Stick to What You Know, Acer Founder Tells Microsoft

[fishrule]

The OEMs should stop crying and up their hardware game. It's not like they can switch operating systems. What are they gonna do? All rebel and load Linux instead of Windows? That'll go REAL swell.

 

[BGK]

It's not just Acer, though, Dell and HP have said much the same. When your two biggest OEMs who sell your software tell you that you dun' fucked up then you dun' fucked up.

What are they gonna do switch to linux for the laptop and desktop market? Hahaha. The only way they could hurt MS would be to use android for tablets, but then they'll just miss out while MS corners the entire windows tablet market. MS didn't fuck up, they are trying to get people hyped about win8 and this is a good move to do that. They have to at least try. There is no downside.

 

[potency]

Maybe if Acer stopped making crap hardware, Microsoft wouldn't need to do this.

+1000

Apple devices tend to be more reliable because Apple controls the hardware and makes it adhere to a much stricter set of parameters. I like Android but there are more crappy Android powered devices than there are good ones, and that is due to poor hardware implementation. I'm not an M$ fanboy at all, but if done right (which is unlikely, M$ rarely gets anything truly "right") this could raise the bar for manufacturers to remain competitive. And the possibility of that is sure to make many manufacturers nervous.

 

[daglesj]

You can...
http://signature.microsoft.com/
Microsoft even devotes engineers into testing these signature systems to make sure all the drivers, etc work OK. These are "ready to go" machines.

Nope what I'm seeing there is the same crappy Samsung/Asus machines that someone with some sense has built. Not quite what I'm after.

I want a total 100% MS built laptop with a lit Windows logo on the lid!

 

[DenverBarr]

snip

True. In the "cut back OS" market, Windows might struggle. The only real competitor here is Android. iOS isn't selling like Android was, and now that OEMs are producing good Android tablets, IMO the tablet trend will follow what the phone trend does. Apple will still push stuff, but Android will envelope the market.

/snip

You say that however i have seen much more iphones in the hands of friends, family and workers, to the point where some of the less techys haven't even heard of android. Same goes for the tablets.

 

[Sly]

You say that however i have seen much more iphones in the hands of friends, family and workers, to the point where some of the less techys haven't even heard of android. Same goes for the tablets.

Try asking someone outside the US.

 

[kbrickley]

I think it is possible that this discussion is missing the true intended market of a MS tablet. I think MS is less concerned about the consumer market and more concerned with the enterprise market. The enterprise market has begun a painful shift towards the tablet devices because their workers are starting to force this shift. Right now there is no real viable Windows alternative except for laptops.

In my opinion this is just MS trying to position a Windows based tablet so that enterprise continues to stay with the MS offerings rather than going through the process of switching to iOS or Android because of employees using BYOD or other means to force a shift. A pretty smart move in my opinion because once the enterprise market is gone it is GONE. They will not make a painful shift to a new platform just to switch back again. I think this product will put up a dam to stop the flood of people fleeing to the newer and "sexier" platforms.

 

[daglesj]

Try asking someone outside the US.

Actually I live in the UK and I was walking around London last Thursday.

Most of the phones in use were iPhone4 types and the tablets I saw on the tube and trains were iPads. I saw a couple of Kindles but that was it.

At the corporation I used to work at but some of my friends still do, the main work issued phone has shifted from Blackberry to iPhone.

Me? I'm a Pre2 user so look down on all of you.

 

[Ducman69]

Well of course Acer is going to say that, as would any hardware manufacturer.

Otherwise, Microsoft could undercut them since they get their own licenses for free, and outcompete them on selling hardware especially since they could tailor make the software for the device.

 

[DenverBarr]

Try asking someone outside the US.

i know its more or less indifferent but im in Canada.

 

[Sly]

Actually I live in the UK and I was walking around London last Thursday.

Most of the phones in use were iPhone4 types and the tablets I saw on the tube and trains were iPads. I saw a couple of Kindles but that was it.

At the corporation I used to work at but some of my friends still do, the main work issued phone has shifted from Blackberry to iPhone.

