Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, Samsung to launch Windows RT tablets this year. Others await Microsoft's permission in January
Apart from Surface, which is made by Microsoft itself, we know very little about who else will launch Windows RT based tablets this year. And there's a good reason for that.
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft's move toward its own tablet hardware had been under consideration since 2011, while Samsung had already been reported to be targeting an October Windows RT introduction. The new lineup clarifies that Surface will enter the market alongside Asus, Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba devices rather than alone.
The important constraint is not simply OEM participation: Microsoft is sequencing access to Windows RT, with additional tablet makers awaiting permission in January. That makes the platform owner the gatekeeper for both software availability and the initial vendor field.
First-order effects
- Asus, Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba can plan Windows RT tablet launches this year, joining Surface in the platform's first hardware wave.
- Other prospective tablet makers face a delayed Windows RT timetable because Microsoft controls their approval to launch.
Second-order effects
- The four approved OEMs must differentiate their Windows RT hardware while selling against Microsoft's own Surface, concentrating early platform competition among a small vendor group.
- Microsoft's approval process gives it leverage over OEM launch timing and limits how quickly additional manufacturers can broaden the Windows RT device range.
Third-order effects
- If Microsoft continues pairing first-party hardware with selective OEM access, Windows RT would represent a more tightly managed Windows device ecosystem than the broad PC licensing model.
- Tablet makers' dependence on platform approval shifts competitive advantage toward companies that secure early access, not only those with the strongest hardware designs.
The trend: Windows RT is an early test of Microsoft using operating-system control and first-party hardware together to shape its tablet ecosystem.