Microsoft Surface not affected by leaving of Windows 8 head in the short term

Aaron Lee, Taipei; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 14 November 2012]

Microsoft president for Windows 8, Steven Sinofsky has left the company, but this should not affect Microsoft's Surface project in the short term, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

Since the Surface project was led by Sinofsky, his exit is expected to help slightly relieve tensions between the software giant and its downstream PC brand partners, but since Surface is already set for release, there is unlikely to be any significant changes in the short term.

The sources pointed out that Surface RT is expected to see weaker-than-expected sales performance, and the device also has had a rough time in production as yield rates for components such as the touchscreen module and chassis, and for back-end assembly, remain weak.