Asus, Acer, and Toshiba to launch Windows 8 tablets next week?

Windows 8
Tablets incoming

Asus, Acer, and Toshiba are set to launch Windows 8 tablets next week at the Computex trade show in Taipei, according to sources.

Acer's will be a standard tablet, while Toshiba's will be a tablet-cum-notebook, according to the anonymous sources. Asus, meanwhile, will show off more than one tablet featuring a detachable keyboard, just like its Transformer Prime Android model.

Windows 8 is the first version of the OS to work on ARM-based chips. Asus will show off a tablet based on an ARM-based Nvidia Tegra chip as well as one powered by an Intel chip, so it should be interesting to see how the two compare when running the same operating system.

A choice of chips

Acer's will run on an Intel chip, while Toshiba will use a Texas Instrument processor, according to the sources.

Qualcomm is also expected to show off a test device running Windows 8 using its Snapdragon processor and it's not purely a concept - it'll have devices for sale when Windows 8 hits the market, a source said.

Windows 8 is available now as a Release Preview. The UK price is expected to be announced today but in the US, an upgrade will cost $14.99.

Expect improved support for working with multiple monitors, so you can view apps on more than one screen. Security improvements are also expected.

Internet Explorer 10 will also have a feature called Flip-Ahead, which loads forthcoming pages, so when you swipe ahead the next page will load right away.

Via Bloomberg

Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.