Microsoft may use Windows Phone 7 event to show off tablets

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
A new rumor suggests that Microsoft, concerned by the success of Apple's iPad, will use next week's Windows Phone 7 unveiling to show off new touchscreen tablets it will have available this holiday season.



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.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 73
    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.
  • Reply 2 of 73
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    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.
  • Reply 3 of 73
    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.
  • Reply 4 of 73
    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.
  • Reply 5 of 73
    alandailalandail Posts: 755member
    Leave it to microsoft to design a tablet OS that requires the tablet to have a "control-alt-delete" button on the side.
  • Reply 6 of 73
    Zune Part Duex
  • Reply 7 of 73
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    A new rumor suggests that Microsoft, concerned by the success of Apple's iPad, will use next week's Windows Phone 7 unveiling to show off new touchscreen tablets it will have available this holiday season. ...



    This is great news if true. Rumour has it that the Windows Phone 7 is actually a snappy little device and could be popular. Tying the Windows Albatross around it's neck can only distract and detract.



    I was wondering how Microsoft was going to screw it up and now we know.
  • Reply 8 of 73
    "Control-alt-delete" key! This has to be a joke!
  • Reply 9 of 73
    all this from a company that requires a 3.5" floppy disk that they don't install or sell on their computers if you want to restore your XP Pro system from a clone HD. Better buy screen protection, there's nothing more frustrating than having the screen freeze on you all the time. I can already visualize people hitting them with hammers in frustration.
  • Reply 10 of 73
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by estolinski View Post


    "Control-alt-delete" key! This has to be a joke!



    It's a feature.. just like the required Bing button on every WP7
  • Reply 11 of 73
    kerrybkerryb Posts: 270member
    You actually have to press a button on the side of this thing to get the keyboard to appear and then press is again to make it go away?
  • Reply 12 of 73
    peleaspeleas Posts: 18member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LighteningKid View Post


    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.



    I believe this video is an attempt at stealth marketing by Microsoft. They need to cut into iPad sales as much as possible, especially now that Apple is poised to take advantage of the holiday shopping season.



    Looking at the HP tablet's sluggishness, it's obvious the product isn't ready for prime time, regardless how many times the reviewer says how fast, cool, nice, and responsive it is. And the fact that he's "sorry about the video quality" of the iPhone used to record his video, while reviewing a Windows-based product, is a little too obvious.
  • Reply 13 of 73
    bageljoeybageljoey Posts: 2,004member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LighteningKid View Post


    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.



    +1

  • Reply 14 of 73
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member
    There is a Win7 tablet coming out for the holiday called ExoPc but its having production problems last time I heard about it.
  • Reply 15 of 73
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by alandail View Post


    Leave it to microsoft to design a tablet OS that requires the tablet to have a "control-alt-delete" button on the side.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by estolinski View Post


    "Control-alt-delete" key! This has to be a joke!



    In all fairness, I think that is HP’s doing, but remember that was based on Windows 7 which wasn’t designed with touch UI as the primary I/O, but a bolt on option for developers to use.



    I would hope that if MS has a tablet OS they want to show up next week that it will be Windows Phone 7 based. This is, after all, the one area that they aren’t years behind in development compared to Android and RiM.





    PS: Speaking of tablets, I haven’t heard much from Notion Ink since they made a huge fuss at the beginning of the year, but it looks like they are closer than many other “me to” products saying how they are better than the iPad.
  • Reply 16 of 73
    Watching that video of him on IE makes me really understand why SJ is adamant about not having flash on a touch device. That add banner looked terrible. I really hope they would not unveil this UI in 2010. It looked unbelievably dated and there would be zero chance for success. The device itself looked pretty thick and basically a netbook without a keyboard.
  • Reply 17 of 73
    bilbo63bilbo63 Posts: 285member
    I liked it when he tried to demo "scrolling" on the web page and it didn't scroll. He then quickly changes gears to shift over to You Tube.



    Not bad video quality though. Did you notice the reflection of the camera... that's right, an iPhone.
  • Reply 18 of 73
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LighteningKid View Post


    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.



    This might explain everything!! I ought to have come to this conclusion myself. Something about this tablet just doesn't seem to be right. It really must be a joke.
  • Reply 19 of 73
    (Disclosure: I own an iPad)



    Microsoft, let's see what you got. I have an open mind, so if it's something worth buying, I'll buy it. I don't care that you have a shitty record of releasing vaporware. America is a country based on forgiveness and rebirth; I'm sure a lot of us can forget your past sins and allow you to start anew in regaining the trust of consumers by assuring us that you won't release another pile of shit, only to get it right in v34.1.



    Stop throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. Come out with a serious product and I'll kick down serious clams (sorry, just watched 'Boardwalk Empire'. Duckets, scrilla, and quids are old).
  • Reply 20 of 73
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Win 7 is not a tablet OS. Case closed, please come back to tech industry once you find someone other then Baldmer to run the company.
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