That Microsoft upset its OEM partners by producing a tablet by itself is not really news-- so what Acer CEO J.T. Wang tells the Financial Times about the Surface only provides further confirmation.
Wang believes the Surfaces will be "negative for the worldwide ecosystem" causing other vendors to "take a negative reaction." He nearly begs Microsoft to "...think it over... please think twice."
"If Microsoft is going to do hardware business, what should we do? Should we still rely on Microsoft, or should we find other alternatives?" Wang continues.
Back in June reports emerged on how Microsoft kept the Surface a closely guarded secret, letting other vendors know about the tablet only 3 days before the official launch. A bit like what Apple does, basically. But can it really do that? After all, while Apple works by itself (and can really do whatever it wants) Microsoft still depends on its OEM partners around the globe.
The Microsoft 10-K report filed on July 2012 admits the Surface might have upset OEM partners, saying "our Surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM partners, which may affect their commitment to our platform."
Then again, with tablets booming (even some of the non-iPad ones) while PCs remain flat, can Microsoft afford to ignore Windows-based tablets? Also, can it really trust its partners (HP, Acer, Dell, etc) with its tablet dreams? We will only know the success (or lack thereof) the Surface will bring come launch day on October 2012.
Go Acer Chief Takes Aim at Microsoft Surface (FT.com, registration required)
