Microsoft OEM Exec Steps Down

The executive who has led the charge for Microsoft’s Windows Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) business for the last several years is stepping away from the position just as the company is facing scrutiny from PC makers after announcing plans to sell its own Windows 8 tablets.

As reported by Bloomberg, Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s OEM division, is leaving the position to be replaced by Nick Parker, who has had a key marketing role in the OEM group.

Sabbatical

Guggenheimer is going on sabbatical and is expected to return to a leadership position at Microsoft upon his return, the company said. Guggenheimer ran the Microsoft OEM business for more than four years.

Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said Guggenheimer’s exit had nothing to do with Microsoft’s tablet PC plans. In a statement to Bloomberg, Shaw said:

“As a result of long term planning, Steven Guggenheimer will move on from his current role as CVP of the OEM Division effective on 1 July, to coincide with the start of Microsoft’s fiscal year. He is taking on a new senior leadership role at the company, and further details will be provided when finalised.”

Microsoft surprised the industry with its 18 June Surface tablet PC announcement. That Microsoft planned to market its own hardware systems caught many by surprise, not least of all OEMs who were only briefed on the strategy just days before the announcement in Hollywood.

Home-grown ARM device

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s move has had repercussions with some OEMs. As eWEEK’s Chris Preimesberger noted in a recent article: “Because Surface will now be Microsoft’s home-grown ARM-based tablet device of choice to run all those all-too-familiar Windows business and consumer applications natively, HP, Dell and a score of other OEMs now are moving to Plan B. Instead of being able to run the promising Windows RT operating system for ARM devices, they will have to fall back to the forthcoming Windows 8 for x86-based devices.”

Microsoft is expected to release Windows 8 to manufacturing (RTM) in July and make it generally available in October. Microsoft has said publicly that Windows RT-based machines will be available when Windows 8 is released.

And Microsoft is not expected to be the only company shipping Windows RT-based machines at the release of Windows 8, as ASUS and Toshiba have committed to this.

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