Ballmer: "Surface Is Just a Design Point" - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

Still hoping for the best of both worlds (Apple-centric end-to-end solutions and a thriving hardware partner ecosystem)

"“Surface is just a design point,” Ballmer said. “It will have a distinct place in what’s a broad Windows ecosystem. And the importance of the thousands of partners that we have that design and produce Windows computers will not diminish. We have a mutual goal with our OEM partners to bring a diversity of solutions, Windows PCs, phones, tablets, servers to market. And what we seek to have is a spectrum of stunning devices, stunning Windows devices. So, every consumer, every business customer can say, ‘I have the perfect PC for me.’ … We’re excited about the work our OEM partners are doing on Windows 8.”"

Ballmer: "Surface Is Just a Design Point" - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD