According to Information Week, Sprint President of Business Paget Alves said in an interview with Forbes that they plan to launch a 4G WiMAX-capable tablet in 2011. Alves wouldn't go into specific details about the specs, however, he mentioned that they'll soon sell tablets that run "other operating systems". Sprint currently offers only one tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which operates on the popular Google Android OS and only provides access to Sprint's 3G network. The choices for tablet PC's are currently limited to either Android-based operating systems or iOS on the Apple iPad. The main choice for another operating system could be developed through RIM (Research In Motion), which is expected to start selling their PlayBook tablet early in 2011. The other options that can't be ruled out at this time are either a Palm-based webOS or even a design based around the new Windows Phone 7 OS.
Alves did say he expects the bulk of purchases to come from enterprise IT departments. This leads us to believe that this 4G WiMAX-capable tablet will either be running a BlackBerry OS or Windows Phone 7 operating system, since they're more popular in the IT department. Creating a tablet on an alternative OS is a good idea because it provides consumers with more options when it comes time to purchase a Tablet PC for either business or personal use. Devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Apple iPad have shown their versatility and we expect to see a large variety of models created throughout 2011.
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