So far there have been a total of four Surface devices released — the Surface RT, Surface Pro, Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. It goes without saying that the greatest measure of success for any piece of hardware is the number of sales that are made, but this does not necessarily reflect the amount of interest the same devices are generating. By analyzing Google Trends data, it is possible to see how many searches a being conducted about each version of the Surface.
This is something that TechCrunch undertook, and from the findings it seems as though the Surface 2 is the most searched for of the tablets. More than this, it is also generating search traffic that far outstrips that generated by its predecessor — and there have been two spikes in interest.
You can take a look at the search figures for yourself over at Google Trends and the chart makes for interesting reading. One thing worth noting is that even as far back as 12 months ago, the (as then) non-existent Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 were already being searched for — it looks as though the second generation of the device managed to make itself intriguing to users before the first generation had even had chance to establish itself!
The general upward trend in the graph is in keeping with the findings from Chikita which suggests tablet usage is on the increase. Microsoft will obviously be hoping that this interest will ultimately translate into sales.
How does this fit in with you? Are you one of the people who find the Surface family interesting but, for one reason or another, have not made the commitment?