During his company's latest quarterly earnings conference call, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke about the company's plans for tablets in the near future, but remained very scant on the details.
The company posted its best quarter ever last week, but has been openly criticized for its lack of strategy in the tablet market, as well as in other consumer businesses.
When asked specifically about tablets, Ballmer said Windows has been available on tablets and slates for years, with constant sales. However, none of Microsoft's devices have ever come close to the buzz created by Apple's iPad.
"Apple has done an interesting job of putting together a product," Ballmer said, admitting that "they've certainly sold more than I'd like them to sell."
"For us, the job is to say we have a lot of [intellectual property] and software and we've done a lot of work on ink and touch," he continued, via PCW. "We have got to make things happen. Just like we had to make things happen on netbooks, we have to with Windows 7 on slates. We're in the process of doing that as we speak."
Without giving more details, he concluded: "We've got to push right now with our hardware partners. People will say, 'When?' I'll say, 'As soon as they are ready, and it is job-one urgency.' Nobody is sleeping at the switch."
Any timetable for a new tablet release? They "will be out in not a heck of a long time."
When asked specifically about tablets, Ballmer said Windows has been available on tablets and slates for years, with constant sales. However, none of Microsoft's devices have ever come close to the buzz created by Apple's iPad.
"Apple has done an interesting job of putting together a product," Ballmer said, admitting that "they've certainly sold more than I'd like them to sell."
"For us, the job is to say we have a lot of [intellectual property] and software and we've done a lot of work on ink and touch," he continued, via PCW. "We have got to make things happen. Just like we had to make things happen on netbooks, we have to with Windows 7 on slates. We're in the process of doing that as we speak."
Without giving more details, he concluded: "We've got to push right now with our hardware partners. People will say, 'When?' I'll say, 'As soon as they are ready, and it is job-one urgency.' Nobody is sleeping at the switch."
Any timetable for a new tablet release? They "will be out in not a heck of a long time."
