Microsoft Plans to Launch a 7-inch Surface Tablet this Year to compete with the likes of Google and Apple in the small – medium size tablet market.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is hoping to continue their presence in the tablet market by launching a 7-inch Surface Tablet this year.
“One person familiar with Microsoft’s product plans said the 7-inch tablets weren’t part of the company’s strategy last year, but Microsoft executives realized they needed a response to the rapidly growing popularity of smaller tablets like Google Inc.’s 7-inch Nexus, which was announced last summer, and the 7.9-inch iPad Mini introduced by Apple Inc. last October,” Lorraine Luk, Shira Ovide and Evadou report for WSJ.
From all accounts, Microsoft’s foray into the tablet space is not off to a great start. The launch of the 7-inch tablet at an affordable price might just be the catalyst the Redmond-based company needs to get going in this segment.
IDC research indicates that half of the tablet computers shipped in the fourth quarter were smaller than 8 inches, according to the report. It’s only natural that Microsoft would like to get a foothold in this market too given that the desktop PC market is on the decline.
“Microsoft’s expanding tablet ambitions comes as sales of desktop and laptop computers are sinking, hurting the company’s traditional area of strength,” Lorraine Luk, Shira Ovide and Evadou report. “Research firms Gartner Inc. and IDC on Wednesday said sales of PCs fell by double-digit percentages in the first three months of 2013 compared with a year earlier.”
Source: Wall Street Journal
