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Ballmer: Windows-based Slates By Christmas

By on October 6, 2010 11:09 am

Apple’s iOS may have the lion’s share of the slate market with Android coming in a a distant second, but you can be sure that Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer is not about to sit back and let the competition steal the show. To that end, Ballmer has made a bold announcement: consumers will see Windows-powered slates by this Christmas.

Read on to find out more.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is usually known for making some audacious statements in his press conferences, and the recent event held at London School of Economics seems to prove that fact.

Except that this time, Ballmer’s agenda was centered around the availability and prospect of Windows 7 for use in a slate, and the Microsoft CEO did not mince any words about his plans to bring a Windows-powered tablet to the market as soon as possible.

“You’ll see new slates with Windows on them. You’ll see them this Christmas,” he said to an audience of students, staff and journalists.

Interestingly enough, Ballmer did not elaborate on whether this means Windows-based slates will actually be available for sale by Christmas, or if they will just be working samples meant for display.. More importantly, he also failed to mention any potential manufacturers of such slates.

Ballmer also did not mention whether Microsoft will be working on a more touch-friendly interface for Windows 7, or if the responsibility of doing so will fall to the manufacturers of such devices. Which comes across as somewhat unfortunate, as this is probably the single question that could potentially determine whether the uptake of a Windows-powered slate will be positive or not.

But until then, we will probably have to wait and see how Microsoft plays its cards against the might of Apple’s iOS and iPad. And to a lesser degree, slates bundled with Google’s Android OS.

Source and Image: Reuters

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