Microsoft rumoured to be developing Internet Tablet

by Stevie Smith - Sep 23 2009, 15:15

Already bitter rivals when it comes to their Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, the market battle between Microsoft and Apple could be on the verge of expansion thanks to a report claiming the Redmond-based software titan is engineering a new Internet Tablet.

The report, offered up by prominent gadget blog Gizmodo, suggests Microsoft’s booklet-shaped portable device is called the Courier and is presently in the “late prototype” stages of its development.

While still bound to the world of rumour – not least because the report does not reveal its sources – the Courier tablet will apparently come equipped with dual 7.0-inch screens, a folding hinge connection for enhanced portability, a multi-touch user interface, and stylus support.

Looking into the credibility of Gizmodo’s information, online technology magazine CNET has tentatively backed the Courier’s existence – at least in its prototype form – pointing to some shadowy internal development connected to former Xbox executive J. Allard.

“Microsoft has been trying to keep Allard’s work under wraps – even locating Allard’s team well away from the rest of Microsoft’s main Redmond campus,” wrote CNET’s Ina Fried.

“Until it was shown by Gizmodo, not only was Courier’s existence a surprise to many outside Redmond, few inside the company were aware of it either,” she added.

Rumours of Microsoft’s portable device arrive as tech reports continue to suggest Cupertino-based Apple is preparing to unleash its own tablet platform, which is expected to drop somewhere between low-performance budget Netbook systems and more conventional notebook computers.

Microsoft Corporation has not yet issued official comment regarding the authenticity of the leaked Courier photo at time of publication.

Check the following link to Gizmodo, where you'll find some Courier video footage.

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