Microsoft’s Surface family of products began with a few tablets featuring pen input and detachable keyboards. But now there’s also the Surface Book, Surface Hub, and Surface Studio. While most of the new additions of the Surface lineup are premium products that probably won’t appeal to everyone, overall the Surface line seems to be doing well.
According to Microsoft, November was the company’s “best month ever” for consumer Surface sales.
The company is also offering a new option for businesses interested in its big-screen Surface Hub computers: try-and-buy.
The Surface Hub is an all-in-one computer with a 55 inch or 84 inch touchscreen display, pen input, video conferencing features, and other hardware and software designed for use in corporate environments.
With prices starting at $8,999 for the cheapest model, it’s clearly not aimed at the general public, and Microsoft didn’t really expect huge demand. But Microsoft says demand “far exceeds” the company’s expectations, with units shipping to 2,000 customers in 24 markets. That doesn’t mean only 2,000 Surface Hub devices have shipped though. At least one customer purchased 1,500 units.
The new try-and-buy program will let potential customers request a Surface Hub from select retailers, try it out for 30 days, and then decide whether to pay for the computer or return it. The program will launch in the US and Europe over the winter and roll out to the Asia Pacific region later.