Lenovo refused to sell Microsoft’s Surface because they’re ‘competitors’

Dell and HP decided to start selling Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 tablet last month, but Lenovo was curiously absent. Gianfranco Lanci, president and COO at Lenovo, has revealed that the PC maker refused to sell Microsoft’s tablet. “I said no to resell their product,” Lanci told attendees at the Canalys Channels Forum, reports The Register. He explained that Microsoft “asked me more than one year ago, and I said no I don’t see any reason why I should sell a product from within brackets, competition.”

While Lenovo sees Microsoft as a “partner on certain things,” it’s competing in tablets and now laptops with the new Surface Book. Lenovo is clearly going head-to-head with Microsoft thanks to its new Miix 700 as it’s a direct Surface clone. Lenovo’s tablet has a similar adjustable kickstand and a keyboard that magnetically attaches to the display just like Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3.

Dell and HP both explained their decision to sell the Surface Pro 3, noting that customers had been demanding it. Dell, HP, and Lenovo all joined Microsoft and Intel to kick off a new “PC Does What?” marketing campaign yesterday. It’s designed to get consumers to upgrade four- or five-year-old computers with the latest PCs running Windows 10. While all five companies might be competitors in many ways, it’s the first time we’ve seen PC makers join forces to address falling sales together.

Video: PC does what? ad campaign