Redmond is looking at the low-cost market for new devices

Jun 3, 2015 04:30 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft and its partners are again planning to release a new wave of devices running the latest Windows, and now a new report claims that the company is working together with Acer and Lenovo to tackle the low-cost market with new laptops.

Digitimes is reporting that Microsoft and Acer will launch two different models, an 11.6-inch notebook priced at $169 (€150) and a 14-inch clamshell-type notebook that will be available for $199 (€175), both of them coming with Windows 10 and supposed to ensure the success of the new OS in the short term.

At the same time, Microsoft also has a new project developed in collaboration with Lenovo that would bring us a 14-inch convertible Yoga notebook, which will hit the market with a price tag of $249 (€190).

According to the same report, Inventec will be in charge of the manufacturing process for all these three low-cost Windows 10 devices.

Target acquired: Chromebooks

It’s very important to note that these devices won’t hit the market with Microsoft branding and will belong to Acer and Lenovo, respectively, as the Redmond-based software giant still doesn’t seem to be ready to expand into the low-cost market.

Ever since it launched the first Surface tablet and it officially became a hardware manufacturer, Microsoft positioned itself as a premium device maker, and the company doesn’t seem to be willing to target the low-cost sector anytime soon.

Instead, it’s using its partners to do it, and Acer and Lenovo are the first to tackle this market with new devices fully compatible with Windows 10.

In addition to ensuring the long-term success of the new OS, Microsoft is also trying to slow down the growth of Google Chromebooks, which have experienced significant sales boosts lately, mostly thanks to their low price, so with similarly priced devices, Redmond hopes that more people will start looking at Windows once again.

Windows 10 is projected to launch on July 29, and most of these devices are expected to be presented during the same day in a press event prepared by Microsoft for the unveiling of the new OS.