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Acer pushes back release of Windows RT devices

Acer remains wary of wary of competing with Microsoft's Surface tablet and has delayed launch of its own Windows RT tablet as a result, Reuters reports.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer demonstrates the Surface tablet at the Build Conference today.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer demonstrates the Surface tablet at the Build Conference today. Microsoft

Acer is pushing back the release of a Windows RT tablet, according to a report, as it monitors Microsoft's Surface efforts closely.

"Originally we had a very aggressive plan to come out very early next year but because of Surface...we are much more cautious," Acer President Jim Wong told Reuters today.

Wong said plans originally called for a Q1 launch but "now I don't think it will be earlier than Q2."

The world's fourth largest PC supplier has been sour on the Surface tablet ever since Microsoft first announced it back in June.

Surface is the first Microsoft branded PC and has caused consternation at some PC makers because they must now compete with the company that heretofore had been a partner -- not a rival.

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Back in August, Acer CEO JT Wang said that Microsoft's plans to launch its own tablet would be a "negative for the worldwide ecosystem" and begged Redmond to rethink the move.

"It will create a huge negative impact...It is not something you are good at so please think twice," he said.

Watch this: Microsoft Surface is the best productivity tablet yet