Office 2007 Enterprise What Microsoft isn't saying
 

Some think Microsoft is being coy about its slate programs. Other people just think the firm is becoming clueless. I think the Redmondians are planting decoys, hoping they;ll give cover for missteps.Right here;s my newest principle as to what;s heading on,Office 2007 Enterprise, regarding Microsoft and its answer for slates (or lack thereof). Over the previous couple of months, Microsoft execs have gone from declaring Apple;s iPad is nothing but a crippled Pc, to claiming that Microsoft and its partners have myriad iPad opponents ready to start any day now. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said there;d be Windows 7 slates out in time for holiday 2010. And in the current Computex conference,Office Professional Plus 2007, Microsoft execs crowed concerning the various Windows slates on account of launch this fall.If any of those slates were actually true iPad competition, Microsoft would be only fairly late to the slate celebration. This isn;t the case (creating me happier through the day that I decided to buy an iPad to make use of as my on-the-go cellular device, as opposed to waiting for my longed-for “WinPad.”)The “Windows slates” Microsoft showed at Computex aren;t running Windows seven; they;re running Windows Embedded Compact. That means they aren;t heading to be in a position to run Windows seven apps and won;t sport the Windows seven user interface. As an alternative, each of those Embedded Compact slates will feature its own custom interface.Meanwhile, the Windows 7 slates coming in time for this holiday season are heading to be business-focused products. (HP execs admitted this recently, noting their coming Slate 500 gadget will be for company users. If there are other Windows 7 slates ready to launch this drop, I;d expect they also will be business-focused devices. These models will be PCs without lids; tablets without the stylus. They won;t have the long battery life, touch-centric user interfaces or built-in app store capabilities that have developed the iPad a success.Microsoft;s real iPad competitors aren;t heading to debut until 2011 — I;d guess mid-2011 at best. Ballmer didn;t state this plainly at last week;s Microsoft Finanacial Analyst Meeting, but he dropped some hefty hints. Ballmer touted Intel;s Oak Trail processors as becoming key to Microsoft;s iPad alaternatives. The problem is Oak Trail chips aren;t going to be prepared until “early 2011.” Once Pc makers get them in hand,Office 2010 Standard Key, it will take them at a few quarters to build and test slates that use them.I;m curious regarding whether Microsoft will continue to try to steer its partners to make use of Windows seven as the operating system powering these slates. My guess,Cheap Office 2010, as I told TechFlash;s Todd Bishop last week, is Microsoft may relent and allow slate makers to use the touch-centric Windows Phone OS seven on these devices. (Microsoft could still claim that these slates had been running “Windows,” since it is creating sure to brand all of its operating systems as “Windows.”)Bottom line: “WinPads” are still about a year away, I;m predicting. Expect Microsoft execs to downplay the coming Windows Embedded Compact slates and start acknowledging that this year;s Windows 7 slates are business-centric devices. As an alternative to risking another Kin debaucle (launching then pulling a misguided product at amazing cost),Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010, Microsoft is rethinking its reply towards the iPad. Better late than lame….