You may remember the company allowed customers to buy their Surface Pro over a two-year period. This was achieved through the so-called Klarna Financing plans. Working as an upgrade program, users would be able to trade in their existing Surface for a new model after 18 months. We have seen other companies take this approach, most notably Apple. Microsoft did not explain why it decided to end Surface Plus, although the obvious explanation would be a lack of consumer interest. Speaking of consumers, there are certainly those who did embrace the plan. Microsoft says all current monthly buyers will see their contract honoured. Furthermore, the company says they will still be eligible for an upgrade after 18 months. With the program now closed for new business, Microsoft will shut down the Surface Plus portal on September 30.
Future Hardware Subscriptions
While Surface Plus has been something of a failure (or maybe a successful experiment?), Microsoft has not been deterred from locking hardware into a subscription model. Just last month the company debuted its Xbox All Access bundle. All Access groups an Xbox One console with Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live for a monthly fee. It will be interesting to see if gamers are more willing to embrace paying monthly than professionals and IT consumers.
