It’s that time of week again, when we when we share our weekly poll results. Seven days ago, we asked “What do you think of Microsoft’s Surface for Windows tablets?” We received over 450 responses, with readers sharing their views across our newsletter, Facebook, and website polls. We look forward to the same level of enthusiasm in the future.
When Microsoft first announced its two (ARM and x86) Surface for Windows tablets, the news came as a shock to most, with varied implications filtering through slowly. By making the move into the tablet manufacturing/marketing segment, Microsoft would essentially be taking on its Windows 8 OEMs, making them the competition rather than partners on Windows 8 tablets / touchscreen ultrabooks.
We learnt that Microsoft had kept its OEM partners in the dark about its plans, and dropped the news on them roughly a week ahead of the global announcement. Will Microsoft truly produce a high-volume mass market product and bleed dry current Windows 8 partners? Most companies declined to comment on the development, but at the rate the market is growing, we’re likely to see enough demand across platforms to make space for a few new manufacturers.
While Microsoft does have some hardware in the market, like the Xbox 360 and the now defunct Zune HD player, the company is primarily a software and services developer, the biggest in the world. For now, we don’t know who will be manufacturing the tablets for Microsoft.
Of our readers, the majority felt that “It’s a good idea” that Microsoft would be selling its own tablets – roughly 244 readers thought this, or 54%. Next, 125 readers, or 28%, felt concerned that Microsoft would be opening itself up to competition from other manufacturers. Finally, another 65 felt that the Redmond giant to stick to software, and in effect, not get its hands dirty in the highly competitive market.
Do check out the poll results chart below, and visit our homepage to share your views on this week’s ThinkDigit Poll – “Do you think Zynga’s own social network and multiplayer platform will be effective?”
