No Windows 7 tablets for a year, if ever
Well done, Microsoft. You’ve just given Apple an unopposed 18-month lead in the tablet market. At least.
So, you haven’t bought an iPad yet. Good for you. But if you’re resisting the lure of the admittedly-good Apple tablet in order to wait for a Windows 7 tablet to come along then you may want to take a seat. Because it doesn’t look as though a Windows 7 tablet is going to be released onto the market until the middle of 2011 at the earliest. And it could be that none ever make it out of development hell.
This isn’t coming from Microsoft itself, and is instead the view of Jefferies analyst Katherine Egbert. However, according to Business Insider she formed this opinion after meeting with Microsoft’s General Manager of Investor Relations, so it probably isn’t far off the actual truth.
Egbert wrote in her report to investors:
Windows 7 is currently not supported on Qualcomm’s popular SnapDragon processor, and Intel’s low power Oak Trail processor (part of the Atom family) for tablets is not due out until March 2011. Microsoft could introduce Windows-based tablets on the existing Atom chips, but the risks associated with the introduction of a less optimized system outweigh the risks of waiting for the right technology to become available.
In other words, Windows 7 simply isn’t right for tablets at this point in time, with the operating system not optimized for use on them and the hardware not really up to the job of supporting such a heavyweight OS.
Egbert then mentions the yet-to-be-announced Windows 8, claiming it’s likely to be “more suited to the tablet market with features such as instant on, GPS support and restoration tools.” Which suggests Microsoft might be considering eschewing the idea of offering Windows 7 on tablet altogether and instead making Windows 8 the perfect OS for the job.
If so that would mean no Windows tablet until Windows 8 is ready for its big close-up. And that won’t be until this time next year at the absolute earliest.
This could spell disaster for Microsoft, as Apple is unlikely to waste such an opportunity to build momentum and put itself out of reach of the competition. Stick Google in the mix, with both its Android operating system and Chrome OS and Microsoft might be crowded out before it even gets a chance to show what Windows could do for tablets.
October 1st, 2010
The analyst is wrong. http://www.archos.com/products/tw/archos_9/index.html?country=us&lang=en has been out for a while.
I’m not saying whether or not the Archos is a good or bad product. Just that it is a Windows 7 tablet and is already on the market.
There’s also the dual-screen pseudo-tablet: http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptops/libretto/W100
October 1st, 2010
So the Archos 9 PCtablet running windows 7 that has been out for nearly year now doesn’t count? Or the stuff Dell is due to release this year? hmmm…
October 1st, 2010
Of course the Archos 9 counts but like all Windows tablets it suffers from sluggish performance and the touch interface is difficult due to small icons. I would love to see a competing Windows tablet come to market but there is still a lot of work to do. I wonder why we would have to wait for Windows 8, why doesn’t Microsoft create a scaled down version of Windows 7, add a great touch interface and call it “Windows 7 Tablet Edition”.
October 1st, 2010
@Rimmer
I believe the unspoken take away here is that Microsoft believes that underpinning Windows 7 with currently available hardware does not represent a winning formula. Obviously, the Archos 9 PCtablet isn’t being considered as a success by Microsoft and they are not holding out too much hope for Dell’s efforts either.
October 1st, 2010
Tablet PCs are classed as a different category of devices than the mainstream, iPad-style tablets. And as far as I know Dell hasn’t yet decided which operating system it’s going with for its bigger tablets. My money would be on Chrome OS at this point. Especially if this analyst’s report rings true.
October 2nd, 2010
I do not think Microsoft really cares about Apple, nor does it feel pressured.
Microsoft make quality products that even OEM manufacturers cannot come close to the quality.
If I had a choice I would wait for the Windows Tablet.
Microsoft dont need to spend millions on advertising as they have a good name. Apple throws millions into advertising cause without it. NO ONE WOULD EVER BY THE APPLE..
October 2nd, 2010
Yeah I just pick a good book
October 3rd, 2010
Just buy a recent netbook or laptop if you need portability – touchscreen features are nice for a few days, but it can and will become a hindrance when you want to do something more than just watch youtube or sit on facebook.
October 3rd, 2010
sounds like pro-apple spam. i would wait 18 months for a hardware and software optimised tablet unlike the ipad. even though there are windows 7 devices already xD apple make shit products, ipad is incredibly average. except for iphone which needs jailbreak anyway
October 7th, 2010
“At least.”
Dave. You. Really. Really. Really. Need. To. Work. On. Your. Idea. Of. What. Constitutes. A. Sentence.