Windows 7 slates and tablet PCs will be on sale this year

Microsoft CEO Steve Bulmer announces a new wave of Windows 7 based tablets at the Worldwide Partner Conference, all heading our way before Christmas. John Hillman reports.

Dell, Asus, Sony, Toshiba and Samsung will all be releasing Windows 7 slates, tablets like the Apple iPad, before the end of this year.

Speaking today at the Worldwide Partner Conference, in Washington DC, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer said that these mainstream brands will all be releasing a wide range of tablets, priced to suit different budgets.

The multiple devices will also come in a whole range of shapes and sizes, so we could see some with keyboards, others with docking capabilities and even some with digital ink functionality.

The announcement is seen as the start of a concerted response by Microsoft to make up the ground that it lost to its competitors in the wake of the recent tablet explosion.

Microsoft says that the Windows 7 based tablets will have an edge over competitors because; unlike the Apple iPad or Google’s Chrome OS based tablets, Windows 7 tablets will be endorsed by corporate IT departments. This will allow tablets to find their way into the workplace for the first time, opening up a whole new market.

PC Site looks forward to seeing some of these new tablets as and when they arrive on the market. We’ll also be looking forward to the inevitable deluge of apps and games that are bound to come along with them. We’ll keep you informed of any new developments as they happen.