Windows tablet: Is Microsoft readying an iPad killer?
Windows tablets 鈥� a 鈥渟lew of them鈥� 鈥� will be unveiled by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, according to an article today in the New York Times. Citing 鈥減eople familiar with Microsoft鈥檚 plans,鈥� the Times that several manufacturers have signed up to build Windows tablets, including Dell and Samsung.
Details are scare, although a source tells the Times that the Samsung device would be 鈥渟imilar in size and shape to the Apple iPad,鈥� and include 鈥渁 unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing.鈥� The tablet would 鈥渞un the Windows 7 operating system when in landscape mode, but will also have a layered interface that will appear when the keyboard is hidden and the device is held in a portrait mode.鈥�
In related 鈥� and equally intriguing 鈥� news, the Times says that Microsoft could use the new tablets to demo a version of Windows 8. For Microsoft, the stakes are high. Tablets have flooded store shelves in recent months, and Gartner has predicated that 54.8 million tablets will be purchased in 2011. The market is currently dominated by the Apple iPad, but Android-powered tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab have made impressive debuts.
Thus far, Microsoft has lagged behind Apple. A solid Windows tablet could do a lot to change that. Then again, Microsoft鈥檚 track record with mobile devices in recent years hasn鈥檛 exactly been stellar. Windows Phone 7 鈥� the new mobile operating system from Microsoft 鈥� earned solid marks from reviewers, with one critic praising the 鈥渢ight, cohesive鈥� interface and the 鈥渕ost nuanced touch response this side of iOS4.鈥�
Still, Microsoft has refused to dish on exact sales numbers for Windows Phone 7 devices 鈥� and as Greg Kumparak of MobileCrunch , that鈥檚 never a good sign.
