It seems that Microsoft is dead set to go toe-to-toe against Apple. Just around 24 hours after the conclusion of the WWDC 2012 and we hear another event coming up, this time from Microsoft. What this is all about, we – and our sources – were given no details, only that the company has some “major” announcement to make.
However, a little birdie has revealed to our sources that Microsoft is allegedly planning to unveil a touchscreen tablet on that event, one that is manufactured by the software giant itself and is aimed to go head-to-head with the iPad.
From what we heard, it seems that Microsoft is entering a new hardware category that will place it “in direct competition with Apple.” With the upcoming release of the highly anticipated Windows 8 within the year, it seems logical to deduce that the company is planning to produce its own tablet to better run the operating system exactly how they designed it to. Readers may also remember several tablet concepts presented by Microsoft in the 2012 MWC which happened earlier this year.
According to the rumors, the tablet to be revealed was made in-house, not unlike another of Microsoft’s successful hardware product the Xbox, and it is said to run Windows RT which is a version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM processors. So does that mean the tablet will run on ARM procies? We’ve yet to find out.
Interestingly, this isn’t actually the first time for Microsoft to enter the tablet business, creating a hybrid laptop that uses a stylus earlier in the decade but the project was shelved. Another attempt was made some time between 2008 and 2010, this time with a dual screen folding tablet designed like a book. The device was called “Courier” and was eventually cancelled by the management.
In order to directly compete with the iPad, Microsoft will have to come out with a very awesome tablet. Indeed, even the event itself seems like a reaction to the recently concluded 2012 WWDC, whether or not it was planned so by Microsoft. If rumors are true, then we can probably expect a rather big announcement on this hush-hush event which no one even knows yet where it will be held, only that it’s in Hollywood.
