Steve Brazier thinks that when 2019 comes along, Microsoft will choose to scrap the Surface product line.
Mr. Brazier, the chief executive of analyst firm Canalys, made the forecast at the new Canalys Channels Forum in Venice.
He said that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella would abandon the product line as he’s a “software guy, a cloud guy”, according to News.
Brazier, to back up the allegation, also pointed towards the death of the Windows smartphone line.
He said: “The Surface performance is choppy; there are good quarters and bad quarters, overall they are not giving money.
“It doesn’t make sense for them to be in this company.
“When the capital expense challenge that Satya Nadella has taken Microsoft down matches visible to Wall Street, everyone will ask him ‘Why have you proceeded to a low margin business?'”
Mr. Brazier claimed Microsoft will have cost-cutting to do and “Surface will be the prime target”.
A bigwig from Windows laptop producer Lenovo also backed up Mr. Brazier’s claims – and said the end of the Surface could be even quicker than 2019.
Gianfranco Lanci is the corporate president and chief operating officer at Lenovo.
Speaking at the Canalys forum about Mr. Brazier’s forecast the Surface would be abandoned in 2019, he said: “It might be earlier.
“Microsoft is making a lot of business in the cloud, making a lot of money on Windows and Office, but expending a lot of money on devices.
“And frankly speaking, it is hard to see why they should keep losing money.
“For them, it is a very difficult practice to run hardware products business, they need to be concerned about every single detail as the margin on this is so thin.”
News has contacted Microsoft about Mr. Brazier’s and Mr. Lanci’s predictions that the Surface could be abandoned soon.
Speaking to News, a spokesperson had said: “Surface remains to drive category growth and redefine the way people build, learn and work.
“You’ll see us proceed to innovate and create devices that offer users new and impactful lives.”
Take your time to comment on this article.
