Are 8-inch tablets the new 7-inch devices

It’s beginning to look like Microsoft is going to have to eat some major crow in the very near future.Rumors early in the week appear to point to Microsoft deciding to re-introduce the Start button in the 8 inch tabletBlue update it will be releasing later this year.

These same rumors point to Microsoft also allowing desktop and laptop PCs to boot directly to the Windows desktop as well instead of the Metro interface.If true, it’s a bold move by Microsoft, and a winning one at that. From boot times to OS stability to security, Windows 8 is a very solid OS. The only thing that prevents conventional (meaning non-tablet) users from liking it—or even using it in many cases—is the tile interface and the lack of a Start button.

I’m sure it won’t be an easy decision for Microsoft to make. After all, the company would be acknowledging that it made a major mistake. But it’s the right decision because it will make so many Windows users’ lives easier.(This decision will also inflict some pain on after-market Start button tool makers, like Pokki and Stardock, which makes Start8.)Start or not, are Windows tablets on the right track?

It would be easy to argue that the impact of reinstating Start on tablets will be minimal, but I have to admit that the more I use the 7 inch tablet, the more I find myself using it like a conventional PC. That means lots of desktop mode. And that means I need a Start button.

Meanwhile, forecasters and analysts are beginning to paint a rosier picture of Windows 8 tablet sales. First, strong demand is prompting Microsoft to expand the availability of the Surface Pro to 24 more international markets, including much of Europe, Korea, and even Russia.Even Surface RT distribution will be broadening to include Mexico, Korea, and Thailand.dsdED23sa

At the end of 2012, I made the point that we probably weren’t at the end of experimentation around different sizes and shapes for tablets.The other important consideration is price. 8-inch tablets will certainly cost less than their 10-inch counterparts.

Incidentally, value is even becoming a big motivating factor for Apple devices. A recent survey by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners shows that the q88 tablet has increased its market share in Q1 2013. The iPad Mini did the same. Both can be considered to be value products, at least in comparison to the Retina Display versions of the iPad.