The company's developers group says in a tweet that both the Windows RT and Windows 8.1 versions of the device are in short supply. But how short is "short," exactly?
The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 "are close to selling out," Microsoft's developers account tweeted earlier Friday.
At this time, it's unclear how many tablets Microsoft made and what "close to selling out" actually means. A Microsoft spokesman declined to provide information about how many devices the company built but reiterated that inventory is low at Microsoft stores and at the company's site, with some models shipping later than the slated October 22 release date.
Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are close to selling out. All those buyers are gonna need apps. Your move: http://t.co/YGWmjklfuB
— Microsoft Developer (@msdev) October 4, 2013
A quick check in the Microsoft Store online shows the higher-end models of Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 have shipping delays. The 64GB version of the Surface 2 won't ship until October 25, three days after it's available in stores. The 32GB version, however, will ship by October 21. The 256GB and 512GB models of Surface Pro 2, meanwhile, should ship by October 29 while the 64GB and 128GB versions ship by October 21.
In the case of its first-generation
The Surface Pro 2 is what Microsoft calls a full laptop in a tablet design, while the Surface 2 runs a stripped-down version of Windows 8. Microsoft opened preorders for the devices on September 24, and they'll hit stores October 22.
Despite the apparent strong preorders, Microsoft has faced some recent hurdles ahead of an update to its Windows operating system. Dell earlier this week became the latest company to dump plans to develop products running Windows RT, the version of Microsoft's software that runs on chips typically used in cell phones, those based on technology from ARM Holdings. The operating system has failed to gain traction with users, in part because traditional Windows programs won't run on Windows RT.
Microsoft earlier this week told CNET in a statement that Windows RT "continues to be an important element of the Windows strategy."