windows 8 tablets that are being developed at Redmond have already been spotted in a subway in Washington DC, and a handful of photos were thrown up earlier today.

Now we can confirm similar adverts (with a pink coloured Surface tablet) are featured at Grand Central station, New York. As mentioned in our earlier coverage, the promotion material is unique, straight to the point, and effectively shows off the design of the Surface. Check out a few more photos after the break.

Microsoft Surface advertising material has been spotted in Washington, DC and thanks to Windows Phone Central reader Conan we've got some photos to show everyone. The advertising shows off the tablet's connectivity between the device itself and the smart covers with the "Click in." caption to highlight the user friendliness.

The advertisements show off light blue and pink coloured Surface tablets and the look of both designs is appealing. We're still yet to see Microsoft unveil its Windows 8 tablet family to the world, but the official launch can't be too far off with the company prepping temporary holiday stores across the US. So how aggressively will Microsoft push Surface?

Microsoft is expected to unveil its Surface range of Windows 8 tablets, both an RT (ARM) and a Pro (Intel / AMD x86) version to cater for most mobile PC needs. With the plan to set a high standard for OEM partners to follow, Microsoft has taken a bold move to start offering its own hardware to marry released software.

WPDownUnder has been able to uncover details surrounding availability for Australian consumers. According to a trusted source, Microsoft has been in talks with major retailers to launch the Surface instead of erecting Microsoft Stores. On top of this the source reveals this deal will be exclusive for initial availability.