Executives at Acer (2353) have had some harsh words for Microsoft (MSFT) regarding its Windows 8 operating system. CEO JT Wang was fuming after the software giant unveiled its Surface tablet and even issued a warning to the company, while other executives have blamed Microsoft for confusing would-be Windows 8 buyers. President Jim Wong said in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday that Windows 8 has not been successful and the company has explored alternatives to increase revenue, such as Google’s (GOOG) Chrome OS.
“Windows 8 itself is still not successful,” said Wong. “The whole market didn’t come back to growth after the Windows 8 launch, that’s a simple way to judge if it is successful or not.”
Acer released its first-ever Chrome OS computer in November of last year. After only two months on the market, the $199 computer now accounts for between 5% and 10% of Acer’s U.S. shipments.
Wong noted that Chrome’s “value is that it’s more secure,” and that a majority of early adopters have been more professional and heavy Internet users. The executive added that educational institutions and corporations have also expressed interest in the platform.
Chrome OS is free-to-use and does not require manufacturers to pay a licensing fee, unlike Windows. It isn’t as well known, however, and requires a considerable amount of marketing and promotions. Despite this, Wong still considers the Chromebook a big success.
“You saw that all the [Chromebook] marketing and promotions were not as broad as Windows 8, so to reach this success is encouraging,” he said.
