Ballmer Promises Windows 7 Slates
Finally... Windows 7 tablet will hit the market just in time for the holidays.
Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer confirmed Monday that Windows 7-based tablets will hit the market by the end of the year. He said that nearly a dozen hardware manufacturers are set to launch the devices including Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony (gasp!) and many more. The news was revealed during Ballmer's opening speech at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference taking place in Washington, D.C. this week.
"Over the course of the next several months you will see a range of Windows 7-based slates that I think you'll find quite impressive," he told the audience. "This is a terribly important area for us. We are hardcore about this."
He added that there will be a wide range of devices: some with keyboards, and some without. "They'll be dockable, there will be many form factors, many price points, many sizes," he said. "But they will all run Windows 7. They will run Windows 7 applications. They will run Office."
Outside the five manufacturers listed above, twenty-one additional manufacturers were listed to be working on Windows 7 tablets including Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Panasonic and Pegatron. Although Ballmer revealed an HP slate during the slideshow presentation (and at CES 2010 back in January), currently HP hasn't officially confirmed that the device will ship by the end of the year.
Without a doubt, Microsoft is making its big push in the mobile market in 2010. With Apple's iPad dominating the tablet market and an army of Android-based devices gearing up to fill the second-in-command position, Microsoft has a lot of catching up to do. Ballmer even admitted that the company missed a generation in the smartphone sector, falling behind Apple's iPhone, the Android platform, and RIM's Blackberry platform.
"This year one of the most important things that we will do in the smart device category is really push forward with Windows 7-based slates and Windows 7 phones," Ballmer said. Windows Phone 7 is also slated to hit the market in Q4 2010.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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JasonAkkerman And I will buy one! Hopefully a Moorestown device.Reply
Edit: And Hopefully one with with 3/4G support and mobile service. Don't need a smart phone with one of these. -
wing2010 By then, Android or Chrome tablets have already flooded the markets, not to mention about the iPad...Reply -
Humans think I could easily find my self using Win7 on a slate :PReply
Even if I have to give away speed, responsiveness, and design, the thrill of installing what the hell I want on my device is compelling. Way to go Microsoft (omg i just sounded as a fanboy). I will never purchase a console-class device like an ipad. -
mgoblue3296 If the iPad didn't exist, it wouldn't be as "terribly important" as Ballmer said.Reply
I don't get how these would apply for everyday use. Maybe in hospitals a modified, stripped down version could be useful, but as far as an everyday user? It's stuck in the middle ground between smartphone and laptop, and I'll take both of those over a tablet. -
tokenz Little late to the game Ballmer. This should have been done about 5mins after the ipad launch.Reply -
Regulas Never in a hundred years unless like a laptop I could wipe the Windows infection off the device and install Android or some other Linux based derivative.Reply -
requiemsallure maybe im just being picky but, who wants to run office on a tablet? there are many better applications for it. in anycase windows 7 on a tablet is pretty cool, if i liked tablets i would get one.Reply -
Drag0nR1der "If the iPad didn't exist, it wouldn't be as "terribly important" as Ballmer said."Reply
True, but it's market forces that really drive the importance of such things...