Acer Pulls Back From Windows To Focus On Android and Chromebook 253
SmartAboutThings writes "More bad news for Microsoft: Acer is apparently rethinking their Windows strategy, planning to offer fewer Microsoft products and focus more on products delivered by Redmond's rival Google, in the form of Chromebooks and Android devices. This comes after Acer's second-quarter earnings call, where the Taiwanese company posted a surprise second-quarter loss, having unexpected lower sales and rising expenses. Acer's change of plans comes not long after Asus' CEO announced that the company would no longer make Windows RT products until Microsoft proves there's real demand."
Bullshit (Score:3, Insightful)
This is a well known negociation strategy to get better deals from Microsoft. Remember when Dell threatened to go AMD-only?
Acer is a big laptop OEM, especially in emerging markets. What are they going to put in them? A browser OS? Really?
Maybe Microsoft just needs more time (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:From the ashes into the fire? (Score:5, Insightful)
Most people don't need fully kitted out laptops any more than you need an amphibious tank, or your own private GPS satellite network..
microsoft knows it... (Score:4, Insightful)
I believe the recent move that makes Office accessible to Android (even if it is a cloud version and a wrapper) is very significant.
The Microsoft crew knows that Android will at least be a major contender for OS share and maybe even beat them. I think they are starting to get ready for a world where Windows isn't the automatic choice by the corporate zombie crowd and it will be just as viable to give your non-power users an Android-based desktop. They are smart enough to know that the possibility for that is there.
Give the graphic designers a mac. Give the business power users a Windows 7 PC. Give your secretary an Android Desktop. Give a geeky workers that need raw power a Linux box. Well get closer to giving everyone the correct tool for the correct job.
Re:From the ashes into the fire? (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't it slightly breathtaking how Microsoft has put more than a decade into CLR/CIL and all the .NET framework stuff, theoretically putting themselves in a surprisingly good position for multi-architecture support (given a software ecosystem dominated by proprietary applications from loads of independent vendors and substantial demand for legacy support: Linux and BSD do multi-architecture better; but only for situations where 'just ship the source, stupid' is considered viable, and Apple's 'if it were legal, we'd personally execute anybody who produces software compatible with OS versions older than the one we currently ship' approach allows them to bludgeon the ecosystem into compliance; but isn't a matter of technical sophistication), and then utterly fucked up their foray into ARM?
Re:Bullshit (Score:4, Insightful)
The article says "fewer Microsoft products", not "no Microsoft products". Windows PC/Laptop manufacturing is incredibly competitive and consequently profit margins are razor thin. Acer has decided to narrow their line up to increase their Windows product profitability. At the same time, they've decided they can get a bigger slice of the ChromeBook market.
This sounds a little less sexy than the headline.
Re:From the ashes into the fire? (Score:5, Insightful)
From what I understand, the problems associated with Windows RT cannot really be fixed via a new version.
Marketing this product as "Windows", which confused the market place. A true lack of applications. A completely locked-down hardware device. Being extremely late to an already saturated market. These are all reasons that RT failed to gain much traction.
In fact, from what I understand, the hardware itself is not terrible though WinRT is a love or hate thing.
Yes, that's the Chromebook. (Score:5, Insightful)
Carewolf: "The Chromebook is a failure!"
Tupe: "No, the Chromebook sells quite well"
You: "No, they're not buing a Chromebook, they're buying 'that $199 laptop'"
Which would be the Chromebook right? So they're buying the Chromebook, which means that someone is selling it, right? Which means it's selling, right?
So what, exactly is the point of a tone that indicates that Tupe was wrong?
Or is your complaing "They are buying it wrong!!!!"?
Re:From the ashes into the fire? (Score:5, Insightful)
They could fix this so easy and fast, but they don't because they are bull-headed and know what their customer wants (or, at least, think they do.)
If there is a mouse / keyboard, use the Win7 UI.
If there is a touchscreen and no mouse, use the tiles.
Regardless of the above, put a radio button in the control panel to easily switch between the two.
I just fixed Windows 8.
"fastest growing" (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, when you go from 0.1% to 0.3% of market share, that's 300% growth, which far outstrips everyone else. Ask Microsoft how they feel about being the "fastest growing part" of the smartphone business since Windows Phone 8 also shares that particular title.
Note: I am not disparaging ChromeOS or Chromebook with this post, I'm only pointing out how useless the term "fastest growing" is when applied to a platform that has been on the market for like 18 days (sarcasm).
Re:From the ashes into the fire? (Score:4, Insightful)
...simply because Metro is completely screwed-up, and because of that you have to price it way lower to attact any interest in it.
FTFY