Earlier this morning, we reported that the HSN.com website had a selection of PCs from Acer, pre-installed with Windows 8, available for sale for immediate shipping. The post was made over two weeks before PCs with Windows 8 could officially go on sale on October 26th.
We contacted Microsoft for comment and today we received a response from one of their spokespersons. The company stated:
Unfortunately, HSN made this offer without the support or authorization of Microsoft. Microsoft and major retailers are getting ready for general availability of Windows 8 devices on 10/26 and not prior to that date. Once Microsoft learned of the HSN promotion, we contacted them and asked that they discontinue the on-air and online offer since it is not yet 10/26, the date that marks the official availability of Windows 8.
Microsoft"s email also included a statement from Scott Ledterman, a VP at Acer"s US operations. He is quoted as saying, “We are excited to support Windows 8 with great Acer and Gateway offerings starting on October 26, but this HSN offer came prematurely and we’ve requested its immediate removal.”
Indeed, when searching for "Windows 8" on HSN.com, all of the listings for the Acer PCs have now been taken away. However, there are still a series of videos posted on the site, created by HSN, that offer brief tutorials on Windows 8.
The HSN.com YouTube channel also has a clip, taken from Sunday"s TV broadcast on the company"s cable TV network, that shows the presenter actually selling the Acer-made Gateway 15.6 inch and 17.3 inch notebooks, with Windows 8 installed, on live TV. It"s currently unknown if any of the Acer PCs sold on HSN were actually shipped to customers.
Image via HSN.com