Microsoft insiders point to poor Surface sales

Sales of RT version thought to have reached one million, while only 400,000 Surface Pros have been shifted

Microsoft has sold just 1.5 million Surface tablets so far, according to sources who spoke to Bloomberg.

People with knowledge of the company's sales told Bloomberg that the vendor has sold a little over one million of its consumer-focused Surface RT tablets since its launch in the run-up to Christmas last year, and only 400,000 Surface Pro devices since its launch in February.

Microsoft has remained tight-lipped on its sales figures for both its tablet devices and its new OS, Windows 8. It was unavailable to comment on the current claims concerning its Surface sales.

The business-focused Pro was launched in the US and Canada on 9 February, and the rollout is expected to continue worldwide, including in the UK, from the end of this month.

The sources asked Bloomberg not to be named as sales of the tablets are yet to be officially released, but added that the vendor had initially ordered three million devices.

Earlier this week, IDC forecast that in 2013, 190.9 million tablets will be shipped worldwide, an 11 per cent boost from its initial prediction which stood at 172.4 million.

Microsoft's decision to sell two tablets has "yielded poor results so far", the analyst admitted.

Recently, Canalys branded the Surface's arrival on the market as a "non-event" while Context predicted a short life span for both versions of the Surface tablet.