Acer unveils 11.6-inch Iconia W700, 10.1-inch W510 Windows 8 tablets (update: hands-on pictures and video)
And the flood of Windows tablets begins! With only four months or so to go before Microsoft finalizes the OS, we had a feeling Computex 2012 would bring lots of Win8 devices, and it looks like we won't be disappointed.
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft's Windows 8 Release Preview had already added apps connecting Hotmail, SkyDrive and Messenger, giving PC makers a clearer view of the services their hardware would carry. Acer's two-device announcement turns that software timetable into a concrete OEM commitment before the operating system is finalized.
First-order effects
- Acer enters the Windows 8 tablet rollout with both 11.6-inch and 10.1-inch options, widening its hardware lineup around Microsoft's pending operating system.
- Microsoft gains visible support from Acer for Windows 8 as a tablet platform, alongside its software and connected-service push.
Second-order effects
- Acer must distinguish two similarly positioned Windows 8 tablets through their respective form factors and hardware roles rather than relying on the operating system alone.
- Microsoft's Windows 8 experience becomes more dependent on OEMs such as Acer pairing the unfinished platform with hardware that demonstrates its touch-oriented use cases.
Third-order effects
- The launch points to a Windows tablet market organized around OEM experimentation across screen sizes while Microsoft supplies the shared software and services layer.
- If other PC makers follow Acer's approach, Windows 8 tablet competition will shift from a single-device contest toward differentiated hardware portfolios built on the same platform.
The trend: Windows 8 is becoming a cross-device OEM platform, with manufacturers using varied tablet designs to test where Microsoft's touch-focused software fits best.