Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Upfront

    Microsoft’s One-Day $199 Asus Laptop Sale Ends Quickly

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    May 6, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Almost as quickly as it began early on May 6, Microsoft’s one-day special $199 sale on Asus X200-MA laptop computers appeared to end by mid-morning when the Microsoft Website revealed that the available units had sold out.

      For excited buyers who had learned about the one-day $199 sale in pre-event promotions and went online to buy one, it was likely a disappointing downer when the out-of-stock notices appeared upon clicking the “add to cart” button.

      The Asus Windows 8 touch-screen laptops had been marked down $100 from their regular $299 price tag for the event. The machines featured an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive, an 11.6-inch HD display and an estimated five hours of battery life. The promotion started at 3 a.m. EDT, and was scheduled to run until 3 a.m. EDT on May 7, according to a post on the Microsoft Windows Experience Blog.

      So what happened, and why were the machines apparently all gone by 9 a.m. EDT when eWEEK checked the Website?

      “Demand for the $199 Asus promotion across online and physical store channels has been incredibly strong,” a Microsoft spokesperson told eWEEK in an email reply to our inquiry. “While we are sold out online, all full-line stores started the day with inventory, and as of now we still have units available in most stores.” That was at 2:20 p.m. EDT today.

      Well, that’s what the Microsoft spokesperson said, but according to a conversation eWEEK had with a phone operator at Microsoft’s Retail Store Website, there were no Asus sale laptops to be found in any Microsoft store across the nation. That’s what the phone operator said at 9 a.m. EDT today.

      To be fair, the Microsoft Asus laptop sale was advertised as only being available as long as supplies of the units lasted, according to the Website. But Microsoft isn’t commenting about just how many units they had on hand when they began the promotion. Was it 500? Was it 25,000? Was it 50,000? Only Microsoft knows, and they are not telling.

      Several prospective customers vented their frustration on the Microsoft Windows Experience Blog when they were unable to buy one of the devices.

      “Was there any stock online with this?” wrote cicorias. “It was out of stock from the wee hours in the morning. Poor experience.”

      Another user, KT1, wrote “I was at the store within 20 minutes of calling, and they were ‘Just’ sold out … after telling me they had plenty in stock. No rain check, nothing … and this was at 11:00 a.m. in the morning! Quite disappointed in this fake sale. Nothing available online either.”

      I don’t know, but if you’re going to hold a sale to attract customers, and you are a company the size of Microsoft, it might not be a bad idea to plan ahead to have adequate stock to support the event.

      No doubt, the special sale was aimed at dinging Google and its low-priced Chromebooks, but Microsoft didn’t exactly hit a home run here.

      If they did it to fight Chromebooks, they certainly didn’t think it through very well.

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×