Windows 7 Tablets – Where are they ?

December 5, 2011 Chris Boss

As a Windows software developer I am regularly researching the current tablet market for a good deal on a Windows 7 Tablet PC. I don’t want an IPad or Android. I want a Windows Tablet. My problem is that I don’t have a lot of money to spend and I am a bit frugal so I am waiting for great deal. But until them I am still checking out all the latest tablet PC’s.

What I find confusing is that when a read the popular online computer magazines they for some reason treat Windows Tablets like they don’t even exist. The best you can find at times is reference to a tablet which is both Android and Windows, but a purely Windows tablet is hard to find in such articles. I won’t go into the motives or reasons for this, since I can’t read peoples minds or hearts, but I do find it a bit disconcerting.

For example check out CNET’s list of current Tablet PC’s:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20037960-1/cnet-looks-at-current-and-upcoming-tablets/

They list 57 Tablets and of that only 2 have Windows on them and interestingly those two have Android and Windows together. Where are all the Windows tablets ?

For this discussion I will use $600 (US) as a price point. Thats in the range of some IPads, so it should be reasonable to find a Windows 7 Tablet in that range too. There are of course Windows Tablets in the $1000 bracket, but they tend to be targeted towards businesses.

Let’s take a look at some of the Windows Tablets currently available:

Archos 9

The Archos 9 retails for $499 but you may find it as low as $400 (street price). Its a nice little Tablet running Windows 7 starter. The manufacturers description can be found here:

http://store.archos.com/archos-tablet-p-96.html

Here is one reseller who is selling it for as low as $399:

http://www.erwincomp.com/501353.html

The specs are:

CPU                            – Intel ATOM Z515 1.2 GHz CPU
DISPLAY                  – 8.9″ LED backlight Resistive touch screen
RESOLUTION         – 1024×600 pixels
OS                               – Windows 7 Starter
MEMORY                – 1 GB
DISK DRIVE          – 60 GB SSD
BATTERY LIFE    – approx. 5 Hours

Acer Iconia W500

This is a very nice tablet which may come with Windows 7 Home Premium or even Professional. The manufacturer info on it can be found here:

http://acer.us/ac/en/US/content/iconia-tab-w500

The street price ranges from $480 to $550. You can find it here for about $480:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761072-REG/Acer_LE_RK602_047_W500_10_1_Multi_Touch_Screen.html

The specs are:

CPU                            – AMD C-50 1 ghz
DISPLAY                 – 10.1 inch LED Backlight
RESOLUTION        – 1280 x 800 pixels
OS                               – Windows 7 Home Premium
MEMORY                – 2 GB
DISK DRIVE          – 32 GB SSD
BATTERY LIFE    – approx. 6 hours

Some more Windows 7 Tablet PCs:

SkyTab S-series has a street price of about $565. You can find it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Skytab-S-Windows-Tablet-ExoPC/dp/B005EGRO4A

GigaByte S1080 has a street price of about $580. You can find it here:

http://www.excaliberpc.com/607559/gigabyte-s1080-cf1-10.1-windows-tablet.html

ViewSonic ViewPad has a street price of about $470. You can find it here:

http://www.buy.com/prod/viewsonic-viewpad-10-1-dual-os-tablet-windows-android-intel-n455-1/220179991.html

MSI WindPad 110W has a street price of $565. You can find it here:

http://www.excaliberpc.com/602769/msi-windpad-110w-014us-10.1-windows.html

Sams Club has a great deal on Dells NetBook/Tablet hybrid the Inspiron Duo for only about $375 (for members). You can find it here:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod2490323&navAction=

Azpen X1 tablet has a street price of about $500. You can find it here: