Is the whole Surface tablet launch from Microsoft just a ruse to get others to enter the Windows 8 business? That's what the founder of Acer, Stan Shih, said in an interview. According to Digitimes, Shih said that in his opinion, Microsoft has no intention of entering the hardware market and that the Surface tablet is just a ploy by the company.
Shih, who retired from Acer in 2004 after forming it in 1976, believes that Microsoft wants to see other hardware vendors offer Windows 8 tablets. In fact, he believes that other PC makers should be encouraged by Microsoft's move as they will benefit from the company's marketing power.
Once more PC makers enter the Windows 8 tablet market, Shih says that Microsoft will pull out of the hardware sector. He also says that selling hardware is much less profitable for Microsoft than licensing software to other companies.
Shih's argument sounds a little bit like the reaction some people in the game industry had when the original Xbox was revealed in 2000. Some also claimed that the Xbox was just a ruse in order to shake up one of Microsoft's big rivals Sony. In the end, Microsoft ended up with a highly successful hardware and software business with the Xbox.
Source: Digitimes
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