Acer May Abandon Windows

[nsane.forums]

Acer is considering abandoning the manufacture of Windows hardware if Microsoft releases its Surface line of Windows 8 tablets.

Acer is considering abandoing the manufacture of Windows hardware if Microsoft releases its Surface line of Windows 8 tablets. So says the company's president of personal computer global operations. Is it a real threat or just empty bluster?

According to the Financial Times, Campbell Kan, Acer's president for personal computer global operations, said that the company is debating what it should do about Microsoft's release of Surface tablets. He said:

Kan echoed what Acer CEO JT Wang told the Financial Times. Wang also warned Microsoft not to release Surface tablets, saying:

He then zinged Microsoft for being poor at hardware design:

Microsoft can't be surprised about Acer's reaction. In its recent annual report to the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission, Microsoft warned:

When the Surface was first revealed, analysts warned about this as well. Carolina Milanesi, research VP at Gartner, said:

The truth is, though, Acer's comments are little more than bluster. It has nowhere else to go. Its only alternative would be to bet on Android tablets. But even there, it will be competing against Google, who uses Asus to manufacture its excellent Nexus 7.

As IDC's Tom Mainelli said:

And Acer and others have only themselves to blame for Microsoft building Surface tablets. They simply haven't done a particularly good job at hardware design, and Microsoft wanted to make sure that high-quality tablets are available that show off Windows 8 to its best effect. Acer CEO Wang admitted to AllThingsD back in December that it was selling low-quality hardware, which was a mistake. He said that the company would stop "pursuing market share blindly with cheap and unprofitable products."

Of course, his new strategy might not work out so well: He then said that ultrabooks would be the company's "growth driver" for 2012, and those devices have largely tanked.

So Acer can posture and bad-mouth Microsoft all it wants about Surface tablets. The truth is, Acer has nowhere else to go except to Windows.

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[1chaoticadult]

Acer is crap. We don't need more cheap products from them anyways.

[Eternal X]

Acer has gotten better since 2008 a huge difference in parts and quality. I beg to differ. :showoff: :rolleyes:

[RobrPatty]

Got a used Acer from a relative for free. Said it was no good. Just updated bios and it runs like a new machine. I'm still surprised at how good acer desktops are. :D

[dcs18]

If Acer tries to abandon Windows, the Users will abandon Acer completely - most already have.

[Maxhedroom]

Acer has gotten better since 2008 a huge difference in parts and quality. I beg to differ. :showoff: :rolleyes:

+1...from ~2010 on, Acer has come full circle with quality/parts. They are amongst the top selling laptop brands on the market now.

But I do gotta laugh when they say 'abandoing the manufacture of Windows hardware'. They'll go under within a year if they do that. I might have believed if they said they'll stop shipping products with Windows pre-installed but even that step would crush sales. Only other real option would be a linux based OS...that would go over like a lead balloon. Acer is throwing a childish hissy-fit cuz the Surface tablet is probably gonna smoke all their tablet offerings and also hurt sales of their low end/entry level lappys too. They'll get over it...or go bankrupt...lol