Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. REUTERS/Jim Young The team behind the Microsoft Surface has apologised on the company's community forums to owners who have had a "less-than-perfect experience."

"For those of you who've had a less-than-perfect experience, we’re sorry for any frustration this has caused," said Josh_F. "Please know that we're reading your comments and hearing you loud and clear. Your input is incredibly valuable."

The tablet, which competes with Apple's iPad and MacBook lines, has experienced a number of issues, including flickering screens and devices that refuse to sleep.

Apple recently released the iPad Pro which is aimed at business users, just like Microsoft's Surface Pro. Apple's iPad Pro launch has not been without issues, however.

Microsoft made more revenue from tablet sales than Apple in the third quarter of 2015 and the company is expecting higher demand during the holiday quarter, which includes Christmas.

However, a shortage of Intel's Skylake CPU could rain on the company's parade as orders slip back to January for some users.