Microsoft Pours Cold Water On Tablet Rumours

Development of Microsoft’s “Courier” tablet PC has stalled, pouring cold water on rumours that the computer giant is planning to launch an iPad-killer.

Since the launch of Apple’s iPad, the eyes of the tech industry have been on tablet market, and there has been widespread speculation about which company will be the first to create a true iPad competitor. Google is reportedly working on a tablet computer based on its Android operating system, and HP’s announcement this week that it will buy Palm has sparked rumours that HP is also thinking of entering the tablet wars.

Courier seemed a viable competitor

Seemingly one of the more concrete rumoured devices, however, was Microsoft’s Courier tablet, particularly since a detailed set of photos emerged on gadget blog Gizmodo in September last year. The photos showed a dual-touchscreen device with a hinge that held an iPhone-like home button. It also appeared to have a 3 megapixel camera and a stylus used to enter content in handwritten notes.

Until now Microsoft has refused to comment on the rumours, but today Frank Shaw, corporate vice president of corporate communications at Microsoft, published a blog stating that the Courier project has been canned.

“At any given time, across any of our business groups, there are new ideas being investigated, tested, and incubated. It’s in Microsoft’s DNA to continually develop and incubate new technologies to foster productivity and creativity,” Shaw wrote. “The ‘Courier’ project is an example of this type of effort and its technologies will be evaluated for use in future Microsoft offerings.”

Apple struggles to meet tablet demand

Meanwhile Apple’s iPad continues to storm the US market, with the company being forced to add production capacity to deal with the demand. Stocks of the device were so low – after Apple sold 450,000 tablets in the first few days after its US launch – that Apple had to delay the UK launch by a month, until the end of May.

Earlier this month Apple confirmed that the Apple iPad 3G has also been delayed in the US. The Apple iPad’s more expensive and advanced big brother is now expected to hit the shelves on 7 May.