Microsoft's Surface tablet has been in the news recently, however their partners don't seem to happy with the planned October release. We spoke to an industry insider a couple of hours ago who said that a handful of leading executives are thinking of pulling out of the Windows 8 tablet market completely.
The problem for Microsoft is that they will be competing against their partners who will also be selling Windows 8 based tablet computers. All of these companies have to pay Microsoft a licensing fee for the new operating system, giving Microsoft a price advantage right from the start.
JT Wang, CEO for Acer has shared his own views on this, speaking to the Financial Times he criticized Microsoft for releasing the tablet.
He said “Think twice, It will create a huge negative impact for the ecosystem and other brands may take a negative reaction. It is not something you are good at so please think twice.”
Wang is hinting at the disastrous results Microsoft have experienced in the smartphone market to date. The punter in the street has voted with their wallet, opting for iOS or Google Android devices. The market for Blackberry and Windows Phone products is very narrow and shows no sign of improving.
Microsoft have already admitted in a report that their Surface tablet would ‘affect OEM commitment to Windows', but they aren't concerned enough to withdraw the product.
Kitguru says: Will Microsoft be able to take a portion of the tablet market, or are they doomed to the failures they have experienced before in the mobile space?
I say it makes the OEM;s make a better product at a good price I am all for it. If Google can get away with it why can’t Microsoft. No body complained when Google started releasing their own products that directly competed with other OEM products yet no one seemed to care. But hey whenever MS tried to make their products better there always seems to be someone that complains about it & MS is forced to change their product.