Microsoft may use Windows Phone 7 event to show off tablets
The Redmond, Wash., software giant is set to hold a launch event on Oct. 11 for new devices powered by Windows Phone 7. And while it was presumed that the event would focus on phones, Neowin.net claims that the event in New York City may also be used to introduce new 'slate PCs' that will hit the market this year.
"Microsoft has been working closely with several un-named OEMs to produce a genuine answer to the iPad," the report said. "The software giant is concerned that iPad sales are slowly cannibalizing Windows sales and eating away at the recent boom in netbook sales."
Next week's rumored showcase of Windows tablets coincides with what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at an event in the U.K. on Tuesday. Speaking to students, staff and journalists at the London School of Economics, Ballmer said consumers can expect to see new, Windows-powered slates this Christmas, according to Reuters.
The report noted that Ballmer declined to say whether the devices would be on sale before Christmas, or who will make the hardware.
Early this year, before Apple even announced the iPad, Microsoft partnered with HP to show off a touchscreen tablet dubbed a "slate PC." The Windows 7-powered product has still not launched, and HP's purchase of Palm and is webOS mobile operating system even led to rumors that the product was scrapped.
However, a prototype of HP's Windows 7 tablet was recently demoed on YouTube, and the responsiveness of the product was widely ridiculed.
Though tablets powered by Windows 7 have yet to see any high profile releases, Apple has found great success with its iPad, selling 3.27 million in its first three months of availability. Ballmer even conceded that Apple sold more iPads than he'd "like them to sell."
Since the launch of the iPad, some reports have even claimed that the iPad has been responsible for a significant reduction in netbook sales. Low-cost, low-power netbooks largely run a version of Microsoft's Windows operating system.
73 Comments
Well. I for one am not one of those people who would have bought a netbook. The ipad didn't cannibalize anything because I wouldn't have wanted a netbook. Apple created a new device that I did want. I think this is more the truth than any MSFT or anyone in the netbook market would care to admit.
Oh oh -- I've got an idea -- while they've got everyone there to hear about the new phones (And now tablets), let's also talk about the web-based Office because, you know, Google is making inroads there too.
Oh Oh -- another idea! -- let's also talk about Windows Home Media Server and the Xbox, because people might buy Apple TVs and Google TVS, and we've got to remind them that Microsoft serves that market.
Oh wait -- another idea! -- let's talk about all the great developer tools that MS is coming out with, and how silverlight is so much better than flash...
Now, let's see, we'll just need about 4 hours, we'll schedule 6 vice presidents to talk, and Balmer can just kick it off by talking about synergies and maybe pump his fist in the air a couple of times to get the crowd warmed up.
This will totally beat Apple -- Apple's so lame that they only talk about one thing at a time at their press events.
My guess is we will "see" a device running win 7 before xmas but it will not be scheduled to release until "early" next year. Then they will hope people will just forget about that when they show off a new device scheduled to be released sometime in the future.
I wonder if this video is actually a fake. It just seems too much with him saying multiple times how great and fast it is when it's clearly not doing what he wants it to. Plus, it looks *too* much like Windows. I would think if they were coming out with a new OS specific to tablets, they'd make a few more modifications to make it easier to use. Finally - a Ctrl-Alt-Del key? Seriously?
It almost seems like a joke by someone who wants to make fun of Microsoft (and possibly HP). Which would make the "I'm recording this on my iPhone" part a sly joke in itself.
Leave it to microsoft to design a tablet OS that requires the tablet to have a "control-alt-delete" button on the side.