Microsoft’s chief financial officer, Peter Klein, has hinted during a conference call that the company will produce a small touch device ‘in the coming months’.
Klein didn’t specifically out either the rumoured Surface smartphone or 7-inch Surface tablet but these are two possible devices he may have been referring to.
In recent weeks there’s been plenty of talk of a 7-inch Surface tablet from both the Wall Street Journal and The Verge, both reputable sources, while back in February Klein also dropped similar hints about a 7-inch Microsoft slate.
The idea certainly makes sense when you consider Google’s Nexus 7, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and Apple’s iPad Mini are all 7-inch tablets doing very well in the market at present. Windows RT/Windows 8 has no equivalent.
The idea of a Surface phone has persisted since the original Surface tablet arrived in 2012, Microsoft Windows Phone 8 partner Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop has even welcomed the competition.
In terms of Microsoft treading on its OEM partners’ toes there’s less of a problem with a 7-inch Windows tablet as no-one else is producing such a product currently.
Some believe Microsoft is prepping the 7-inch Surface ahead of its launch of Windows Blue, an update for Windows 8/RT which will bring Windows Phone 8 and its tablet/desktop equivalent closer together, but which may also allow 7-inch devices if rumour holds true.
Microsoft recently announced it would increase supported display resolutions for Windows Phone 8 from 720p to 1080p in line with current trends from Android rivals. It’s also done the same with Windows 8, now allowing smaller resolutions of 1024x768 – ideal for the 7-inch design.
Klein also revealed that more affordable Windows tablets would be arriving shortly, though he didn’t specify what size these might be or whether they’d be Microsoft Surface devices or made by OEM partners.
Windows Blue is expected to be a landmark update which will unite Microsoft’s mobile platforms under one banner. The update is said to be scheduled for a reveal at the company’s Build conference in June and will arrive in the summer months.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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