Since its launch a little over one month ago, investors have wondered whether Microsoft's (MSFT 0.43%) Surface 2 tablets will prove to be a winner for the tech behemoth.

To be sure, Microsoft made big strides improving the Surface 2's hardware over its predecessor. But in the video below, Fool contributor Steve Symington worries Microsoft's latest tablet is still lacking both a meaningful app ecosystem and a significant number of interested buyers -- two crucial things that Microsoft's competitors already have.

After all, remember Apple (AAPL 1.00%)already sold 14.1 million iPads in its most recent quarter, and Amazon.com (AMZN 0.80%) just announced last week's holiday-shopping weekend was the best ever for its Kindle devices, with its relatively low-priced Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch tablets being the best-selling items on all of Amazon.com. 

To get Steve's full take on why things don't look quite as promising for Microsoft's Surface 2, check out the video below.