An awful lot rides on the highly anticipated refresh of Microsoft’s latest operating system. Windows 8.1 carries the hopes of not just Redmond, but several hardware makers as well.
A new report by DigiTimes states that many vendors are currently working on Windows 8.1 tablets that are set for release in the second half of 2013.
If everything goes according to plan, Windows 8.1 is expected to be installed on anywhere between 5 to 8 percent of tablets shipped globally this year.
One of the reasons for this was that Windows 8 licensing fees were rather high when the platform first launched. Now, however, the software titan has lowered the licensing fees and this has led to more hardware vendors preparing Windows powered slates for release later in the year.
And sure enough, the options for x86 tablet processors are also on the rise.
Intel has aggressively positioned its Atom platform, while AMD is also ready to jump in the game. And it is not just this architecture that is kicking into high gear — ARM is said to be preparing its 64-bit solutions that are said to offer significant performance increases.
The may not hold a candle yet to the various Android or Apple tablets in terms of sales numbers, but Windows-powered tablets are still projected to reach figures around 20 million units.
Most of these are expected to fly off the store shelves during the third quarter of the year, between July and September to be exact.
So then, what about you guys? Are you already a proud owner of a Windows powered slate, or is such a tablet in your near future? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
