Bloomberg is reporting today that it believes HTC is currently working on a range of new tablets that will run Windows RT. The devices are apparently slated for a 2013 launch.
The report suggests HTC is working on a “12-inch device and a 7-inch version that can also make phone calls”. Sources “familiar with the matter” have also explained to Bloomberg that the tablets will be powered by Qualcomm chips and are tentatively scheduled to appear in the third quarter of 2013. So, they’re some way off.
One interesting point worth noting: if the rumours are in fact correct, HTC’s 7-inch tablet would be the first small-scale tablet to run Windows RT. The news then might signal Microsoft’s first attempt to join in the Kindle Fire/Nexus 7/iPad mini fight. Also, a 12-inch tablet but no 10-incher seems likes a strange call. But this is a rumour, so nothing is certain.
The company is also said to have been considering a tablet running Windows 8 but ditched the idea when it realised it would prove costly — at somewhere around $US1000.
Now might be a good time to point out that HTC doesn’t have a swell track record with tablets. Its Flyer — pictured above — was overpriced and underperformed. And that stylus; oh, that sylus. Still, working collaboratively with Microsoft may solve some of those problems. If the rumours are accurate, let’s hope that’s the case. [Bloomberg]