Software giant Microsoft (MSFT 2.66%) today announced that it is expanding distribution of its Surface tablets.
The company will bring its Surface RT device to six additional countries at the end of March: Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan. The more powerful Surface Pro tablet will launch in Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the U.K. in "the coming months."
The Surface family of tablets represents Microsoft's biggest foray into first-party consumer hardware and signals a major shift in the company's strategy, which has historically revolved around software. Surface RT launched with much fanfare in October, but IDC estimates the company only shipped 900,000 units into its distribution channel during the fourth quarter.
Surface Pro, which features a more capable operating system that supports legacy applications, launched earlier this month and carries higher retail prices than Surface RT.
