Microsoft Delays Shipments Of Massive 55- And 84-inch Surface Hubs
Early last month, Microsoft starting revealing more details about its impressive Surface Hubs, which are designed for use in business conference rooms. The massive touch screen displays are fully-functional Windows 10 PCs complete with 100 points of touch, Intel Core processors, and SSD storage. The 55-inch Surface Hub has a display resolution of 1920x1080 and a price tag of $6,999. The 84-inch Surface Hub comes with a 4K display and will set businesses back a whopping $19,999.
Pre-orders for both Surface Hubs began on July 1 and Microsoft promised that units would begin shipping in September. However, word came down this week that both Surface Hubs will be delayed. The announcement came bundled in with news that Microsoft is expanding availability of its Surface products from “a few hundred partners selling and servicing Surface to a few thousand globally in the coming months.”
Microsoft says that it has seen exceptional pre-order demand for the Surface Hubs, and as a result it must change its production schedule. “Based on the early interest we see, we’re tuning our manufacturing process to prepare for production at broader scale,” said Brian Hall, General Manager for Microsoft’s Surface business. “To do this, we are adjusting our product roll-out schedule to ensure we deliver a great customer experience and set our partners up for success.”
That means that Surface Hubs will no longer be shipping in early September as originally promised. Instead, Hall explains that Microsoft will give a more detailed shipment schedule next month (which will hopefully include new, concrete shipping dates for both the 55- and 84-inch Surface Hubs). During this time of shipping uncertainty, Microsoft is still accepting pre-orders for the Surface Hub.
The Surface Hub is a new product category for Microsoft, and a niche one at that. It was developed out of technology that Microsoft acquired through the purchase of Perceptive Pixel in 2012 and is being produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Wilsonville, Oregon.
