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Acer wants Microsoft to rethink tablet entry: report

Taiwanese computer maker Acer has urged Microsoft to reconsider its planned venture into the tablet market, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Image: A Microsoft representative holds a new Surface tablet computer as it is unveiled by Microsoft in Los Angeles
A Microsoft representative holds a new Surface tablet computer as it is unveiled by Microsoft on June 18, 2012. The company introduced its own line of tablet computers, marking a major strategic shift for the software giant as it struggles to compete with Apple and re-invent its Windows franchise.David Mcnew / Reuters file
/ Source: Reuters

Taiwanese computer maker Acer has urged Microsoft to reconsider its planned venture into the tablet market, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Acer Chairman and Chief Executive J.T. Wang, said Microsoft's plans to launch its own "Surface" tablet in October would be "negative for the worldwide ecosystem" in computing.

Microsoft's Surface tablet would enter the market in direct competition with Acer's "Iconia."

"We have said think it over. Think twice. It will create a huge negative impact for the ecosystem and other brands may take a negative reaction. It is not something you are good at, so please think twice," Wang is quoted as saying.

For the past two decades, Microsoft and personal computer makers have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship.

Campbell Kan, Acer's president for personal computer global operations, said the company was debating internally how to respond to the Surface.

"If Microsoft is going to do hardware business, what should we do? Should we still rely on Microsoft, or should we find other alternatives?" he is quoted as saying.