Will Microsoft move against Apple fail?

Microsoft's strategy is to take on Apple with the Surface tablet which is likely to fail according to Acer's senior Vice President. Acer which is partner of Microsoft was left in the dark about its tablet, releasing it this week at a secretive, Apple-style press event.

Instead of focusing on Windows 8, the software giant has started a whole new war with Apple, and the products -- and partners -- will suffer, Ahrens said. Acer founder Stan Shih said Microsoft has "no reason" to sell hardware because it is less profitable than licensing software, adding that he had "analyzed" Microsoft's strategy in order to reach his conclusion.

A Dell spokesman offered some lukewarm support for Microsoft following the Surface unveiling: "We remain committed partners to Microsoft. We remain committed to Windows 8, and we will have a Slate product at the time of launch."

If the Surface doesn't take off, as Acer's Ahrens suggests, Microsoft better hope that its partners can deliver the kind of products that will keep the hundreds of millions of desktop Windows users from defecting to the competition as they transition to mobile platforms for work and play.