So, the NY Times is saying Ballmer is going to announce Microsoft’s own slate tablet that it brewed up with HP at CES. Gizmodo’s got a demo of a prototype (which looks like it’s virtual until you see the photos further down…okay, it still looks virtual).

Let’s start with the device first. I’m torn here. On the one hand it looks like what you’d expect a business-centric slate device should look like: an organizer. The ability to mix handwritten notes with photos and the like are a given (I mean, otherwise, you’d have an early 2000s slate PC which didn’t take off for a reason…who wants a boring barely functional PC?). The multi-touch support is also a given now that the iPhone is so ingrained into society as a whole now.

But on the other hand, just like my Palm which is sitting in some box somewhere with CAT3 cables and some dohickey for some device I no longer have, if all it does is act as a glorified personal organizer, why in the hell would I pay $1000 for that? Why not just pay $50 and get a paper organizer and be done with it?

If that’s the extent of what the tablet’s going to be able to do (I’m assuming Microsoft’s hoping there’ll be more apps but I’m also assuming they’re going to make sure Word, Excel, and Powerpoint all work on it…right? Hello?), it’s useless beyond being something to show off in a few years as a “this is what it used to look like before they made it better”…kinda like those brick cell phones from the 80′s.

Granted, I have no idea if Apple’s going to be smart enough not to make their tablet a larger version of an iPhone (iPhone 3GSH…the H is for HUGE). But, they’ve also got to be thinking the device HAS to to somehow leverage their App Store. I mean, you’ve got to be stupid (or Apple) to scrap a huge industry you created yourself just so you can shine a spotlight on some new creation from the darkest regions of your R&D labs.

Now back to our show. Or rather, Microsoft’s. Pretty funny that we only just got wind of the tablet announcement the day of Ballmer’s keynote. I mean, after all, doesn’t someone who’s keynoting one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) electronics conventions in the world plan their speach ahead of time. It couldn’t be because Jobs blew a sweet kiss of rumor talk into the ear of the WSJ just a couple days ago and because Macworld Expo is around the corner, could it? Couldn’t Microsoft just announced it at Macworld–oh, yeah, they only sorta like the Mac.

Maybe Microsoft should stop playing the frenemy card and just ask Apple out. Tell Apple how beautiful their designs are…for people who like designs. And show off your every-day-practical design and engineering…you know, the same design engineering that made Vista such a success.

Or maybe, you could talk about how great it would be, now that Macs run on the same hardware as PCs, if you could just figure out a better way to let Macheads and Windozers just-just get along.

On the plus side (for me; Microsoft, we’re done here, move along), at least this means Apple will have some potential competition (in some demographics). But, Apple’s track record means, all that will happen is Apple will keep it’s price at $1000 and Microsoft/HP will down it to $750 somehow ($850 with Microsoft Office bundled with it! A savings of over $199!!!!).

Stay tuned…

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