Whatever other news comes out of the big Consumer Electronics Show opening this week in Las Vegas, the headlines are going to include tablet computers. According to a report Tuesday in The New York Times, one of the most visible ones will be unveiled Wednesday night when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces a tablet computer during his keynote address.
The Times said that what it described as a “slate” computer will be on sale by the middle of this year and will be manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. The use of the term “slate” heightens the rivalry with Apple, which is widely expected to release its own tablet computer later this month, and the name is rumored to be iSlate.
Moving to the Front of the Parade
According to unnamed sources, the Times said Microsoft will pitch the device as a new kind of multi-touch, multimedia e-reader. Months ago, some photos and a demo video floated around the web purporting to show Microsoft’s Courier, a prototype of an innovative, two-screen tablet device with the screens able to act as one large, virtual desktop.
If Ballmer does pitch the device as a tablet/e-reader, it will represent an attempt by the software giant to get in front of a parade of announcements in recent months relating to both e-readers and tablets.
On the e-reader front, Amazon has been building momentum and alliances with its Kindle, Sony has several e-readers, Barnes & Noble has released the much-panned nook, and smaller players have come out with similar devices. Major publishers such as Conde Nast are organizing an “electronic newsstand” for their magazine properties, in one of several attempts by major content owners to stop Amazon from becoming the dominant electronic player in its sector, as iTunes became in music.
There have also already been several tablet announcements as CES opens, and…