Microsoft has a ‘major announcement’ on Monday

Microsoft has sent out out press invitations for an event in Los Angeles on Monday (June 18th) which promises a ‘major announcement’. Tech sources around the blogosphere are convinced that the event will act as a public awareness launch of Windows RT (ARM based) tablets.

With Google I/O set to begin just days later, and Google expected to reveal their first tablet in the Nexus series, Microsoft may try and steal the show with their own tablet offering.

But Google tablet is meant to be ultra affordable and set to challenge the pricing set by the Amazon Kindle Fire. So how exactly will Microsoft’s Windows RT tablets make their mark? Especially when recent reports suggest that Microsoft’s Windows RT pricing will be priced similarly to the iPad which is dominant in its price range.

We expect Microsoft’s answer lies in the Office suite, which is expected to be integrated into Windows RT. But is getting a free copy of Microsoft’s Office Suite going to make up for the lack of a competitive price? After all isn’t Office expected to arrive on the iOS and Android tablet platforms?

Come Monday we will hopefully have a clear idea of Microsoft’s plans to market Windows RT. With a huge ecosystem which spans Windows 8, Xbox and Windows Phone Microsoft have set themselves to be a big competitor in the mobile market, and in the eve of a tablet centric announcement from Google they have an opportunity to make a mark with what they have planned.

 

source – AllThingsD