Microsoft does not want manufacturers to go crazy with tablets

Microsoft is aiming to limit the variety of future Windows-based tablets by enticing chip makers to work with only one device maker,three sources tell Bloomberg.

The move would allow Microsoft to have greater control over upcoming tablets running Windows 8, and it would also help avoid the problem of trying to support endless hardware variations something that has been a problem for Microsoft on the PC-side for decades. The move is not surprising since Microsoft hasalready established stiff restrictions for Windows Phone hardware.

The plan would involve chip companies like Intel, AMD, and Nvidia choosing a single computer manufacturer for Windows 8 tablets. Microsoft is not making the restriction mandatory, Bloomberg reports, but its offering incentives to chip and device makers that should tempt them towards forming "sole alliance". Potential benefits could include lower software prices and features that would make Windows work better on particular tablets, the sources say.

But while the "sole alliance" plan will certainly be good for Microsoft, many manufacturers will inevitably be left out. Already, Taiwanese manufacturers HTC, Acer and Asus are complaining about being excluded from the short list of manufacturers Microsoft is presenting to chip makers, Digitimes reports. Microsoft is instead offering up Dell, HP and Samsung as recommended manufacturers.

Microsoft will also allow chip makers to choose another manufacturer for netbook-like Windows 8 devices. The sources also made it clear that Microsoft will not be pursuing similar restrictions for the desktop version of Windows 8 on traditional PCs.