Microsoft Admits Surface May Alienate Hardware Makers
How much risk is in Surface?
There are cautionary statements in documents that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but this particular example is remarkable. The most recent 10-K (annual) filing confirms that Surface tablets will be on sale at the time when Windows 8 will be launched on October 26.
Microsoft's strategy with Surface has largely been speculation with some suggesting that Surface is simply a way for Microsoft to encourage its partners to get their creativity going and leverage what Windows 8 is capable of, while others believe that Microsoft wants to be much more like Apple and sell a product that gives Microsoft control of both hardware and software. While Microsoft was obviously proud and enthusiastic about Surface during its presentation, there has been no true information how committed Microsoft is to Surface, even if we learned that it is important enough for the company to strip the Surface brand from Microsoft touchscreen desks.
The 10-K filing includes the following sentence:
"In addition, our Surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM partners, which may affect their commitment to our platform."
While general, this statement implies that Microsoft sees a calculated risk that some of its partners may not particularly like the idea that they have to compete with a company they rely on as a software supplier. Microsoft does not detail the "platform" that may be affected, but it is reasonable to assume that the company is referring to Windows RT and Android as the alternative. Windows 8 itself should be largely unaffected, even if Surface will test some of Microsoft's best partner relationships.

Actually, if you spend brain power here rather than just rant, you'd realize that Apple has been successful with both the iPad and iPhone by developing both the hardware and the software in-house.
The real question is whether Microsoft is trying to do this or not. If it is, will it be successful?
20+ thumbs down in 3... 2....1....
Actually, if you spend brain power here rather than just rant, you'd realize that Apple has been successful with both the iPad and iPhone by developing both the hardware and the software in-house.
The real question is whether Microsoft is trying to do this or not. If it is, will it be successful?
Dry
Hopefully this will put an end to bloatware ridden pc's of the past.
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't expect the world to instantaneously migrate to tablets, but is there anything stopping hardware OEMs from getting behind MS, like they have with laptops and desktops?
Apple almost went out of business in the 90s. Its fans like it because they like it. I don't care a lot for Apple myself, but I do see why the fans are there.
MS pretty much has to do this. If you don't believe that then look at the Android platform and look at all the crap that is being stuck onto the android phones. A lot of the manufacturers are out of touch and out of control.
I guess MS could have gone the "Nexus" route and found a partner to build a specific device. But I can also understand becoming so frustrated trying to work with them that you just go out and make your own device. I can see a company like Samsung telling MS to take a hike over this though, which is the danger.
This works well for consumers both ways, if Microsoft pushes this thing out then people should buy it as the design is phenomenal, some people that disagree with Windows 8 may well just install Windows 7 or Linux to spite themselves, hell, maybe even find a way to Hackintosh it to run iOS 6 or Jellybean and then you have all the bases covered
If the OEMs capitulate then they deserve to lose the market, but likely they will stop sulking and release their own better engineered product and they will sell millions
If the Surface fails however and they also refuse to step up with sexy hardware they are just cutting their nose off to spite their faces as they allow Apple to continue to dominate with the iPad 4, but I doubt it, the OEMs are businesses and the fact there are hundreds of Billions in sales at stake they would be foolish to ignore the first rule of business
Always give the customer what they want
I do feel that the low-end is still important to have, but I wouldn't blame a company like Microsoft for wanting to be involved making hardware that pushes the envelope, even though Microsoft does rules the desktop. Microsoft needed to do something.
Spot on, even if they fail at least they can say they tried - the OEMS are just cowering in the corner
How many people are ready to drop $1000 on a second laptop, plus all the x86 software they supposedly want to run on it, that they run on their current laptops?
It's the price, stupid. Netbooks sold not because they're portable or because 10" screens are just right, but because they were like $300. Surface Pro is going to cost more than three times as much, and unless it can be the only computer for a lot of people, it's going to be a niche product (and fail).
HP, Acer, Toshiba, et al are a blight on the industry.
The iPad 2 and 3 *STILL* have the most powerful GPU of any tablet on the market. The CPUs are roughly the same. The iPad3 has the HIGHEST RESOLUTION over any other tablet on the market. The MS WART is competing against a 2 year old device at the same price or higher and the OEMs, after paying the $80 licence for Win8RT would easily surpass the costs of an iPad.