宏碁抨擊微軟插足平板電腦

Acer, the world's fourth largest computer maker by shipments, has attacked Microsoft's move into tablets, highlighting the rift between the software group and its former allies in PC makers.

全球發貨量第四大的電腦製造商宏碁(Acer)抨擊微軟(Microsoft)進軍平板電腦領域之舉，凸顯出這家軟件集團與個人電腦(PC)領域前盟友之間出現的裂痕。

JT Wang, chairman and chief executive of Acer, said Microsoft's plans to launch its Surface tablet in October, in competition with his company's Iconia and HP's TouchPad tablets, would be "negative for the worldwide ecosystem" in computing.

宏碁董事長兼首席執行長王振堂(JT Wang)表示，微軟計劃於今年10月推出自己的Surface平板電腦，這將與宏碁的Iconia平板電腦和惠普(HP)的TouchPad平板電腦形成競爭，給計算機行業的"全球生態系統帶來負面影響"。

He is the first head of a big PC maker publicly to criticise Microsoft's move. "We have said [to Microsoft] think it over," he told the Financial Times. "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." The criticism is striking because in the past two decades, Microsoft and PC makers have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship.

王振堂是第一位公開批評微軟推出平板電腦的大型PC製造商掌舵人。他對英國《金融時報》表示，"我們已告訴（微軟）三思。"他表示，"請三思而後行。這將給整個生態系統帶來巨大的負面影響，並可能引起其他品牌的消極反應。這不是你們擅長的領域，所以請你們三思。"他的批評非常引人注目，這是因爲在過去的20年裏，微軟與PC製造商之間一直保持一種共生關係。

Microsoft's Windows operating system, with Intel's processors, provided a standardised, open platform that allowed PC makers to focus on improving hardware. Competition between groups such as Acer, Dell and Lenovo drove down prices for consumers and helped spread the use of Microsoft software.

微軟的Windows操作系統與英特爾(Intel)的處理器共同提供了一種標準化、開放的平臺，使PC製造商得以專心改進硬件。宏碁、戴爾(Dell)和聯想(Lenovo)等PC廠商之間的競爭，使消費者享受到更低的價格，也幫助擴大了微軟軟件的使用。

This model is being disrupted by the rise of smartphones and tablets, spearheaded by Apple's iPhones and iPads. This prompted Microsoft, which in July announced its first loss as a public company, to market its own tablet as it plays catch up.

以蘋果(Apple)iPhone和iPad爲首的智能手機和平板電腦的崛起，正在打破上述產業模式。這使得今年7月報告上市以來首次虧損業績的微軟奮起直追，開始推銷自己的平板電腦。

Microsoft acknowledged the tensions this would create in a regulatory filing: "Our Surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM [original equipment manufacturer] partners, which may affect their commitment to our platform."

微軟在一份監管申報文件中承認了此舉將引發的緊張："我們的Surface平板電腦將對我們的OEM（原始設備製造商）合作伙伴的產品構成競爭關係，這有可能影響它們對採用我們平臺的承諾。"

Campbell Kan, Acer's president for PC global operations, said: "If Microsoft … is going to do hardware ... Should we still rely on Microsoft, or should we find alternatives?"

宏碁全球個人電腦業務總裁坎貝爾•肯(Campbell Kan)表示："如果微軟……打算做硬件……我們是應該繼續依靠微軟，還是應該物色替代軟件呢？"