Microsoft Windows 8 tablet to be announced, report says

Software giant may enter the hardware business with an announcement of a "Microsoft-manufactured tablet."

/ Microsoft

(CBS News) Microsoft may announce a Windows 8 tablet with Xbox Live streaming Monday, several reports claim.

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According to All Things D, Microsoft will launch its own Windows 8 tablet computer, which is said to be in direct competition with the Apple iPad. Supporting those claims, the entertainment blog The Wrap reports that the software giant will make its first big entry into the hardware business with a "Microsoft-manufactured tablet."

There's also speculation that a partnership established between Microsoft and Barnes & Noble in April will bring a co-branded tablet to the market. The software giant invested $300 million for a 17.6 percent equity stake in the joint venture, tentatively named Newco. Putting those rumors to rest, the Dow Jones has come out and said that those rumors are "not true at all," according to Business Insider.

Microsoft's rumored tablet may feature Xbox Live streaming, according to TechCrunch. The Xbox 360, Microsoft's popular video game console, currently has a partnership with Verizon FiOS for live streaming cable television.

Microsoft has historically been a software company. If the rumors are true, entering the hardware business may create a potential conflict of interest between Microsoft and the hardware companies that run Windows operating system. 

Speculation surrounding the Microsoft event has been heightened by the lack of information released. The company is holding a press event in Los Angeles at 3:30 p.m. PT. 

Microsoft did not comment on any of the rumors surrounding the announcement Monday.

[johntate777]

They've done hardware before. Xbox, obviously. The Zune, mice and keyboards are others.