Pegatron Corp. (4938), an assembler of Apple Inc. iPhones, said it expects Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)’s new Surface tablet computer to help promote the Windows ecosystem as it competes with the iPad and Google Inc. Android devices.

“I think this is the major purpose of them doing a tablet, as it can enhance their ecosystem, to help them promote and get a lot of developers to make apps to share in their store,” Charles Lin, chief financial officer for the Taipei-based company, said in a phone interview today. “This kind of device may help them to promote their Win8 solutions and demonstrate the strengths and capabilities of the new Windows 8.”

Pegatron currently has as many as five tablet products in development for both Windows and Android platforms, Lin said.

He declined to say whether Pegatron is a manufacturer of the Surface tablet or name other customers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Culpan in Taipei at tculpan1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Tighe at mtighe4@bloomberg.net