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Microsoft’s tablet efforts are fleeting, says Acer founder

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:27PM EST
BGR

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Microsoft set the technology media and industry watchers aflutter earlier this week when it took the wraps off the Microsoft Surface tablet during a press conference in Los Angeles, California. The sleek tablet will be Microsoft’s first, and it will be powered by the company’s new Windows 8 platform when it launches later this year. According to Acer founder Stan Shih, Microsoft’s goal with the Surface isn’t to find success as a hardware vendor. Instead, the launch is a ploy to encourage adoption and innovation among its vendor partners.

“Microsoft hopes that marketing its own-brand tablet PCs will encourage vendors to offer Windows 8 tablet PCs and thereby help expand market demand for the product line,” Digitimes’s Aaron Lee wrote in a report on Wednesday, citing Shih. “Once the purpose is realized, Microsoft will not offer more models, Shih said. Vendors adopting Windows 8 should interpret Microsoft’s intentions positively, as they will benefit from Microsoft’s marketing, Shih indicated.”

Shih goes on to note that Microsoft has no reason to sell hardware because it makes more money by licensing its operating system to hardware partners. Earlier reports suggest that Microsoft may charge as much as $85 per license for its light-weight Windows RT software.

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Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.