Delivery of Microsoft's new Surface for Windows RT tablet computers is delayed for some customers, Microsoft confirmed Monday.
"We are aware of the issues related to Surface shipments, and are working hard to get them delivered to customers as quickly as possible. Customers will be notified via email as soon as their order has shipped and will be offered a 50 Euro gift card for their inconvenience. We sincerely apologize for the delay," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement.
Some customers in the U.K. and Canada haven't received the Microsoft Surface tablet computers they pre-ordered and were promised by Oct. 26, according to a report on The Register.
Some customers instead have received emails from Microsoft saying they will get the Surface tablets between Oct. 26 and Oct. 30, while others have been told the ship dates have been pushed back to November, according to the report.
Some customers have also received apologies for the delay along with vouchers worth 50 U.K. Pounds or $50 Canadian for use in the Microsoft Online Store, according to the report.
[Related: Ready For Launch: 12 Hot Devices Running Windows 8]
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft launched the Surface for Windows RT tablet, along with the Windows 8 and Windows RT operating systems, with a great deal of fanfare last week.
At the event Microsoft said the Surface for Windows RT tablet was available in Microsoft stores and for order from Microsoft's Web site. But the company began taking pre-orders back on Oct. 16 for, supposedly, shipment on Oct. 26.
Microsoft has reportedly ordered a production run of 3 million to 5 million units of the Surface tablet produced this quarter. Currently only the ARM microprocessor-based Surface for Windows RT is available: The Intel-based Surface for Windows Pro is scheduled to ship in January.
The Register story quoted a Microsoft statement that said customers in the U.K. and Canada would receive their pre-ordered Surface tablets between now and Oct. 30, offering no explanation for the delays or the confusion.
While some customers received order confirmations that they would receive the products on Oct. 26, Microsoft News reported on Oct. 26 that Microsoft had revised the language of the order confirmations from delivery on Oct. 26 to between that date and Oct. 30.
PUBLISHED OCT. 29, 2012
