Monday will be a special day for Microsoft lovers. The company is set to unveil a slew of new product developments and hardware. We will get to see the next version of Windows Phone and development on Windows 8. However the biggest news thus far has been the speculation that Microsoft will unveil a tablet running Windows 8.
What’s so special about this tablet considering we’ve already seen numerous? Well it will be the first time in the company’s 37 year old history that it’ll offer computer hardware of its own. This is territory completely unknown to Microsoft. Throughout the 80s and 90s the business practice has been to license software to other OEMs and let them design and manufacture their own hardware. And to Microsoft’s credit it did end up making them the biggest and most lucrative software company in the world. However the landscape of personal computing has changed monumentally in the last 3 to 4 years. With the success of the iPad, it’s not uncommon for companies to follow suit. This tablet from Microsoft will go squarely against Apple’s iPad.
What’s the advantage of making your own hardware? Well for starters it will cement Microsoft’s name as a competitive hardware manufacturer, if this tablet is indeed true. But mostly from what we’ve seen from Apple, the most convenient and effective way of offering customers the best possible experience is to design both the software and hardware yourself. Google has been doing it for a while now with their Nexus lineup of phones and their upcoming Nexus tablet.
With this tablet Microsoft can hope to create a tablet that will serve as a benchmark for all other tablets. It wont necessarily have to be cutting edge, Nexus phones are proof of that. But the blend of hardware and software will certainly be right up with the very best. Don’t forget the timely updates too, something Apple has almost become an expert at.
No word on the specs yet. And to be honest this tablet will be more than just about mere specs. It’s a turning point for Microsoft as a software developer. It’s new territory for them and it will come with its own set of risks. Will this tablet be able to challenge the mighty iPad? Only time will tell.