Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface has, by all indications, been a dud in the consumer market so far. And while it’s unlikely that Microsoft’s $899 Surface Pro will do any better in the consumer market, one analyst thinks that it could be a modest success in the business market. Per AllThingsD, Davenport & Co. analyst Drake Johnstone says that the Surface Pro could appeal to companies looking to buy ultra-portable computers for their workers that are capable of functioning as fully loaded personal computers. In fact, Johnstone is so bullish on the Surface Pro in the workplace that he thinks Microsoft could sell “a few million” of the tablet-PC hybrids.
“It is possible that Microsoft could generate solid enterprise demand for the new Surface Pro tablet,” Johnstone writes in a research note cited by AllThingsD. “[It] will run legacy Windows 7 software applications (including Microsoft Office) and will also run Windows 8 applications. It is possible that corporations could be attracted to the Surface Pro tablet as a replacement for laptop PCs.”
