Shih should know, especially since Surface would put Microsoft into direct competition with Acer and it is probably a good idea for the company founder to understand what Microsoft is up to. For now, Shih is calming concerns that Microsoft is killing its partners and said, according to Digitimes, that "Microsoft has no real intention to sell own-brand tablet PCs and the offering is an ploy to boost adoption of Windows 8."
Ship noted that Surface is simply a enthusiasm booster for vendors and an encouragement to offer their own tablets. Shih concluded that it would make no sense for Microsoft to move from the software business with big profit margins to the hardware business with tiny margins. Of course, one could wonder why Microsoft found it necessary to rebrand its original Surface product to Pixel Sense and hand it to this "ploy" product.
Perhaps it was Shih's ploy not to appear upset over Microsoft Surface tablet?