Jim Wong, chairman of Acer, said the next couple of years will see continual refinement of products running Microsoft's new operating system. This will be particularly noticeable in the market for convertibles -- a relatively new form factor that attempts to combine the best of tablets and laptops into one product.

"Convertibles are not going to stay like they are at the Windows 8 launch," he said in a weekend interview at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. (.)

"By launching the first generation all the [computer makers] will learn about user behavior, so I expect in the next 18 months to two years the convertible form factor will continue to evolve, getting more and more user friendly."

"This is a good weapon for the Windows world, this is only the beginning," Wong said.

The launch of Windows 8 may help to intensify competition in the market, which has been largely shaped by tablets running Apple's iOS and Google's Android.