Windows 8-based tablets will hit retail stores this November. (See also: Microsoft Surface review.)
Vendors compete in race to get there first
Microsoft is set to launch Windows 8 later this year and tablets with the operating system will go on sale in November, according to Cnet. The information comes from a source 'familiar with the device makers' plans' who said the tablets will be Intel-powered.
"The schedule is tight," said the source. "Looking at what Windows is trying to achieve not only with a new OS, but a new OS that needs to run four to five architectures -- three ARM, Intel, and AMD."
Not all Windows 8 tablets will have an Intel chip, with Windows 8 RT specifically for ARM-based devices, but the tablets described by the source will use Intel's 'Clover Trail' Atom chip. This will be the first dual-core Atom and will use a 32-nanometer manufacturing process.
Apparently more than half of the designs, of which there are "more than a dozen", will be hybrids. This fits in with some of the Ultrabooks that Intel showed off with touchscreens and foldable designs. One example of this is Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga.
Intel's Ivy Bridge processor will also make an appearance in hybrid designs, according to Cnet, but this is yet to be confirmed. As for which manufacturer will get there first, we don't know. However, Lenovo is aiming to do so but will have competition from the likes of HP, Asus and Dell.
Windows 8 is likely to tip up in October so why not check out our Windows 8: the complete guide to find out more.