Me? I'm a Pre2 user so look down on all of you.

Philippines and some of my acquaintances are from around asia. It's mostly Samsungs, HTCs and Nokias. With the occasional SonyEricssons and Blackberries. The rest are generic.

 

[NoOther]

It's not just Acer, though, Dell and HP have said much the same. When your two biggest OEMs who sell your software tell you that you dun' fucked up then you dun' fucked up.

It boils down to licensing. Unlike Android which is free or iOS which is also technically free, Microsoft only sells software (for the most part). This means that whatever device the OEMs make that's comparable to the Surface will always be more expensive than the Surface because they have to pay the licensing fee (which is actually quite high, $80+). This means that if you want to compete with Microsoft's product you need to skimp on hardware or decrease your margins and it's likely they'll have to do both.

I understand Microsoft wants to control the hardware implementation and drive forward some innovative and creative designs. That's commendable. What isn't smart is that Microsoft makes most of its money through these companies. Unlike Apple who also controls the hardware and software (even glues the fucking crap on so you can't touch it), Microsoft doesn't sell itself. MS relies on OEMs to sell its product (software).

Now if Microsoft decided that it wants to do both hardware and software then fine, but if you do that you've got to be able to sell yourself like Apple and not rely on others to do it.

The problem here with your statements and many of the follow on statements is mostly two-fold:

1) Microsoft has a long history of making hardware. And their reasoning for not building their own PCs and servers had more to do with market saturation, costs of research and upgrades, etc. Apple has capitalized from Microsoft's decision. Much of the hardware progress we have enjoyed has come from competition in the PC market that Apple has copied in their hardware.

2) To compete with a very specific set of devices like a tablet, Microsoft has learned from the success of the iPad and the difficulty of the Android tablet market. What kills Android tablets is the vast differences in hardware, performance etc. Making the end user experience with the app market on it quite varied. If Microsoft makes its own tablets and controls their own App market, they can provide a much better experience.

Also note that it is not the Microsoft Surface, it is the Microsoft Surface Tablet. The Surface has been out for years and displayed in many businesses, some restaurants and quite a bit on TV shows and movies. It has been an excellent product that they should have converted to tablet form long ago.

 

[nOrVow]

The problem here with your statements and many of the follow on statements is mostly two-fold:
If Microsoft makes its own tablets and controls their own App market, they can provide a much better experience.

You mean Microsoft gets to have a walled garden like apple making billions? i'm sure users would loooooooove that!!

 

[faugusztin]

Also note that it is not the Microsoft Surface, it is the Microsoft Surface Tablet. The Surface has been out for years and displayed in many businesses, some restaurants and quite a bit on TV shows and movies. It has been an excellent product that they should have converted to tablet form long ago.

Actually, it is called Microsoft Surface. The old Microsoft Surface is not called Microsoft Surface anymore, it is called Microsoft PixelSense now.

 

[Epicness]

You say that however i have seen much more iphones in the hands of friends, family and workers, to the point where some of the less techys haven't even heard of android. Same goes for the tablets.

Your experience is completely opposite of mine. There's way more Android phones out there. Especially in the global market.
Your experience completely contradicts the numbers.

I think it is possible that this discussion is missing the true intended market of a MS tablet. I think MS is less concerned about the consumer market and more concerned with the enterprise market. The enterprise market has begun a painful shift towards the tablet devices because their workers are starting to force this shift. Right now there is no real viable Windows alternative except for laptops.

But who really cares about encryption anymore? Employees want their iDevices, which offer no encryption and point to point security like Blackberry does.

The enterprise market had a great tool: Blackberry. Apple came into user's homes with their iDevices and pressured enterprises out of secure tools into their insecure crap... I don't see why that can't happen with tablets again.

When it comes to security, nothing beats Blackberry, simple as that. (And no, I don't even carry one myself anymore).

 

[NoOther]

You mean Microsoft gets to have a walled garden like apple making billions? i'm sure users would loooooooove that!!

Yes, actually they probably would. Remember this is limited to the tablet market, not the overall PC market.