Microsoft blew up the channel this week.  They changed their business model. With Microsoft Surface, they now compete with the channel. And that’s a good thing.

But do the channel partners have any choice?

No way.

They have to sell Windows. What OS wold they adopt instead?  Will Dell go Linux? That was Leo Laporte’s question on This Week in Google. On the show, Gina Trapani mentioned Chrome OS a an option, which is interesting though highly unlikely.

Dell is actually investing quite  a bit in Ubuntu. Its working with Canonical on a Linux-based laptop for developers.

Maybe that is what we will see as software companies morph into systems and service providers.  Instead of relying on one OS, the hardware vendors will  have multiple to choose from.

In the meantime, the service providers of the world will continue to develop their own hardware. Also on the show, Kevin Marks said Microsoft may very well be saying that Microsoft Surface is the reference for the rest of the market. Now the channel can go forth and make the lower end devices with Microsoft Surface as its model.

Google could do the same next week and create its own Android tablet. One that is a reference for the rest of the market.

Microsoft did just blow up the channel. Maybe it will lead to a surge of innovations in the tablet space and create a bit of disruption. It’s about time…right?