Microsoft's doorbuster deal on its Dell Venue 8 Pro Tablet was a smash success on Monday when the device sold out within minutes of being discounted.
The tablet, which is listed for $299 and was discounted to $99 for the first 100 online customers and then $199 while supplies lasted, sold out minutes after the sale began at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, ComputerWorld.com reported.
The 32-GB Dell tablet, which runs Windows 8.1, has 2GB of system memory and includes a copy of Office Home and Student 2013. The device has an 8-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.
Many of the company's 86 brick-and-mortar stores and kiosks in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico also featured a sale on the tablet on Monday. The device was reduced to $99 for the first 20 in-store customers and then to $199 as long as supplies lasted.
Microsoft plans a dozen deals total as shopping builds toward Christmas. The doorbusters are intended to bring traffic into Microsoft's stores and increase tablet sales, which have been thin so far, according to ComputerWorld.com.
Research firm IDC projects that Microsoft will take 3 percent of the tablet market share this year, a figure that should build to more than 10 percent by 2017.
Users aren't cottoning to the new Windows 8 system as Microsoft had hoped, according to Tom Mainelli, research director of tablet research at IDC. Customers have also been confused by different OS systems.
"They are forced to sell hardware with one of three Windows OSes, that's at least one too many," Mainelli said. "Microsoft internally has a better handle on it, now they have to market it better."
When it comes to tablets, Microsoft has major competition this holiday season. Apple recently released its new iPad Air, which is reportedly twice as fast as its predecessor. Apple also debuted the iPad Mini with retina display last month, increasing production of the device to 4 million units after buzz that demand would far exceed supply.
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