Microsoft Abandons Its Courier Tablet

The leaks and prototypes were just a tease: Microsoft has discontinued development of the “Courier” tablet.

Apple execs can breathe a little easier as one more potential competitor bites the dust. Gizmodo is reporting that Microsoft’s Courier tablet has stopped development. No specifics were given on why the tablet will never see the light of day.

Microsoft Corporate VP of Communications Frank Shaw told Gizmodo, “At any given time, we’re looking at new ideas, investigating, testing, incubating them. It’s in our DNA to develop new form factors and natural user interfaces to foster productivity and creativity. The Courier project is an example of this type of effort. It will be evaluated for use in future offerings, but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.”

The news is unfortunate for Microsoft fans, but not altogether unexpected. Despite numerous leaks from as far back as last fall, Microsoft never officially announced the tablet. Then, in January during his keynote speech at CES, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the HP Slate, but there was no mention of the Courier.

Ironically, the HP Slate may also be delayed as HP concludes its purchase of Palm. It appears that the road to Apple’s total tabletdominance just got a little less crowded.