The Microsoft Surface Mini (8″ ?) would probably be available in your local Best Buy, had sales of the Surface RT met targets. Microsoft stated more or less that much in  it’s fourth quarter 2014 financial results.Click on this line to view Microsoft’s official Fourth Quarter Financial Results page.

The Computer and Gaming Hardware section is about 3/4 of the way down that report. Under the heading titled “Computer and Gaming Hardware” one will find the following info:  “Gross margin increased $665 million compared to the prior year, which included the Surface RT inventory adjustment charge. Current year cost of revenue included Surface inventory adjustments resulting from our transition to newer generation devices and a decision to not  ship a new form factor.“.

Note the use of the words “to not ship a new form factor”. You cannot ship a new product (or not ship it), if said product had not already been produced and packaged ready for shipping. Hmmm. Still don’t believe that the Microsoft Surface Mini is a real Microsoft designed tablet?

Read the original Surface Pro 3 User Manual and read the sections discussing the included Pen and it’s use with OneNote. For example on Page 25,  you will find tidbits like “Click the top button to open OneNote, even if your Surface is locked. Bluetooth technology links your Surface Pen to your Surface Mini or Surface Pro 3,“.

Click on this line to read the “original” Surface Pro 3 Manual online on the Scribd website. Scroll down to page 25 to confirm the above and then see how many other references you can find to the “Surface Mini” in the rest of that Official Microsoft Surface Pro 3 User Guide.

Out of curiosity I also did a Google search on “Surface-Pro-3-User-Guide-English.pdf”. There is a link to a Microsoft D/L. That D/L link description has the words “no mini” in it. Neat eh? So I downloaded it and sure enough the apparently “revised” version no longer mentions the Surface Mini.

There is also a sales page on Amazon, for a MS Surface Mini case.

I could post the image of the Surface Mini mounted inside the case, but have to respect the photograph owner’s copyright and so I have added a link below, to that sales page on Amazon.

Click on this line to view an item listed for sale on Amazon.

That item listed is a case for the Microsoft Surface Mini, but it includes a supposed Surface Mini in the photo.

I wonder what the Tablet Market would be like if Microsoft had released the Surface Mini, instead of the Surface RT?