14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, we told you that Microsoft and Xiaomi were working hand in hand in China in order to allow the possibility of installing Windows 10 Mobile on the Android-powered phones coming from the company.
Today we’re given a bit more insight into Xiaomi’s upcoming plans. Interestingly enough, these plans are still related to Windows 10 Mobile. You might remember that the Chinese device maker released its first tablet back in 2014. The device was called the Mi Pad and pretty much copied the iPad mini’s looks, while relying on the Tegra K1 platform to function.
Anyway, well-known analyst Pan Jiutang would have us believe that Xiaomi is prepping to release a new tablet sometime in the third quarter of 2015. However, the device won’t run on Android like its predecessor, but on the new Windows 10 Mobile platform.
Xiaomi might be willing to take a break from making Android devices
A third quarter release date means that the Xiaomi tablet might land on the market anytime between now and September. But recently, we told you that a Microsoft executive in South Africa heavily hinted towards the fact that Windows 10 Mobile would be launched within a “November timeframe.”
However, the analyst doesn’t clearly specify whether the tablet will run Windows 10 Mobile (we assumed that because the Mi Pad is a 7.9-inch affair). Microsoft recommends tablets with displays of 8 inches and above to run the full-blown version of Windows 10, so if the next Mi Tablet has a 10.1-inch display, we won’t see Windows 10 Mobile running on it. Given the release timeframe specified in the report, it seems this will be the case.
Other information about the tablet’s specs remains unknown, but we might soon learn more about the topic. Xiaomi is set to unveil a new MIUI (custom Android ROM) version on August 16. So on that date, the company might take the opportunity to unveil its Windows 10 tablet as well. At this point, this is just speculation, so you should take the information with a big grain of salt.
Xiaomi has faithfully served Android since its inception, but is the company ready to start tackling the Windows ecosystem?
