8:00 PM Eastern Update: Well there has been a few more updates sent my way via Twitter including a response from Best Buy Support.
Here is a shot of the Surface RT display at a Best Buy store in Howell, New Jersey. Thanks Jason for sharing the pic. Not too bad in comparison to the original store shots we have seen.
Another Twitter user shared this info with us about the Best Buy they visited:
@WinObs@halberenson yes I can believe it. Saw the Bestbuy display today. They had the surface upside down on the counter…
@WinObs@halberenson and the bestbuy associate told me the surface was more for business…
As I mentioned one of the reps on the @BestBuySupport account did reply to the story and other tweets:
Best Buy SupportVerified
@BestBuySupport
@winobs I took a look at where the surface was placed and I’m not sure why it is on display in that manner. Thanks for the info! ^Kevin
Hopefully they will get some standardization out in the stores to properly display Surface RT to customers.
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Update: Just had another friend on Twitter send me a photo of a Staples Store Surface RT display which looks much more professional than what Best Buy had below. This store is located in Lubbock, Texas and the display is actually located on the other side of the store away from where laptops and desktops are on display. Not sure why it is not near the other PC’s and stuff but at least the display looks good.
Thanks for the picture Jeremy.
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As everyone knows it was announced last week that Microsoft was expanding the retail availability for their Surface line of tablets by placing them in Best Buy and Staples brick and mortar stores. Those stores also made them available on their websites earlier in the week as well.
Today was expected to be the first day of the devices being in the physical stores and ready for sale.
One of my good Twitter friends, Dana Charter, visited the Best Buy store earlier today in California, Maryland and what he found there was, as he described it, horrible.
He shared these pictures of what he found with me:
This is the only signage that was out for the Microsoft Surface RT and it was taped to the side of the shelf they had the Surface RT on along with accessories. Glad they added the WOW !! for emphasis.
Here is a front view of the display table/area for the Microsoft Surface RT. As you can see it is the lock cage for the devices with one unit on display/setup and the accessories lined up on either side. Looks like it all barely fits on top.
Here is a wider shot of the location of the Surface RT display shelf. Notice it is sitting right next to the clearance table? Dana said it was lined up there right as you head towards check out.
Honestly, I think it is disgraceful to have the Surface RT displayed like this as if it is a discount device.
I wish Microsoft would require a certain level of display standards for their units so that Best Buy can not just do things like this. I am thinking it should be on an equivalent level of the tables most Best Buy Stores have the iDevices displayed on.
Now of course this is just one Best Buy Store. Maybe, just maybe, others are doing the Surface RT much better. Same thing goes for Staples.
Have you been out to a Best Buy or Staples and seen the Microsoft Surface RT display area? Please tweet us a picture at @WinObs or make a comment below with a link to the photo.
So what do you think about this display attempt at Best Buy?
Source: Dana Charter (@Reighvin)
