A Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T running Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Watch out iPad — Windows 8 tablets are on their way. Several major PC manufacturers, including Toshiba, Acer and Asus, are set to unveil new Windows 8 tablets at next week’s Computex show in Taipei, according to a report from Bloomberg.
Some manufacturers have already shown off devices designed to support Windows 8. Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga and Intel’s Cove Point reference design are two examples. Beyond that, though, we haven’t seen any other Windows 8 devices, and certainly not in the pure tablet category. But now that Microsoft has released its near-final Windows 8 Release Preview, it makes sense for manufacturers to begin showing off their Windows 8 hardware.
Acer, Toshiba and Asus will each unveil Windows 8 tablets at Computex, according to Bloomberg’s sources. Asus tablets will come with a detachable keyboard, featuring a similar look to the company’s Android-based Transformer lineup. Toshiba will also show off a “notebook-type device,” which will likely be a hybrid, touchscreen laptop.
And because Windows 8 will come in two tablet flavors — the standard Intel-powered Windows 8, as well as Windows RT, the version destined to run on ARM processors — manufacturers will have the option to choose between two types of silicon. Asus and Toshiba are both reportedly revealing ARM-based tablets, while Acer is sticking with Intel.
Of course, other companies are expected to get into the Windows 8 tablet market. Consumers can expect Windows 8 tablets and PCs coming from HP and Dell, as well.
None of these devices should go on sale before October, when Microsoft is expected to officially release Windows 8. And when that happens, we’ll see whether Microsoft and its partners can succeed where Android has failed, and erode a significant portion of Apple’s lead in the tablet market.
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