Acer says Microsoft should think twice before selling its Surface tablets

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Microsoft’s unveiling of the Surface and Surface Pro took many by surprise, including the management at some close Windows PC partners like Acer. It’s not something Microsoft has tried before, after all, but the company felt that it needed to lead the way with Windows 8 and show others how to build a Windows system right. Some partners are clearly not excited about the learning process. Acer CEO, JT Wang, for example, has urged Microsoft to reconsider its plans.
Building tablets, Wang notes, isn’t even something Microsoft is good at. That’s an interesting jab coming from the CEO of a company that has yet to make any real noise in the tablet space — and has certainly never hit a home run with a Windows tablet PC.
Wang and Acer understandably feel jilted. “We have said think it over,” Wang said to the Financial Times recently. He also believes that Surface “will create a huge negative impact for the ecosystem and other brands may take a negative reaction,” adding that “it is not something you are good at so please think twice.” Microsoft is indeed rocking the boat by competing against those who helped build its brand and dominant market position. If Microsoft now thinks it’s a good idea to build devices like the Surface, Wang wonders if it might not also be time for Acer to build computers that run something other than Windows.
The trouble is, Acer has already tried that, and the company hasn’t seen any real success from its attempts. In addition to shipping low-cost netbooks with Linpus Linux pre-installed, Acer has also turned out machines that dual-boot Android and Windows. Ultimately, they mostly became Windows machines with an unused Android partition.
But perhaps now is the perfect time to try again. Many of you said you don’t need a Windows PC or a Mac any more when I asked back in April. If Acer and other manufacturers have been waiting for an excuse to make a splash with Ubuntu or a tweaked version of Android, why not do it while Microsoft is busy building tablets?
Another jab Wang directs at Microsoft is that it’s not possible to be a “hardware player” with only two products. Wang might want to check with Amazon about that, because it seems to be doing quite well with only the Kindle Fire in its android tablet line-up. He might also make sure he fully understands what Microsoft’s goals are with the Surface.
Microsoft doesn’t need or want to be a hardware player. The goal is to build a strong, profitable Windows ecosystem with the Windows Store at its core. Windows 8 is a very new direction for the OS, and Microsoft knows that it has to convince other manufacturers (as well as developers) that it’s going to be a hit with users — and help them boost their profits.
It makes you wonder what the real driving force behind Wang’s comments is. Is it frustration with Microsoft, or is it perhaps a fear that his company won’t be able to deliver a device that can challenge the Surface tablets?