The news of this update comes from DigiTimes, who we know has been on and off with some of their reports. However, we cannot see any reason why this would be inaccurate. The release date is expected to be by the end of 2012, and early reports suggest that Microsoft will following their current branding strategy and will be a little conservative in their design.

There is a worry about this, as one would assume the company to make radical changes. OK, so we know that they got it right with the Xbox 360, but what about the Zune and the Kin smartphone, who would want to follow that strategy. Microsoft is playing a dangerous game, one where they are getting left behind in some of their most important markets.

If we are to believe the report, then the Microsoft branded Windows 8 tablet will be powered by Texas Instruments with a little help from ARM. We are not ones to choose sides here, but we cannot see Apple losing any sleep over this news – even the likes of Motorola and Samsung are unable to compete with the iPad.