Windows 7 Ultimate Key What Microsoft isn't saying

Some believe Microsoft is becoming coy about its slate options. Other people simply think the corporation is being clueless. I feel the Redmondians are planting decoys, hoping they;ll offer cover for missteps.Here;s my newest theory as to what;s going on, regarding Microsoft and its solution for slates (or lack thereof). Over the past couple of months, Microsoft execs have gone from declaring Apple;s iPad is nothing but a crippled Computer,Office 2007, to claiming that Microsoft and its partners have myriad iPad opponents able to start any day now. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said there;d be Windows seven slates out in time for vacation 2010. And at the current Computex conference, Microsoft execs crowed concerning the many Windows slates due to launch this drop.If any of those slates had been truly true iPad competitors, Microsoft could be only somewhat late towards the slate party. This isn;t the case (producing me happier through the day that I decided to purchase an iPad to make use of as my on-the-go mobile device, as opposed to waiting for my longed-for “WinPad.”)The “Windows slates” Microsoft showed at Computex aren;t running Windows 7; they;re running Windows Embedded Compact. That means they aren;t heading to be ready to run Windows seven apps and won;t sport the Windows 7 user interface. As an alternative,Windows 7 Ultimate Key, each of those Embedded Compact slates will feature its own custom interface.Meanwhile, the Windows seven slates coming in time for this holiday season are going to be business-focused products. (HP execs admitted this recently, noting their coming Slate 500 gadget will be for business users. If there are other Windows seven slates able to launch this drop,Windows 7 Home Premium, 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 designed the iPad a success.Microsoft;s real iPad rivals aren;t going 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 being key to Microsoft;s iPad alaternatives. The problem is Oak Trail chips aren;t heading to be prepared until “early 2011.” Once Computer makers get them in hand, it will take them at a few quarters to build and test slates that use them.I;m curious as to whether Microsoft will continue to try to steer its partners to use Windows seven as the operating system powering these slates. My guess,Windows 7 Pro, 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 were 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 seven slates are business-centric devices. Instead of risking another Kin debaucle (launching then pulling a misguided product at awesome cost),Office 2007 Professional, Microsoft is rethinking its reply to the iPad. Better late than lame….