Office Standard 2007 What Microsoft isn't saying a

Some think Microsoft is becoming coy about its slate options. Other people merely feel the firm is being clueless. I think the Redmondians are planting decoys, hoping they;ll present cover for missteps.Here;s my newest idea as to what;s going on, regarding Microsoft and its solution for slates (or lack thereof). More than the previous couple of months, Microsoft execs have gone from declaring Apple;s iPad is absolutely nothing but a crippled Pc,Office Pro Plus 2007, to claiming that Microsoft and its partners have myriad iPad opponents ready to start any day now. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said there;d be Windows 7 slates out in time for holiday 2010. And at the current Computex conference, Microsoft execs crowed in regards to the a great number of Windows slates due to launch this fall.If any of those slates were actually true iPad rivals, Microsoft would be only relatively late to the slate celebration. This isn;t the case (producing me happier by the day that I made the decision to get an iPad to use as my on-the-go cellular gadget,Office Professional Plus 2010, instead of waiting for my longed-for “WinPad.”)The “Windows slates” Microsoft showed at Computex aren;t running Windows seven; they;re running Windows Embedded Compact. That means they aren;t going to be in a position to run Windows seven apps and won;t sport the Windows seven user interface. Instead,microsoft Office 2010 Serial, each of these Embedded Compact slates will feature its own custom interface.Meanwhile,Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007, the Windows seven slates coming in time for this vacation season are going to be business-focused products. (HP execs admitted this recently, noting their coming Slate 500 device will be for company users. If there are other Windows seven slates prepared to start this drop, I;d expect they also will be business-focused devices. These models will be PCs without lids; tablets without the stylus. They won;t have the long battery life, touch-centric user interfaces or built-in app store capabilities that have built the iPad a success.Microsoft;s real iPad opponents aren;t heading to debut until 2011 — I;d guess mid-2011 at best. Ballmer didn;t state this plainly at last week;s Microsoft Finanacial Analyst Meeting, but he dropped some hefty hints. Ballmer touted Intel;s Oak Trail processors as being key to Microsoft;s iPad alaternatives. The problem is Oak Trail chips aren;t heading to be prepared until “early 2011.” Once Pc makers get them in hand, it will take them at a few quarters to build and test slates that use them.I;m curious as to whether Microsoft will continue to try to steer its partners to use Windows 7 as the operating system powering these slates. My guess, as I told TechFlash;s Todd Bishop last week, is Microsoft may relent and allow slate makers to use the touch-centric Windows Phone OS 7 on these devices. (Microsoft could still claim that these slates had been running “Windows,Office Standard 2007,” since it is making sure to brand all of its operating systems as “Windows.”)Bottom line: “WinPads” are still about a year away, I;m predicting. Expect Microsoft execs to downplay the coming Windows Embedded Compact slates and start acknowledging that this year;s Windows 7 slates are business-centric devices. Instead of risking another Kin debaucle (launching then pulling a misguided product at outstanding cost), Microsoft is rethinking its solution towards the iPad. Better late than lame….