Microsoft seems to have done a “stealth sale” on the Surface Pro 3 i5/256GB model by offering $200 off which brought the total price for the tablet to just $1099 USD (regularly $1299 USD).
Unfortunately, this sale seems to have happened without any notice and lasted for only 4 hours, ending a few minutes ago at 3PM PST today.
As I write this, the offer is still being displayed on the Microsoft Store web page but, if you click on the i5/256GB model to get the pricing, the price is now back to it’s normal $1299 USD.
What was Microsoft doing? Is this some sort of sign the Surface Pro 4 is eminent? Did someone just lose their job because they forgot to advertise this sale so that people would know about it? Was it a test of some kind or did it mean nothing at all?
“Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence.” -Unknown but frequently attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte
It seems to me that the point of a limited-time sale is to bring in people to buy your product with some urgency and having such a stealth sale seems to negate that possibility.
OK, this stunt created some buzz but, is it useful buzz or will it alienate potential customers who might now hold off on buying a Surface Pro 3 “just in case” another stealth sale pops up?
But, what do I know?
I only found out about this sale just a few minutes ago and I wasn’t able to get word out to you before the sale ended.
Tim
