Just how many Paper-Weights does 900 million equal?

[machistmo]

900 million divided by (insert RT cost here) = How many paper weights? I think MitchellVii said it best when he said " Never trust a guy that doesn't brush his tongue! " That is just an EPIC comment.

But seriously, what good use would you put these devices to if it were up to you to try? Would you donate them to schools? Technical colleges? Another Country? Which one? And Why? 'Surface RT cluster o' Quake Classic Server o' beast-ness' , perhaps? If tomorrow Ballmer called you up and said "Listen, (Insert name here), the Microsoft community is counting on you to handle the redistribution of these RT devices in a way that would save the most face for MS" what would you do with them?

 

[mitchellvii]

According to my GF who is a college professor, the Surface RT is getting a lot of buzz on campus since the price came down.

 

[FFX]

900 million isn't just the devices its for developing the Surface, materials, commercials, renting factories etc. The best use is to lower the price and sell them, as this will increase awareness about it and give Surface and Microsoft more users. And this is exactly what Microsoft is doing.

 

[kristalsoldier]

900 million divided by (insert RT cost here) = How many paper weights? I think MitchellVii said it best when he said " Never trust a guy that doesn't brush his tongue! " That is just an EPIC comment.

But seriously, what good use would you put these devices to if it were up to you to try? Would you donate them to schools? Technical colleges? Another Country? Which one? And Why? 'Surface RT cluster o' Quake Classic Server o' beast-ness' , perhaps? If tomorrow Ballmer called you up and said "Listen, (Insert name here), the Microsoft community is counting on you to handle the redistribution of these RT devices in a way that would save the most face for MS" what would you do with them?

Let's see...I would take the tablets and distribute it in a country like India (for free). And, I would do so in schools, specifically for students who are in their 6th and 9th grades. Why? First, it will give me a spread of over a million users who would know (1) the Surface (2) Office (3) the convenience and advantage of a device that gives them the ability to carry - in a manner of speaking - their in-school computer labs in their school bags. Why would I do this? It's called investing in the future. In passing I would note that both Apple and Google don't have comparable products for the target market that I am looking at.

That said, I think FFX has a very valid point. The 900 Million may be a "write off" in accounting terms, but in a strategic sense, it was the entry fee that MS paid for (1) entering the tablet market late (2) shocking their OEMs into developing platforms for Win 8 in general and the RT version, in particular (3) getting the app market for RT (but also of Win 8) galvanized (4) getting their house in order and (5) defining their logistics chain - globally and in their local markets. In other words, the 900 Million is MS making a strategic investment.

Tangentially, in support of this theory, see: Why Microsoft isn't going to dump Windows RT | ZDNet