So it’s mid-2010, there are a lot of Android-powered tablet PCs in the market, and then there’s the iOS-powered alternative, Apple’s iPad. Many people are waiting for either a lower price for the 3G-enabled iPad, or a “better” Android tablet to become available. Still, others are waiting for yet another kind of tablet. One that’s powered by a real desktop operating system in the form of Windows 7. Yes, I’m talking about the Windows 7 tablets.

And while it may look like there hasn’t been any progress relating to these lately, rest assured that your very first Windows 7-powered tablet is well on its way. Microsoft’s very own Steve Ballmer has announced a confirmation: Windows 7 slates are coming this year. And by slate, of course, he means good ol’ tablet PCs.

Perhaps it has something to do with their past failed attempts to launch a successful tablet PC market with manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, Viliv and Windows Vista. They might be deliberately avoiding the word tablet and using slate instead, to make it sound fresh.

But don’t be confused. These upcoming Windows 7 slates are, at the most basic, going to be just a bunch of touchscreen display equipped computers without physical keyboards and built-in batteries. Those are the building blocks of the tablet PC, and with Windows 7, I think Microsoft will be able to finally get things right. Maybe.

There’s still no word on which manufacturer is going to release what, when and where. But several companies including Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony have been identified as already working on their own Windows 7 slates. So for now, Windows 7 slate hopefuls are going to have to just wait. But at least they’ve got something to look forward to until Christmas time, right?

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