Dell's Windows 7 tablet pushed to fall, Windows 8 next year
updated 07:30 pm EDT, Mon April 4, 2011
Dell Windows 7 tablet not due before Spetember
Dell's hinted at 10-inch Windows 7 tablet may not ship until late in the year at best. An insider said Monday that it wouldn't arrive until the fall, or September at best. The reasons weren't mentioned to Forbes, but Dell's decision to relegate it to enterprise meant it had little expectation of competing with the iPad or most other tablets.
The company is also believed to be readying a Windows 8 tablet. Contrary to the publication's expectations, however, it's unlikely to ship before late 2012. The OS is still working towards its third developer milestone and likely won't be in an early beta until late this year, ruling out a polished release for early 2012.
Microsoft has been trying to push Windows 7 as a counter to the iPad but has faced little traction either from the public or from device builders, many of whom see Android 3.0 as the more attractive option. Its lack of true touch optimization, short battery life on current hardware, and high prices have led to PC builders deliberately marginalizing their Windows tablets. HP, once touting the Slate 500 as a rival to the iPad, ended up switching it to an enterprise-first device and completely downplaying while heavily favoring the upcoming, webOS-based TouchPad.
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Joined: Nov 2008
I think this could be considered a "delay"
as opposed to the iPhone 5's rumored "delay". Apple has never said when the iPhone 5 is going to be announced. I have to say that a Windows 8 tablet due out in late 2012 might not be a delay, but it sure does seem rather late and it doesn't seem like it would be a guaranteed success unless there's some breakthrough in hardware. I'd be willing to bet that Apple could get OSX running decently on some tablet hardware before Microsoft gets Windows 8 out the door.
Still, wouldn't all current Windows programs have to be rewritten for touch? It would seem to be a monumental task from my view with my limited knowledge of programming. I thought I had heard that it would be difficult and time-consuming task. I'm certainly glad that Microsoft is taking its time and allowing Apple to take such a huge lead in the tablet market.