While there will definitely be a lot of desktop and laptop PCs that will be available with Windows 8 pre-installed when Microsoft launches its next OS, the big question is which company will be the first to offer a tablet running Windows 8. A new rumor claims that Lenovo is aiming to snag that honor.
The Verge reports via unnamed sources that Lenovo believes it will have the first Windows 8 tablet on sale when Microsoft launches the OS. Lenovo believes that the final shipping version of Windows 8 will be ready to go by sometime in October 2012; other than the fact that the tablet will have an Intel chip running things inside, no other details about the device have been revealed.
We have already seen one Windows 8 machine from Lenovo - we had some hands-on time with Lenovo"s intriguing IdeaPad Yoga, with its convertible tablet form factor, at CES in January - but it remains to be seen if this is the one that Lenovo plans to bring to market first in October.
HP has already confirmed that it will offer a Windows 8 tablet for sale sometime before the end of 2012, while Dell has also thrown its hat into the Windows 8 tablet ring; both HP and Dell have said their tablets will be made mostly for business customers. Asus has also hinted that they will offer their own Windows 8 tablet. Finally, there are strong indications that Nokia could launch its own Windows 8 tablet device too.