Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer promised 14,000 partners at the Worldwide Partner Conference on July 12th that Windows 7 slates would be available later this year.
Microsoft and its existing PC partners, including Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony, will all be fielding Windows 7 slates in the coming months, Ballmer said. These slates will be available at a variety of price points and in a variety of form factors — with keyboards, touch only, dockable, able to handle digital ink, etc.
The iPad is probably the most well know slate/tablet device out now. Other OS and device manufacturers don’t plan to get left behind, though. There is a lot of buzz in the industry about tablets based on Android, WebOS, and Chrome OS. It’s good to have confirmation that Microsoft isn’t going to be sitting back on their laurels.
We knew MS was working on something cool when Ballmer demoed a prototype of a Windows 7 slate from HP at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Since then, we haven’t heard much about it. The iPad stole the show, and rumors of other slate-like devices took over from there. While Ballmer never mentioned the competition, we are probably going to see a pretty crowded market this year.
One thing Microsoft has going for it is its ties with the corporate world. Most office computers run Windows, so it’s not a huge leap to allow office workers to use a slate form-factor with a compatible OS on it. Corporate IT departments may be more willing to accept a Windows 7 tablet. This will give workers the flexibility to use the tablet at home and in the office…or in the home office. Other tablet devices are a much harder sell to corporations.
We know that Microsoft is focusing on the slate as a form factor for Windows 8, but that is pretty far off at this point. If they are releasing tablets this year, they will also need to have the proper infrastructure to support them. Namely, some type of app store. Windows 7 will also need some serious changes to make it work well on a touchscreen device. If they execute properly, Microsoft may be able to push the tablet farther than home consumers.
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