Surface isn’t designed to compete with the OEM, nor poison them

Posted by Danny Gho on June 26, 2012 02:34 am 11

Last week, Microsoft just announced the Surface tablet, the tablet has reasonably good reception, since it has good design, decent hardware and the innovative keyboard, it’s good enough that some media decided to call it the "iPad Killer", although many saw it as Microsoft decided directly compete with it partner and poison them (as some writer suggest)

No, it’s not

I like to draw a parallel to the Google Nexus lines of phone Google Original Nexus phone, Nexus One were unsuccessful commercially, but it set the standard to the Android devices, 5 Megapixel camera, WVGA Screen, speedy 1 GHz CPU and only available via Google own Webstore, similar to Microsoft own Surface tablet, only available at (Select) Microsoft online store and let’s be honest Brick and Mortar Microsoft store are not large enough to make an impact

Microsoft also akin to draw comparison to it first hardware devices, Microsoft Mouse, without the Mouse, Could the GUI receive mass adoption in such short time? Surface in Microsoft Vision, is to occupy similar role of Microsoft Mouse for Windows 8 Tablet, I also like to wonder, if Surface was a Mass Market targeted product?, why we don’t hear a leak?, it nearly impossible; thanks to the exceptionally large tech supply chain today, to prevent a leak for a mass market devices, the logical conclusion of this is that Surface was designed not to be a mass market device

http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/18/3095910/steve-ballmer-on-microsoft-surface-we-want-to-prime-the-pump

Notice, how cautious is Mr. Ballmer is, saying that Surface was designed to compete to OEM, but quickly mentioned how it just one of the piece to Windows 8 story, there will still other piece (OEM devices) that accompany the Surface piece to make the Full Windows 8 Story

Surface, as in the way I see it, more akin to developer reference hardware and template to future Windows 8 tablet, a threat (can’t find better word) to the OEM that you should make a quality hardware or we could and would enter the market at full force, in case you failed to meet our expectation that based on the Surface

But as Ars Technica notes, the OEM aren’t listening

I don't think it will be successful because you cannot be a hardware player with two products

failed attempt to mimic Apple

Oliver Ahrens, Acer's senior VP and president for EMEA region

The Tech World Reaction

I also like to discuss how the world of tech demand Google to release it own tablet, but when Microsoft do one, it’s poisoning their own partner, Seriously? If just releasing a hardware that receive little retail availability at (gasp) 20 stores Worldwide you began calling it poisonous, how about Google?; at first, they released their own phone!, and then Buying their own OEM (Motorola Mobility), it’s not just poisoning, Google poison them first and backstab them, and yet writer for these kind article recommend the OEM to talk to Google,

Or how the OEM could be angry to MS, they defect to the Android camps (Dell and Asus), one even buy an entire OS company (HP), for year these company are releasing ugly bland designed pc, some OEM even don’t design their own PC at all!, they just labeled the ODM (Original design manufacture) devices and call it their own OEM, rather complaining about the Surface, should take a lesson or two, they needed it

Rather, it sounds like Microsoft giving them a wake-up call: You can make something different and sexy with a bit of effort, guys. "We took the time and effort to get Surface and Windows 8 right," Ballmer said. Now it’s the rest of the industry’s turn. That is, if they still want to have an industry in a few years.

From this amazing Bloomberg pierce, credit to Ars Technica article for the inspiration