Windows CFO complains there are not enough touch screen Windows 8 PCs in retail yet, OEMs protest

In a shareholder meeting the new Windows CFO Tami Reller maintained the party line that OEMs are not supporting Windows 8 enough.

When asked about the relatively low amounts of new Windows 8 PCs in retail with touch screens Reller said:

So, I would describe it this way, which is if you go into retail today, you will see some great touch devices, whether it’s touch laptops, or whether it’s a tablet or two with Windows 8 or Windows RT. It’s not enough in our opinion. I mean, we think the pipeline is great, and we’re excited to see that pipeline come into retail. And they are coming. And so our OEMs are doing great work, and we’ll see that come in over the next several months. Some you’ll see in December, some it will take longer. But I think it’s good, but not great in terms of the full touch assortment.

The good news is that the touch screen PCs consumers crave are coming, but the bad news of course is that these devices were not ready from the launch of the OS, making Microsoft’s pique pretty understandable.

OEMs on the other hand complained of  an underdeveloped supply chain for touch components and slow consumer education stemming to scattered branding and PR, and said sales met their muted projections, as they understood these issues from the start.

“We had a little bit different expectations for Windows 8 than previous OS launches,” Jeff Barney, VP and general manager of Toshiba America’s PC and TV business, said. “In the past Windows was the only game in town, when it was Windows 7 or Vista it was the big event of the year. These days it’s a different environment.”

What do our readers think.  Is Microsoft being unrealistic, or have OEMs provided poor Windows 8 support? Let us know below.

Via Neowin.net