Hasta La Gadget!

This week the folks at Microsoft have been tipped to be wrapping up production of a second-generation Surface tablet for Windows 8, readying the device for a reveal at this year’s BUILD developer conference. A release of a second-generation Surface tablet will be done “cautiously” according to sources speaking this week, with the original run of the tablet having sold less than expected in its initial push. Both the Surface RT and the Surface Pro may be getting a full refresh this year.

Word from upstream supply chain sources speaking with Digitimes have suggested that BUILD will be the place where a new generation of Surface tablets will likely appear first. They’ve added that the first generation, having sold what they claim is 1.5 million units total for the first two releases of the tablet (RT and Pro). This being half of the expectations the company had, a “cautious attitude over promotions” has been initiated for the 2nd generation.

This second generation has a series of components largely the same as the first run, with what these same sources say are parts from LG, Samsung, NVIDIA, Intel, and Pegatron. Changes would be in the chassis of the tablet switching from what was manufactured by China-based Chungnam Precision Casing to Ju Teng. At the moment there’ve been no confirmations from any of the named manufacturers on a second-generation Surface model.

The final bit of information this source spoke about this week was the idea that this generation of the Surface tablet would feature between a 7 and 9-inch display, this matching up well with the trend for larger and smaller than 10.1-inch tablet standard sizes in the industry.

Microsoft Surface 2 tipped as cautious BUILD release is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

During Microsoft‘s quarterly earnings call yesterday, CFO Peter Klein mentioned that the company is working with OEMs to manufacturer “a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows.” Klein didn’t specifically mention what exactly these devices would be, but it’s a good guess that we could be talking about the smaller 7-inch variety.

We’ve been tipped before at the possibility of Microsoft getting into the 7-inch tablet game, but we have yet to hear anything official from Microsoft. Klein notes that these “small touch devices” will have “competitive price points,” and they’re said to “available in the coming months,” according to Klein.

However, it’s also possible that other manufacturers will develop smaller tablets that will run Windows. An update to Windows 8′s hardware requirements last month hinted at the fact that the operating system may soon be fitted for smaller-form tablets, as Microsoft lowered the minimum resolution down to 1024×768.

We’re not sure exactly if Microsoft will be making their own 7-inch tablets, or if they’ll leave the task up to their OEM partners like HP, Acer, Asus, etc. However, we at least now know that we should be expecting these device to release sometime over the next few months, which means we’ll be going into the holiday season with smaller-form Windows-based tablets.

[via AppleInsider]

Microsoft working with OEMs on smaller Windows tablets is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s not every day you see two tips from different sources on the same product the manufacturer hasn’t yet confirmed to exist. But that’s what’s happening this week – and though both tips didn’t appear today originally, sadly enough (that’d just be too lucky), it doesn’t seem entirely a coincidence that both items would be showing up so close to one another. What we’ve got on our hands is the two newest appearances of the fabled Nokia tablet – could it finally be time?

First you’re going to want to see the “leak” that appeared earlier this week. While originally this image (shown above) was something we dismissed as an artist’s rendering, it’s source has now had his or her entire site taken down without a trace. If it were only a mocked-up rendering made only to show how the “Adidas micoach app” it’s showing would look on a tablet, the artist would only have left a note, hoping for as much fame from the image as possible, wouldn’t you think?

Still, these are illustrations, and certainly not a showing of any kind of final product from Nokia. If Nokia made them, they never intended to release them with such rough edges. You can find the original (now 404) source at http://cargocollective.com/heyrey#Nokia-Adidas-App – Cargo Collective is a place where artists and designers create their own webspaces and post their work – this is an invite-only community, which again adds credence to the idea that the artist in question didn’t just jump ship when they were called out on their images.

Next there’s a patent application filed by Nokia for a brand new “apparatus cover with keyboard” that you’ll see here situated below what looks suspiciously similar to the Nokia tablet leaks we’ve seen thus far. Engadget discovered this one on the US Patent and Trademark Office listings website where fun bits and pieces go to be registered – and not always come to fruition on the real consumer market.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the possibility of a Nokia tablet and let us know what you think about such a device coming with Windows RT!

Nokia Tablet resurfaces in patent and Adidas app preview is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last month, China’s most popular TV program, China Central Television, criticized Apple’s warranty policy for treating Chinese customers differently than it treats other customers from around the globe. The criticism sparked a lot of controversy, and Apple’s CEO Tim Cook issued an apology and announced that he, and Apple, will improve its warranty and repair its policies in China. Seeing how much attention the controversy garnered, a Chinese radio-station has decided to jump onto that bandwagon.

A radio station in China, China National Radio, decided to go after Microsoft’s warranty policy for its Surface Pro tablets. The radio station stated that the Microsoft Surface Pro should follow the nation’s law of having a 1-year warranty for replacing the entire device, and 2-year policy for replacing its parts. Currently, Microsoft offers a 1-year warranty for both replacing the entire device as well as replacing separate parts.

This follows news that Microsoft has just released a special version of its Surface Pro tablet for China, which includes a free copy of Office 2013. The radio station attacked Microsoft shortly after Apple issued its apology for its own warranty policies. Doug Young, author of “The Party Line: How the Media Dictates Public Opinion in Modern China”, says,

It sounds potentially worrisome; it looks like a copycat of the whole apple thing. China National Radio is trying to jump on the same bandwagon. Most western companies already provide much better after-sales service than Chinese companies.

Pan Yi, a reporter for China National Radio, stated that their story had no relation to CCTV’s story on Apple’s warranty. Pan said that “a lot of foreign companies are not very familiar with China’s after-sales policies”. Microsoft’s spokesperson in Beijing has yet to respond to China National Radio’s report. Many other companies have faced criticism in China, like KFC and Volkswagen, though Volkswagen was warranted because its cars in China were equipped with “substandard direct-shift gearbox systems”, resulting in many car accidents. We’ll keep you updated when Microsoft responds to the criticisms. In related Microsoft Surface Pro news, be sure to check out our review for the device here.

[via Bloomberg]

Microsoft Surface Pro’s warranty becomes a target in China is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A recent change in Microsoft’s hardware requirements for Windows 8 is creating a lot of speculation on what Microsoft has planned in the future. Previously, Windows 8 could only run on displays with a resolution of at least 1366×768. However, that requirement has been lowered to only 1024×768, which means that we could see smaller form factors of Windows tablets in the future.

Of course, Windows 8 has supported 1024×768 for a while now, but hardware requirements from Microsoft as far as tablets are concerned requires at least a widescreen 1366×768 resolution, which is rather odd, but Microsoft has quietly updated its tablet requirements with the new spec, meaning that smaller Windows tablets could be in our future.

This seems fairly obvious, though, as small form factors are rather popular as of now, with Google’s Nexus 7, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, and Apple’s iPad mini leading the charge in the 7- to 8-inch tablet race. As for when we might see smaller Windows tablets, it’s not entirely certain, but they could come during Microsoft’s BUILD developers conference in June.

If a 7- or 8-inch Windows tablet does, indeed, step into the limelight, it’ll be interesting to see if they catch on. Currently, Microsoft’s Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets haven’t been selling well, so if manufacturers get the price right with the smaller variants, they could squeeze their way in with the other Android and iOS offerings.

[via ZDNet]

Windows 8 hardware requirement update hints at 7-inch tablet is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.