Small is in. After dabbing their hands with tablets sporting (comparatively) larger display sizes, Microsoft along with its partners is shifting focus towards smaller slates.
8-inch or smaller tablets running Windows RT 8.1 are another matter entirely, but hardware vendors are developing smaller x86 tablets that run the full version of Windows. Acer is leading the charge with the Iconia W3, while other devices powered by Intel Atom Bay Trail are incoming.
And to sweeten the deal, Redmond has announced that all small x86 tablets that run Windows 8.1 will be delivered with a free copy of Office 2013 productivity suite right out of the box.
Windows boss Tami Reller, speaking at Computex Taipei 2013 said that all smaller units (including the newly announced Acer Iconia W3) would hit the store shelves with a free copy of Office Home and Student 2013.
Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc further detailed this in a blog post saying:
“Tami also shared that new small screen x86 tablets including the recently announced Acer Iconia W3, will come with Office Home and Student 2013 right out of the box. For both businesses and consumers, we’re committed to making all Windows tablets, both x86 and ARM, great options for work as well as play.”
This will definitely give these devices a killer advantage when it comes to productivity, and help Windows tablets make some significant inroads in the very near future. Office is, after all, one of Microsoft’s biggest weapons.
And speaking of which, the technology titan itself is reportedly working on a smaller version of Surface that features an 8 inch display. More details on this are expected later this month at the BUILD developer conference.
