Dell optimistic on Windows 8 tablets

Dell during its fiscal results call late Tuesday was optimistic about its prospects for Windows 8 tablets. Founder Michael Dell characterized initial work on slates for the new OS as "pretty encouraging." He added that he only saw Android as the other practical alternative, although he couched it in terms of options available to Dell, not relative to the iPad.

"We think it's shaping up to be a competitive environment," Dell said. "I don't think beyond those two that there are viable alternatives that make sense [for us]. So there's a lot of other noise out there in the market that I don't think will amount to much of anything."

The Texas company in many ways has few choices. As a still-loyal Windows PC creator, it will have to use Windows 8 for any touchscreen PC it makes, whether it's a tablet or otherwise. With Android, Dell is known to have just a small fraction of the market where Acer, Motorola, RIM, and Samsung all have better sales despite themselves trailing well behind Apple.

Dell's actual plans for a Windows 8 tablet aren't known and, at first, might involve Windows 7 tablets built with the expectation that Windows 8 will come later. The Peju is the only design known so far to be designed with Windows 8 as a long-term consideration. For the first time, though, Dell will have the option of making an ARM-based device with Windows and can make a design closer to the Streak while still using a desktop-level OS.

The company will still have some time to wait as Microsoft isn't thought to be finishing Windows 8 until spring 2012. [via WinRumors]

By Electronista Staff

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