Surface sales up 50% from last year — down nearly 50% from holiday quarter

Microsoft’s Surface ain’t dead yet — but it could certainly be doing better.

In its earnings report today, Microsoft revealed that Surface sales have jumped 50 percent since last year, reaching nearly $500 million. But, that pales in comparison to the Surface performance in the previous quarter, when Surface sales rang in $893 million.

Most companies selling consumer electronics typically see a huge bump in sales during the holiday season, so the Surface’s quarterly decline isn’t too surprising. But at this point, I’d expect an even bigger year-over-year jump for the tablet.

Last year’s Surface lineup didn’t sell very well because the Surface RT simply wasn’t very good. The Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro, on the other hand, are both solid productivity tablets.

Many people expect Microsoft to round out its Surface lineup next month with a smaller Surface Mini, which leaked early via an Amazon listing.