Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Ups and Downs on the Same Day

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is making a variety of headlines on both sides of the news spectrum Tuesday. As the company is down to its final 10 days before the official launch of its Surface tablet and Windows 8 operating system, it is making some personnel adjustments in one of its gaming studios.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) revealed earlier this morning that it would offer its Surface RT model for $499, with the keyboard cover an optional extra for the entry-level model. Microsoft is also expected to release a tablet that runs the new Windows 8 OS, though a price point for that has not been revealed.

Whether Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is trying to be optimistic or trying to avoid the supply and delivery issues that have come from the iPhone 5 launch by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) last month, it has been reported that the company is ordering 5 million Surface tablets for this current quarter – also known as the holiday shopping season. This number is consistent with orders of the Kindle Fire by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and the Nexus 7 tablet by Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), though those are smaller devices, and half the number of iPad Minis ordered by apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported 5 million sales of the iPhone 5 in the first weekend, which shattered records and led to delays in deliveries because of lack of supply in the chain to meet the demand. Also, the company moved 17 million iPads in a single quarter – more than three times the number of Surfact units ordered by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in its first run.

In other news involving Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), a report today stated that the company has laid off some workers in its Lionshead Studios gaming division in the wake of the release of Fable: The Journey. While the company won’t release an exact number, the company did say it was going to eliminate 10 percent of its Lionshead work force, but was working with many of those to find “alternative opportunities,” perhaps in other divisions of Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) – including new Microsoft Studios in the U.K.

What will be the final result of these news items for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)? Is the company moving forward to be successful on its bottom line? How would investors like billionaire fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital look at this? Maybe looking at future insider trades might gives us a glimpse as we head into and through the holiday shopping season.