Ballmer: ''Full Guns'' on iPad is ''Job One Urgency''
Windows 7 tablets to be Intel-based, not ARM, and they will print.
It's no great secret that Apple beat Microsoft (and basically everyone else) to the tablet market in the consumer space. Microsoft isn't happy about that.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the company is hard at work in making a Windows-based tablet that'll go head-to-head against the iPad.
"They'll be shipping as soon as they are ready," Ballmer said. "It is job one urgency. No one is sleeping at the switch."
On the topic of Apple's success with the iPad, "they've sold certainly more than I'd like them to have sold."
While other companies are tuning special operating systems for its tablet devices, Microsoft is sticking with Windows 7.
"We have got to make things happen," he said. "We're in the process of doing that as we speak. We're working with our hardware partners. We're tuning Windows 7."
One nice side effect of having Windows 7 is that it'll be packed with features that many of us enjoy on our computers. "When you get your Windows 7 machine, it will print," Ballmer said. "Some people actually like to print every now and then."
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Ballmer didn't comment when the tablets will be launching, other than "It ain't a long time from now." As for hardware, it'll be Intel-based rather than ARM.
"We're coming," he said. "We're coming full guns. The operating system is called Windows."
(Source: Cnet.)
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Albyint An intel/amd proc would have alot advantages if they could implement it. Paired with a mobile gpu, and throttle software to adjust speed/power demands, and you might have an Ipad killer.Reply
......Here is hoping for some competition...... -
mcnuggetofdeath Pricing is by far the most important thing for me. If it's got 2+ Gb of RAM and the new Atom CPUs I'll probably pick one up. But to dominate the market it needs to be priced at around $400.Reply -
I have a Fujitsu T5010 Tablet with Vista Business, now installed Windows 7 Business. Microsoft really has to get in the game and the only way to do it is go big or stay home. It really has to smoke, lets face it if they build it (and it works well) they will buy it by the multi millions, not just 3 million.....Reply
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falchard "It's no great secret that Apple beat Microsoft (and basically everyone else) to the tablet market in the consumer space."Reply
In what alternate universe did Apple beat Microsoft to Tablets? -
hakesterman "They'll be shipping as soon as they are ready," Ballmer said. "It is job one urgency. No one is sleeping at the switch."Reply
Dude your Company(MS) has been a sleep on this for over a year. I don't care how urgent you place it now, you will never catch up to the Ipad. You should be fired for this alone. -
danimal_the_animal It better not have a lame ass 1024x768 resolution.....this lame resolution goes all the way back to the quake days with 486 CPU'sReply
it needs to be FULL 720p (1366x768) MINIMUM! -
danimal_the_animal it also needs to handle 1080p video.Reply
if it can do this i will buy one for sure. -
anamaniac 1920x1080, 4GB RAM, 2GHz Intel dual core, some random nice Nvidia mobile GPU, and full blown windows 7 on a 13" IPS resistive touch panel please.Reply
You know, a real tablet? -
hakesterman 1920x1080, 4GB RAM, 2GHz Intel dual core, some random nice Nvidia mobile GPU, and full blown windows 7 on a 13" IPS resistive touch panel please.Reply
You know, a real tablet?
Translates to about 4 HRS Battery Life without all the MS Viruses you will probably get.