Microsoft at Odds with PC Makers Over Windows 8 Strategy

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Frustrated with its initial launch, Microsoft is reportedly planning to reboot Windows 8 in February.

Microsoft is reportedly pissed at PC makers for failing to ready themselves for the launch of Windows 8 back in October. Without naming its source(s), The Register claims Microsoft believes OEMs should have been ready with more attractive Windows 8-based touchscreen tablets, and had they been on the ball, the reception would have been much more positive. There's more.
Redmond reportedly provided specific guidance on the hardware its partners should be using for any machine running Windows 8. Microsoft also provided advice on both high-end and low-end form factors PC makers should build, including Ultrabooks, hybrid laptops, and traditional notebooks.
"Microsoft is very frustrated with major OEMs who didn't build nearly enough touch systems and are now struggling to find parts and ramp up. Microsoft says they provided very specific guidance on what to build," an un-named source told The Register.
For their part, PC makers says that if they followed Microsoft's requirements and stepped up production, they'd essentially be stuck holding onto a bunch of expensive tablets that nobody wants to buy.
So here we are three months later, watching Microsoft and PC makers argue about what consumers do and do not want, while the fate of Windows 8 hangs in the balance. What's Microsoft's next move, then?
Reboot Windows, of course.
Hey, it used to work in Windows 95, and according to The Register, Microsoft is planning to reboot the launch of Windows 8 in February when Surface Pro comes out.
If Microsoft goes through with that strategy, it will be interesting to see what happens next. Call us skeptical, but rebooting the launch of Windows 8 is not going to solve the fundamental problem that exists, which is that consumers never asked for touch-capable desktops or a bunch of overpriced hybrids to begin with.
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