Microsoft To Launch 'iPad Killer' Tablets At CES

Information Week ^ | 2010-12-14 | Paul McDougall

[dayglored]

Report says Redmond will finally get around to shipping devices that can compete with Apple's slate and Android-based devices.

Microsoft plans to introduce a range of new tablets powered by its Windows 7 operating system at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to a published report.

The software maker, which is under pressure to produce a slate that can go head-to-head with Apple's iPad and devices powered by Google's Android OS, will unveil slates manufactured by OEM partners Dell and Samsung, according The New York Times.

The Times, citing unnamed sources, said the Samsung devices would be "similar in size and shape" to the iPad, but not as thin and equipped with a slide-out keyboard. The newspaper did not offer details on the Dell device.

Microsoft's credibility in the tablet market has come into question, as the company has failed to deliver on previous promises to deliver a full range of slates. CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage at CES 2010 almost a year ago to demonstrate a Windows-powered HP slate.

"We're talking about something that's almost as portable as a phone and that's as powerful as a PC running Windows 7," said Ballmer. But the device failed to materialize in stores.

[dayglored]

> Win7 is great

Yep. The best release of Windows yet.

I switch between OS-X and Win7 constantly, all day long at work and at home, because what I do demands multiple platforms. MS is finally catching up to Apple, 25 years later, in terms of how to make a stable, solid, usable operating system.

Let's hope it doesn't take them another 25 years to catch up to Apple in terms of tablets.

[Above My Pay Grade]

I’m not a big fan of pads/slates/tabs, and am not impressed by the Windows Phone rollout, but the slideout keyboard sounds like a huge improvement over the iPad.

A 10” screen, with no physical keyboard is an ergonomic nightmare IMHO. With a 7” tab or a 4 to 5” smartphone, at least you can comfortably 2 thumb type, though that is still not adequate for a real computer. The slideout keyboard (assuming the screen is angled when the keyboard is out) will make 10 finger touch typing practical.

Without the keyboard, the iPad or any other slate will mainly be a cool toy, for viewing content. The keyboard/touchscreen combination could make the Windows device and great toy and tool. (Of course, there is a strong chance Microsoft will find a way to foul it up).

[rwilson99]

Let’s call it the ZuPad... since the Zune did so well.

[dayglored]

> Poor microsoft...they became too big and now can’t move as fast as the “other guys”.

Remember IBM in 1981? Huge, lumbering IBM, and yet they produced the IBM-PC... how? A bunch of engineers took it upon themselves to design it without going through the usual IBM rigamarole.

The only way Microsoft will ever respond quickly again is if bands of their engineers "go rogue" and develop things on their own, without having to take up a year with marketing focus-group bull$hit.

Microsoft has tons of brilliant people. They're handcuffed and hobbled, is the problem.

[SES1066]

An all-Steve Slugfest, jeez I wonder who has the best record in this area? Speaking as a FORMER WinDoze user and now a blissful iMac & Touch user ... Good luck SteveB, you will need it!

[antiRepublicrat]

As the article shows, the iPad was the Windows slate killer at the last CES — killed it so bad it never made it to market. Pardon me if I take the claim of “iDevice Killer” with a grain of salt, for I base it on the multiple prior failures of the claim. The iMac, iPod, iPad and iPhone are still going very strong despite people making these claims. These are the Google search results for the mention of the claims:

“iMac Killer” - 586,000
“iPod Killer” - 1,870,000
“iPhone Killer” - 11,900,000
“iPad Killer” - 7,120,000

And with the last one, there is still no serious competition, not even close, after eight months on the market.

[fishtank]

I’d love to see a FR reader app for Apple/Iphone/Ipad.............

[fishtank]

I’d love to see a FR reader app for Apple/Iphone/Ipad.............

[PreciousLiberty]

“A 10” screen, with no physical keyboard is an ergonomic nightmare IMHO.”

Not if you pop it into a stand, then ‘attach’ a Bluetooth keyboard. I think that combination is far better than any attached keyboard...pretty much killing the rest of your argument.

All that said, I bet 90% of heavy iPad users don’t miss typing a bit. You underestimate the amount of straight content consumption out there.

[longtermmemmory]

saying ANY product is related to zune is the kiss of death.

[dayglored]

> I’d love to see a FR reader app for Apple/Iphone/Ipad..

I'll second that! I read FR on my iPod-Touch, but posting comments is suboptimal because the pages are laid out for a full-size browser. An app that sensed the client environment (like some news sites do) and restructured the pages a bit for mobile use would be a boon.

[martin_fierro]

	iPod >> PING <<
Send FReepmail if you want on/off iPing list WARNING: This is a high-volume Ping list. Turn your headphones down
The List of Ping Lists

[dayglored]

LOL! Thanks, Martin!

[antiRepublicrat]

Slates aren’t for serious long-term typing. As such, virtual keyboards work just fine. For such long-term, sit-down endeavors, feel free to attach a real keyboard, not an undersized chicklets disaster.

And I’m serious about my typing. I compare everything to the IBM Model M keyboard, which was made for real typists in the vein of the Selectric and Wheelwriter. Nobody lives up to that standard these days except one specialty manufacturer, Unicomp. The rest of the keyboards on the market, including Apple’s, are some degree of crap.

[hoagy62]

And until they can make it dirt cheap with broadband service to match so the average schmuck like me can actually AFFORD the damn thing...well, I guess I won’t be getting one.

[longtermmemmory]

why does every apple excuse have to have workarounds?

so a person has to carry their padd and a keyboard? and a stand?

or a padd with it all built in.

and we have not even found out if this will have sd slots, usb slots, and a camera.

[antiRepublicrat]

Jim would have to program, document and expose an open API via web services. The alternative would be to do straight http gets and puts as if it were a browser and and then translate everything around. For example, you'd have to look through the resulting home page text for <li class="article"> to tell the next story in the list. That can get messy, with the slightest change in FR killing the app.

[fishtank]

Wow.

Tough nut to crack.

I’m an engineer, but certainly not a programmer....

Thanks,

[tacticalogic]

Microsoft has tons of brilliant people. They're handcuffed and hobbled, is the problem.

I heard the primary arcchtect of Powershell took a pay cut and a demotion to work on it and keep the project alive.

[big'ol_freeper]

LOL...LOL....LOL