Report: Ballmer To Introduce New Microsoft Tablets At CES 2011

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is planning to introduce a series of new tablet PCs, which the software giant hopes will compete with Apple's iPad, during his CES 2011 keynote, according to a report in The New York Times.

According to the report, Microsoft's chief executive will use his annual opening night keynote to showcase a number of tablet devices running Windows 7 from manufacturers such as Dell and Samsung, which will be aimed more at people who wants to use business-class applications. The Times report cites an anonymous source who claims the Samsung tablet will be similar to the iPad but come with a physical slide-out keyboard.

Ballmer has teased a larger, more high-profile tablet play from Microsoft for some time. In October, Microsoft's CEO stated that a number of "slates" powered by Windows would be coming this holiday season.

But Microsoft has struggled to maintain a successful tablet strategy over the last year, which is one of the reasons the company and its CEO have come under fire from critics. Last January, CES 2010 was abuzz with anticipation of the Windows-powered HP Slate. But during his keynote, Ballmer only gave the audience a brief glimpse of the device, and when the HP Slate 500 was officially launched this fall , it was quickly overshadowed by the iPad.

In addition to watching the HP Slate 500 fizzle, Microsoft also suffered a huge setback when it canceled its proposed Courier tablet/e-book hybrid device last April – right around the launch of the iPad. Microsoft's cancellation of Courier was followed by an executiveshakeup at the software giant; longtime Microsoft veteran J Allard, who led the product development for Courier, announced he was leaving the company in May.

Will Microsoft be able to make good on its tablet promises? Stay tuned for CRN's coverage of CES 2011 next month.