The founder of a company who only a few months ago released a fairly decent tablet themselves has said that tablet devices are ultimately a short-term phenomenon and said that tech companies should focus on innovation in their laptops.

Stan Shih, founder of Taiwanese computer manufacturing giant Acer made the comment in an interview with trade magazine DigiTimes over the weekend, and also said that it was Apple’s innovative way of thinking that made the iPad such a success, and that manufacturers should apply similar thinking to the notebook market. PCs, Shih said, are still the base of the IT industry, and should be the starting point for products. Shih retired from Acer in 2004.

As tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the HP TouchPad, the Acer Iconia A500 and the keenly awaited iPad 3 continue to make inroads in terms of sales, his comments might seem a little incongruous, but Acer apparently mean business: Along with their competitors Asus, Acer are reportedly working on slimming down their notebook to fit the public’s demand for ultra-portable devices. Both companies are set to release so-called ultrabooks onto the Asian market this autumn. So far, there hasn’t been word on US release dates for either product.