In what The Times' Bits Blog is calling "
one of Steve Ballmer's riskiest trade-show moves in
years," Microsoft's chief executive late Wednesday is expected to unveil a "slate-type" device made by Hewlett-Packard, which would beat rival Apple and its highly-anticipated tablet to the punch.
"This product better be good because Apple is expected to unveil its take on the slate/tablet form factor later this month," Bits writes, adding: "If history holds, Apple will issue a
product that surprises people in a few ways and that stands out from the crowd ... So the last thing Mr. Ballmer wants to hold up is a me-too device."
Seconds Daily Tech, "The worst thing that Microsoft and HP could do is pull out a device that is a halfhearted attempt to get to market
first ... Being first is no guarantee of success in this market, especially considering Apple's history of innovation."
On the other hand, "If there were a perfect time to beat Apple to
the punch with a tablet, Ballmer's keynote would be it,"
VentureBeat writes regarding tonight's
speech at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "Thousands of gadget hounds and tech reporters will be in the room, many of them posting text and photos live from the keynote."
Yet, calling Ballmer's likely creation "a new version of a tablet PC," The Seattle Times' Microsoft Pri0 blog
points out that the software giant has been making tablet PCs for
years.
Likewise, as
The Register notes, "Microsoft has been here before with its Tablet PC system, which was
loved by some but failed to set the world on fire."
Looking at the bigger picture, ZDNet's Between The Lines blog asks what all this
tablet innovation means for e-reader makers like Amazon's Kindle and the Sony Reader. "For many folks, these devices are swell," it writes. "However, there's a big audience that wants more ... If
these tablets lump in e-reading capabilities as an add-on and pricing is roughly equal why wouldn't you go for the tablet?"
Read the whole story at Bits Blog et al. »