Microsoft’s Surface instigates mix reaction from its hardware partners – Part 2

Apple has almost no one to please in the personal computing industry, as far as hardware partnership goes. It builds its own software, manufactures its own hardware—through vendors like Foxconn, of course. It has the industrial leeway to launch anything it wants with utter freedom.

On the other hand, Microsoft is bound by several anti-trust issues and partnership agreements with more than two dozen manufacturers including Dell and IBM. Moreover, this is not a new product, tablets have been in the market for more than three years now and there are two competitors in the market, not one.

Google’s mobile operating system Android can pose a bigger threat to Microsoft. There are as many hardware vendors with Android as there are with Windows. Therefore, the likes of Asus, Samsung and Acer can retire themselves from Microsoft’s company and focus all their attentions on Google, who has Google Chrome and Android coming up in ultrabooks as well.

However, Acer does not represent the whole vendor community. Dell released a statement last week that they are still loyal to Microsoft on the new Windows platform.

“We remain committed partners to Microsoft. We remain committed to Windows 8, and we will have a Slate product at the time of launch,” said a Dell spokesperson last week.

Moreover, there are several other opinions on the street that suggest otherwise than the aforesaid. Stan Shih has a different notion than his counterpart at Acer on Microsoft’s new product. According to the Acer founder Microsoft is planning on releasing merely a prototypical product to spur the market in towing the same line. Surface will create a ripple in the market for other vendors to float new ideas. After a successful torrent created, Microsoft will withdraw product from the market, said Shih.

Should the new tablet become a flop in the market, Microsoft has to consider a contingency plan so that PC market does not take a blow. Windows 8 is hybrid operating system designed for both desktops and tablets alike.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Jun 25 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.