Acer has a big problem with Microsoft’s Surface tablet

Microsoft took a calculated risk when it said it would produce its own tablet, The Surface (due in October).

Key hardware partners could feel undermined by the move - for Microsoft Surface will compete against Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets made by the likes of Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung.

Now, it seems that fear has been released.

Talking to the Financial Times (subscription required), Acer president for personal computer global operations Campbell Kan, says his company has asked Microsoft to “think twice” about its plan for a house-brand tablet..

Mr Kan implies Acer might abandon Windows altogether if the Surface goes ahead.

It won't.

Windows PCs are core to Acer’s business. It won’t abandon that market.

And Microsoft already had little to lose in terms of tablet partners. Acer and others have centred their efforts on Google Android-based devices. Microsoft is making a bold move to break this pattern. Good on it.

I like other elements of the Microsoft Surface too.

At a recent Microsoft event in Auckland, a Microsoft rep pushed the fact a Surface can be your only device.

Because its running Windows, a Surface can be docked to a monitor and keyboard at work or home full a full-blooded computing experience, then used as a touchscreen (or with the keyboard built into its case) when on the road. Even the high-end Surface is probably too gutless for, say, Photoshop, but overall this is a nifty argument – and one that will likely see the Surface gain more corporate market share than people expect.

I also like that Windows 8 will appear across PCs, smartphones and tablets, making it relatively easy for developers to port an application between all three platforms, and sell it through a single app store (still in beta). Again, this approach isn’t perfect. There will be grumbles from Nokia Lumia owners, and others, when they find their Windows Phone 7 devices can’t be upgraded. And Windows 8’s touchscreen-centric tiles might be met by a baffled shrug by most PC users (you can default back to a more traditional interface). But overall it’s a solid strategy.

The jury is still out on whether a Surface's optional tactile keyboard (which comes built into a case) is rigid and braced enough that you can balance the Surface on your lap as you type (these little things matter). The Register reckons it's possible, others disagree.