The demo is supposed to be showcased on a prototype tablet running on Nvidia’s Tegra processor. Microsoft heavyweights (but not Steve Ballmer) are expected to speak at The All Things D conference and at Computex in Taiwan. I guess we’ll find out soon enough if any of this is true.
It was rumoured before that Windows 8 would be heavily focused on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. Microsoft has made no mention of whether or not a tablet interface will resemble that of Windows Phone 7. Either way, the earliest we would see such a platform is the spring of 2012. By then, Apple, the clear front-runner, will likely have unveiled the third-generation iPad.
Steve Ballmer himself called this “a race”, and felt that Microsoft was “doing pretty well in that race”. I’m not sure what data he’s looking at, but Apple and Google have taken the tablet category by storm, with RIM struggling out of the gate (though I personally expect the PlayBook’s fortunes will improve over the summer).
Netbook sales are plummeting, and even PC sales, in general, are either stagnant or dropping slightly. This hits Microsoft’s revenues hard, since they make plenty on all those operating system licenses that go with PC and netbook sales. Meanwhile, tablet sales are going up, with industry insiders thinking they’ll start soaring later this year and into 2012.
By demonstrating a workable tablet OS now, Microsoft is hoping to ride that wave and become relevant in the category. I would imagine Intel is as well, since they’ve been all but shut out from the category as well.
Let’s see if the demo actually happens, and when we might actually get to try it ourselves.
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