Jun Dong-soo, director of Samsung's memory chip division, also told the Korea Times that the global PC industry is "steadily shrinking despite the launch of Windows 8" and that Intel and Microsoft 's thin Ultrabooks have "simply failed" because of the Windows platform.

In addition, Samsung has now confirmed reports in the German press that it will no longer sell its Windows RT tablet , called the Ativ Tab, in Germany. A German tech news site is also reporting that the manufacturer will halt the tablet's sale in other European countries, but Samsung has not yet issued that confirmation.

Pricing, Form Factors

Tablets are arguably the key to Microsoft's personal computer plans. The technology giant needs to gain a foothold in the soaring tablet category, which is dominated by Apple's iPad but has a slew of fast-rising Android devices as well. Windows 8's entire interface appears to have been driven by the need to accommodate tablets' touchscreen interface. And, not incidentally, Samsung is the world's second-largest maker of tablets.

But the pricing of the Windows tablet remains an issue, in part because of Microsoft's licensing fee. In Germany, the Samsung RT tablet retails for U.S. $780, compared with U.S. $430 for the iPad. Additionally, the RT model does not run Windows legacy apps directly, and the total inventory of RT-specific apps is still relatively small.

Some industry observers are also noting customer confusion about Windows choices. There's Windows RT tablets' inability to run Windows legacy apps, as well as a wide range of form factors -- and names for the form factors -- for Windows 8 Ultrabooks, convertibles, hybrids, touchscreen PCs, and non-touchscreen PCs.

The dissatisfaction with Windows 8 among PC manufacturers extends beyond Samsung. Acer President Jim Wong, for example, said in January that "Windows 8 itself is still not successful," and pointed to the fact that the PC market has not revived since the launch of the new platform. (continued...)

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