It is safe to assume that many of Microsoft’s manufacturing partners were surprised when Microsoft unveiled the Surface tablet, a device designed and made by the Redmond company as opposed to sourcing it to companies like Dell, HP, Acer, etc. Acer was probably the most vocal when it came to voicing their displeasure, with the company’s CEO stating in August that Microsoft’s decision to make the Surface would have a negative impact on the ecosystem, and even went as far as to suggest that this could affect their partnership with Microsoft.
Well despite Acer announcing their commitment to the Windows RT hardware, Acer’s Greater China president, Lin Xianlang, was quoted in an interview with Tencent Technology as saying that he hopes that Microsoft will learn that the “hardware meal” is a difficult one to eat, and that such practices should be left to professional vendors, presumably like themselves. It’s hard to imagine what Acer means, especially since there have been many reviews in which the design and build quality of the Surface tablet has left good impressions (you can check out our review here).
Of course Lin’s statements could also be referring to the rumors that Microsoft is developing and testing their own smartphone, an area in which Acer also has a stake in (albeit a small one). However Lin went on to acknowledge that Windows 8 could change the dynamics of the industry and expressed that Windows 8 could help Acer to achieve their goals next year.