Surface is "just a design point", Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said during the Worldwide Partner Conference for Microsoft this week, hoping to reassure its hardware vendors.

"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. "

Ballmer attempted to ease worries and said Microsoft has "a mutual goal with [its] OEM partners to bring a diversity of solutions, Windows PCs, phones, tablets, servers to market."

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"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," he added.

Meanwhile, Acer founder Stan Shih gave the opinion that Microsoft should stick to coding software.

"I think Microsoft's getting involved in the hardware business is designed to promote its Win8 [operating system]," Shih said over the July 4th weekend.

"But I sincerely recommend they withdraw from the hardware market when they get what they want. I think they will [ultimately] consider and decide the best solution for themselves," he said.