Just days after BlackBerry announced a major price cut for their flagship Z10 smartphone, Microsoft has followed suit with its Surface RT tablet, slashing the retail going-rate for the device by $150 in an effort to gain great prominence in the tablet market.

The Surface RT boasts 32 gigabytes of storage space, 2 gigs of RAM, a four-core processor, and a 10.6 in. screen. The device received a strong reception from critics and industry experts upon its release in October, with many praising its innovative interface and its sold-separately physical keyboard cover. However, the device has failed to catch on with most buyers: reports indicate that Microsoft moved roughly 900,000 total tablets in 2013, a relatively small figure that leaves the Washington-based software titan with only 1.8 percent of the tablet market. 1.8 percent is still a respectable stronghold, but not a dominating one by any means. Apple still rules the tablet roost, with 39.6 percent of the total market, and other players, like Samsung, Asus, and Amazon all clocked in with higher tablet sales than Microsoft. The company rounded out the top five, effectively knocking struggling bookseller, Barnes & Noble, out of competition.

However, Microsoft recently vowed to boost their presence in the mobile device world, and the Surface RT price-cut may be a way to help that happen. At its original $499, the Surface RT was having understandable difficulty competing with the similarly-priced iPad, especially considering the fact that one of the Surface’s most compelling components–the add-on keyboard cover–sells for an extra $100 as a standalone. Now, with the price for the Surface RT dropping to $349, the device should be able to pick up a few more fans.

Of course, Microsoft’s presence in the tablet marketplace isn’t confined to its own tablets. Numerous other manufacturers use the company’s Windows operating system to power their tablets, including top-five player, Asus, and other popular brands such as Lenovo, Dell, and Acer. Samsung has introduced a number of Windows-powered tablets, as well, though the company also utilizes a similar Android operating system to featured on their Galaxy S4 smartphone.

Whether or not Microsoft will be able to evolve from a fringe tablet manufacturer into a competitive player remains to be seen. After all, competing with Apple’s reputation for quality or Amazon’s bookselling prominence is no easy task. However, Microsoft does have a certain level of experience in breaking into already-established markets. In 2001, the company unveiled the original Xbox, its first foray into the world of video game consoles. In the years since, Xbox has become a household term and Microsoft has built itself into a force to be reckoned with, successfully competing (and in many cases, defeating) Nintendo and Sony, companies with substantially longer gaming histories.