Microsoft may launch a tablet on Monday if Internet rumours are true.

The company is silent on the issue and has merely announced that it will make a major announcement.

Microsoft has some success with hardware. While Zune didn't hurt the iPod, Kinect sold 80 lakh units in two months and earned a Guinness record for fastest selling consumer electronics device.

Microsoft had also dabbled with a product called the Courier, a book-like device with two seven inch screens. This product was canned in 2010.

Is Microsoft reviving the Courier in a different avatar? Will it work? Apple has always made both the hardware and the software. If Microsoft starts competing with hardware vendors, they may not be too pleased and may go the Android way.

But the biggest challenge that Microsoft will face on the tablet front will be apps. Apple has succeeded primarily because, as of June 11, 2012 it has 6.5 lakh apps and over 3,000 crore downloads.

Can Microsoft match that? Will its entry into the tablet hardware space attract app developers? That is the main question.

balaji.n@thehindu.co.in

Related Topics