Mikey Campbell
Ballmer's statement came on the opening day of WPC, All Things D reports, as the executive looked to reassure OEMs that Microsoft's goal is not to control the Windows 8 hardware arena amid speculation to the contrary.
“Surface is just a design point,†Ballmer said. “It will have a distinct place in what’s a broad Windows ecosystem. And the importance of the thousands of partners that we have that design and produce Windows computers will not diminish.
Just days after Surface was announced, Acer founder Stan Shih proclaimed the device was just a ploy to drum up interest in the yet-to-be-released Windows 8 platform and guessed that Microsoft would ditch the project after one product generation. The bold sentiment was followed by a report that claimed HP scrapped plans to build a Windows RT tablet in lieu of another ARM-based solution.
Ballmer attempted to ease worries and said Microsoft has "a mutual goal with [its] OEM partners to bring a diversity of solutions, Windows PCs, phones, tablets, servers to market." He went on to clarify that Surface was created for hardware makers to reference as a kind of halo device.
"What we seek to have is a spectrum of stunning devices, stunning Windows devices," Ballmer said. "So, every consumer, every business customer can say, ‘I have the perfect PC for me.’ We’re excited about the work our OEM partners are doing on Windows 8.â€
Surface marks Microsoft's first foray into the tablet hardware market. | Source: Microsoft
When Surface was announced it was revealed that the ARM-based model would debut with a stripped-down version of Windows 8 dubbed "Windows RT" alongside the launch of OS. Surface for Windows RT will reportedly be followed by Surface for Windows 8 Pro, a more full-featured tablet running a complete version of the OS on an intel Ivy Bridge i5 processor.
It was reported on Monday that the software monolith will be releasing the next-generation Windows 8 operating system sometime in October though no specific date has been set. The software launch will be three months behind Apple's own updated OS X Mountain Lion operating system which is set to hit the Mac App Store in July. A launch date should be imminent as Apple seeded Mountain Lion's gold master to developers and called for Mac OS X app submissions on Monday.
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Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Amber Neely
84 Comments
Are windows users colorblind? How can anybody not find that extremely distracting, eye-popping color on that keyboard to be really annoying? I wouldn't be surprised if it triggered seizures in certain people. The idiotic and poorly chosen color makes the keyboard more prominent than the actual display and tablet.
This either disingenuous or MS traditionalists have successfully suppressed an effort at disruptive innovation from within the company. If it is the former, then trust will wither as to a certain extent it has. Recall this was not shared with hardware partners and do the seeds have been planted. If its the latter, then once again MS has not had the courage of its convictions, this is what doomed the first tablet and phone.
Has MS allowed outsiders real access to either of these devices? Sounds like they are laying the groundwork for some backpededaling...
I don't think OEMs are buying this line. MS is doing damage-ccntrol here. But really, there's no place OEMs can go *but* to MS. By choosing to run someone's whored-out, shitastic OS years ago, OEMs have painted themselves into a corner, and so has MS . . . just a little differently.
How long until H-P reverses course again and announces they will make a Windows 8 tablet after all?