Earlier quoted context omitted.
They can't reprice these too much without causing a huge issue, so they'd might need to do yet another product, but a surface pro at, say $299, with the keyboard bundled, would do well. That's a price point where a lot of corporate people can get one to test, without needing approval (under $500 vs > $1000). "But they'll lose money!" They've already lost the money (it's already spent). It's a matter of whether they c…
Because the attach rate isn't high enough for tablets. As far as I'm aware, even Apple's not making a ton on their app store (I mean, it's profitable, but it's a pittance compared to their hardware profits). I don't understand your emphasis on market share. Sure, there are some network effects (more users more developers), but what's the point in losing money to gain market share, especially if you set an anchor on a…
MS is well-known for developer tools. With enough installed base for MS/win tablets, the ecosystem around developer tools might help make up the difference in some measure.
Something's gotta give, and continuing to charge at the iPad market with "hey, we'll charge $499+ for something with 0 ecosystem around it (surface RT)" is bordering on fiscal negligence.