Microsoft says Surface tablet is 'just a design point'
At Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference, CEO Steve Ballmer refuted recent speculation that the company is looking to compete with Windows 8-licensing hardware makers by saying Surface is merely a reference design.
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.?
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.
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.?
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.
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.
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?
Ballmer is already backtracking.... just the beginning of things to come.
Didn't Monkey Boy just say that he expects to sell millions of the Surface tablet? Life in Microserfville must be getting confusing.
Ballmer and company are full of it. They say one thing in the morning and do 180 in the afternoon.
So does that mean OEM are allowed to create exact clones of the Surface?!
Steve Bummer can talk?
MS would love if you started calling it the God Tablet?
This seems to me the position MS was always taking. They have no interest in selling tablets but they do have an interest in selling the OS that goes on tablets. The fact is their vendors have been unsuccessful in both smartphones and tablets (just as they were with PMPs) and they blame the vendors (just as they did with PMPs). This is just a desperate act to get some traction in the tablet so their vendors can get a Windows foothold. I think it will fail (just as they did with the Zune) but that's for another discussion.
What's with being a colorblind hater? It won't be long and it'll be covered under a disabilities act...
Seriously though, I'm colorblind and find the look atrocious.
I don't think it's possible to be any more duplicitous.
The smart money says they're in for a 'three-repeat' after the Kin and Courier...
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristophB
Quote:
Originally Posted by "Apple
[" url="/t/151202/microsoft-says-surface-tablet-is-just-a-design-point#post_2144326"]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.
What's with being a colorblind hater? It won't be long and it'll be covered under a disabilities act...
Seriously though, I'm colorblind and find the look atrocious.
In this particular instance, that might be an advantage rather than a disability. The color scheme really is hideous.
Here we go again. Another huge cloud of smelly gas from Ballmer. Maybe he should take some laxative and clean out the crap..
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
MS would love if you started calling it the God Tablet?
Yeah, but I have a feeling that the masses who use it will be calling it the 'God D*mn Tablet'... I bet.
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Microsoft is selling what others are giving away (Google).
The OEMs can't match Apple's price point with the same quality/specs. Apple rules the supply chain. The only opening right now is at the low end (Fire) and I'm not sure there are profits there either.
There is a squeeze on profits happening and it leaves MS with no options but to get the whole pie. They can't afford to split any of it with the OEMs. Really, the OEMs can't afford to split it with MS either.
It has been said elsewhere, but it is a key point that is driving the whole thing. MS might not admit it, yet.
Surface will place MS in the unusual place of have higher priced product than Apple... just wait.