Microsoft (MSFT) Surface Shipments Surge in U.K. During Q1; Investors Look to Next-Gen Device

Shipments of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) next Surface tablet are said to have surged in the U.K. ahead of the devices release this quarter.

Data from Canalys showed that Microsoft shipped 71,540 Surface units in Q1, up 27.1 percent over the prior year and good enough for 3.3 percent of the market.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) saw a 4.1 percent drop in tablet shipments to 742,000 units, taking 34.4 percent of the U.K. market.

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) was moved to fifth with 42,000 units, an 80 percent decline from the prior year. Notably, this doesn't mean Android suffered; Samsung shipments were 653,000 units last quarter.

The negative part of the news for Microsoft, but not wholly unexpected, is that about three of every five Surface units ran Windows RT, meaning they were the less-expensive version. Investors are hoping that the tweaks applied to the Surface Pro 3 will be enough to grab shoppers attention...and their wallets.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 will hit the U.K. with preorders in June, but won't be available until August. Shares of the software giant are up 1.2 percent.

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