Microsoft alienating PC manufacturers?

[micrex22]

With Microsoft releasing the 'Surface', they've effectively entered into the PC OEM market where they traditionally kept their feet out of; causing them to become competitors with their own clients and partnerships with hardware manufacturers.

Back in the 3dfx days when they pioneered the reference design system and then had 3rd parties implement the chips on a PCB, they eventually alienated their 3rd party business when buying out STB. After creating their own cards 3rd parties like Diamond and Creative stopped buying 3dfx chips (and Gordy Campbell affirmed that was a hideous decision that the board of directors wanted). I feel this is a similar situation.

It's slightly more interesting due to the compounded variable of-- computer hardware being more difficult to make a profit from in general with lowered prices and 'expectations' from consumers that electronics should be cheap cheap cheap. So Microsoft will be making the narrowing gap for OEMs even narrower. And... Microsoft doesn't have to pay a dime when licensing Windows to their own machines allowing them to undercut OEMs.


Thoughts, anyone?

[hhhd1]

they are tying to compete with Apple in the market segment of 'expensive and high quality', the OEMs are still focusing on best bang for the buck consumer laptops.

I think that MS didn't find an OEM that can handle the high quality part while being innovative, look at what Lenovo has done to the thinkpad.

[micrex22]

they are tying to compete with Apple in the market segment of 'expensive and high quality', the OEMs are still focusing on best bang for the buck consumer laptops.

I think that MS didn't find an OEM that can handle the high quality part while being innovative, look at what Lenovo has done to the thinkpad.

I'd argue the ThinkPad 10 has more innovation than the Microsoft Surface:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/th ... inkpad-10/

It implements the fold-down corner for taking quick pictures, you get a trackpoint on the keyboard (which is not an option on the surface since Microsoft doesn't believe in technology like that), and so forth. Sure the CPU isn't as powerful, but you start to sacrifice battery longevity and noise by using a core i7.

The surface is just a moderate laptop mobo stuffed in a tablet form factor with a fan that runs heavily after some time and a sub-par wireless chiclet keyboard. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's fairly bread and butter. In terms of cost 1K is not that expensive; given the specs of both tablets the ThinkPad 10 (or ThinkPad Pad as I like to call it) is actually more expensive.

I'm more curious to see the response from PC manufacturers to Microsoft as time progresses. Maybe we'll see more Linux offerings?

[pianowizard]

I'm more curious to see the response from PC manufacturers to Microsoft as time progresses.

When I read your opening post, I thought I was reading a post from 2012 so I had to double-check the date. Microsoft's launch of Surface three years ago evoked lots of responses from PC manufacturers, mostly negative of course. The most vocal was Acer's CEO: http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/7/322509 ... ce-warning

I'd argue the ThinkPad 10 has more innovation than the Microsoft Surface:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/th ... inkpad-10/

You are comparing a current tablet with a 3-year-old design. Surface was a whole new category of PC, whereas this Thinkpad 10 isn't.