iPad

Today there has been a report that Microsoft and Apple are currently at a stalemate with a supposed app update to SkyDrive on iOS. Apple has allegedly blocked the update as they are now demanding a 30% cut of revenue from SkyDrive subscriptions.

It is not possible to purchase more storage from within the SkyDrive app, if the report from TheNextWeb is true this could mean bad news for iOS versions of the Office Apps.

With the operating system juggernaut called Windows 8 looming closer by the day it seems everyone is talking about Windows. Is the conversation going to include Windows Phone more frequently too now?

Samsung’s UK vice president has dropped a few encouraging words about where the company sees opportunity in the business sector for an end-to-end solution for tablets and smartphones based on Windows 8.

Suppliers in Asia have apparently spilled the beans on Microsoft's production line plans for its coming Surface devices.

If the information is to be believed, MS have put in component orders to ensure they are able to produce 3 to 5 million of the devices for the fourth quarter. With such an order Microsoft looks set to go into mass production rather than just produce a limited run as some speculated on.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, David Schmoock who's head of North American operations for Lenovo, gave some fairly specific pricing points for both Windows 8 tablets and the more consumer-focused RT variant running ARM processors. It's the most specific data on pricing that has been presented so far on the new but elusive Microsoft category.

There has been some wild speculation as to how much these Windows RT tablets would cost with Surface proving to be the focus of some of the more controversial pricing 'guestimates', going from thousands of dollars to just $199. 

Swedish website Webhallen.com is listing Microsoft Surface tablet pricing on its site. If these details are correct then pricing would be substantially higher than previously thought. Of particular interest here is the cheapest Arm based WinRT device, a 32GB model, showing up costing around £648.00 or $1000.

It had previously been suggested that WinRT tablets would be priced relatively in line with current ARM based tablets. If we were to rule out Android tablets and aim at the higher end iPads for a price guide then comparatively, the Surface is going to be much more expensive. Currently you can pick up a 32GB Wi-Fi only iPad for about £479.00 or £579.00 for the 3g variant. In either case, that puts the Surface well above the current market leader. Even if the Surface device is to be 3g enabled it would still be £70 more expensive in comparison. It has been rumoured that the Surface is not 3g capable, if that’s the case then the price gap leaps to £169.

We have to admit, we're rather loving this speculation about what Microsoft will unveil on Monday and it finally looks like it's coming into focus.

On Monday, June 18th, Microsoft will take the wraps off of their own tablet running Windows 8 (or a variant of), confirming an earlier report.

The New York Times is now going on record as having spoken to "people with knowledge of Microsoft’s plans"  that indeed, it is a tablet of their own making. As the Times points out, this is the first time in the company's 37 year history that they are making their own computer. That's huge.

What makes the situation difficult is how Microsoft's OEM partners will react--after all, they'll be competing with their own team, so to speak. On the other hand, Google has been making "Nexus" devices for some time now--devices which set the bar for what they expect as far as quality in hardware and design. Truth be told, the Nexus line of Android phones have been some of the most popular as they are both cheaper and more stable having no 3rd party skinning.

If Microsoft heads down this path, the tablet unveiled on Monday will surely be priced very competitively and also be a "pure" device. That notion certainly appeals to us and we're betting you're going to thrilled with it as well. What's more, according to the New York Times, Microsoft is aiming this directly at the iPad making this a bold (and overdue) move.

Unfortunately, there's no word if Nokia has had a hand in this--our bet is they have not. Instead, we're expecting Nokia to show off any new tablets in September at Nokia World. For some reason, we don't think we'll be disappointed with whatever they make leaving fans a tough choice: pure Microsoft or whatever Nokia offers?

The only question we're left is what will they name it? Microsoft has a spotty history in this area and let's be honest, the name is hugely important. (Then again, we all laughed at "iPad" a few years ago). We're kind of partial to "X-Tab" but curious as to what you think they should call it...let us know in comments!

Source: The NY TImes; Thanks, Pierre V., for the tip

We'll just leave this image here as it sort of speaks for itself. Windows 8 looks to be a game changer in more than a few ways.

via @johnlindquist

Jack Tong, VP of HTC Asia, reportedly spoke with Digitimes on all things mobile and the iPad, specifically how it hasn't had an effect on smartphone sales and that they are still considering launching tablet PCs. He evidently also had some remarks about Windows Phone 7, though nothing too surprising nor significant:

Early sales of WP7 devices look promising, but substantial market penetration will have to wait until the introduction of different language versions. Europe and US sales in the first quarter of 2011 will be a more accurate gauge of WP7's market reception, said Tong.

Well, yeah. We suppose this was the very least he could have said on the issue. Regardless of his motives, the statement is quite true though as more language support, including for China, will be coming in 2011--plus hopefully those non-EFIGS limitations will be addressed. Though it will be interesting to see how Microsoft, HTC and China workout the Facebook thing.

Source: Digitimes

The big news of the week: clearly iPad. Our site for all things iPhone, iPod, and iPad, TiPb, has total coverage of the iPad launch and a huge helping of iPad app reviews. Stay tuned for a full iPad review tomorrow!

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