Microsoft to Impose Hardware Restrictions for Windows 8 Tablets

Microsoft had a few restrictions in place for manufacturers wishing to produce Windows Phone 7 devices. All devices had to carry a certain level of specs before Microsoft would give manufacturers the WP7 stamp of approval. Now it seems Redmond is also planning on imposing restrictions for Windows 8 tablets, too.

Microsoft has apparently informed hardware partners that restrictions for those planning Windows 8 tablets will be announced in the coming weeks. Manufacturers aren't too keen on the idea that Microsoft will be restricting the types of tablets they can produce, and Acer has been particularly vocal in its objections.

“They’re really controlling the whole thing, the whole process,” Bloomberg quotes Acer CEO J.T. Wang as saying in a Computex interview this week. “They try to set the game rules,” he said, and chip suppliers and PC makers “all feel it’s very troublesome.”  

Though there is little in the way of specifics available right now, the Bloomberg report cites sources that say Microsoft will offer chipmakers incentives to partner with a single PC manufacturer. Bloomberg's sources say such incentives could include cheaper software or features that ensure the device runs more efficiently. The idea is that the restrictions will limit the variations of Windows tablets and, by having a tighter control, Microsoft will be able to deliver Windows 8 tablets that much faster.

Further Reading

Bloomberg

  • scout62
    Sounds like MS is taking pages from Apple's playbook.
    Reply
  • scook9
    So it will pretty much become a wave of Microsoft ipads.....at least it makes choosing a product easier (if you actually wanted a microsoft tablet/phone that is)
    Reply
  • rottingsheep
    a right move for microsoft. i think they don't want windows 8 based tablets to be generalized as slow. different flavors, same experience... or the other way around.
    Reply
  • dread_cthulhu
    Personally, if I were a giant software corporation, I'd want some say in what systems my OS was running on as well. This will help with standardization, and prevent companies from trying to put the OS on hardware that it simply wasn't designed for. Kudos to Microsoft for putting some integrity into system builders.
    Reply
  • COLGeek
    Minimize hardware variation (just how customizable can a tablet be anyway?) and you maximize software compatibility with the hardware baseline. Less means more in this case. Makes sense.
    Reply
  • MicroSloth has always been a driver through monopolistic tactics in business. Why should this make me wonder? They still have yet to comply with the DOJ. They after one thing your money!
    Reply
  • NoCaDrummer
    So they're trying to do to tablets what they did to netbooks - make them so expensive that they're not going to sell, and then the 'nix systems will continue to be the dominant players.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    This reminds me of the cry out when MS said "no XP with less than 64MB", lol.

    Did you guys even tried to run XP with less than 64MB? EVEN with 64MB? XD

    Those restrictions are some-what a "common sense" thing, since you can't put, for instance, Win7 on a 486 and expect to tell MS "hey, your POS OS doesn't run on my 486!". Now... In all fairness... Why the hell a 5MP camera is mandatory, MS? Why? xD!

    Cheers!
    Reply
  • davewolfgang
    This will help prevent the one main problem of Vista - OEM's putting it on WAY to low of hardware, and then MS getting blamed because it didn't work.

    Although - they need to make SURE that the minimums will actually RUN the OS too....
    Reply
  • memadmax
    Same thing apple is doing.
    Reply