Full-sized Microsoft Surface (Photo credit: Jason A. Howie)
While Microsoft’s current line-up of Surface tablets compete directly with devices like the Apple iPad, it still doesn’t have a mid-sized device to compete with smaller tablets like the iPad Mini and, notably, Amazon’s Kindle Fire. There is some tantalizing evidence, though, in the latest release of the Windows 8 Certification guidelines that state that Microsoft will now officially support smaller resolutions and, perhaps, screen sizes, which would allow manufacturers to create a new generation of smaller Surface tablets in the 7-inch range.
New language shows official support for resolutions as low as 1024x768, a popular resolution for smaller tablet screens. Current Microsoft tablets must have a resolution of at least 1366x768 to receive logo certification, or the license for manufacturers to include the official Windows 8 logo on their Windows 8 devices. Notably, the new, lower resolution has an aspect ratio of 4:3 like older tube TVs, where as formerly all resolutions supported were on the more modern 16:9 standard.
Regardless of aspect ratios, this could signal that Microsoft is ready to start working with smaller and lower-cost tablets, a device size that’s been outselling larger tablets lately. Notably, it might also let Microsoft finally enter the e-reader world, something it’s been working on for years with little to show for it. Microsoft has had a long-standing partnership with the beleaguered bookseller Barnes & Noble. Mary Jo Foley reasons in a smart post on All About Microsoft that it would be logical for Microsoft to develop the hardware for a new generation of smaller Windows tablets and let Barnes & Noble provide access to its large Nook-based library. This makes the smaller Suface seem like a slam dunk, but there’s more to smaller tablets than books.
Microsoft is expected to unveil a new generation of set-top consoles for living rooms in the next few months. An updated Xbox gaming system is almost certainly being readied for the spotlight, but there have been persistent rumors around Seattle for months that a smaller, more “casual” box for living rooms is also on its way from Microsoft. It would be quite easy to build a new, smaller tablet that interfaces directly with these next-gen consoles to expand gaming, watching movies, and listening to music. In fact, Microsoft already has a similar product -- Xbox SmartGlass -- that links Windows 8, iOS, and Android tablets with the current Xbox 360.
A new line of low-cost tablets with integrated e-readers and next-gen Xbox support could plug a lot of holes in the interactivity that Microsoft has been touting since Windows 8 launched last year, and it could also get Windows tablets into the hands of a lot more more casual and first-time users – something Microsoft desperately needs.
