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HTC reportedly cancels plans for full-size Windows RT tablet, but 7-inch tablets still on track

HTC reportedly cancels plans for full-size Windows RT tablet, but 7-inch tablets still on track

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Windows Phone stock buttons Radar 4G (1020)
Windows Phone stock buttons Radar 4G (1020)

HTC has reportedly canceled its plans to develop a full-size Windows RT tablet, citing weak demand for larger tablets, according to Bloomberg. High cost of development was also cited as a reason for canceling the planned 12-inch device. However, the company is still apparently on track to develop a 7-inch tablet running Microsoft's stripped down operating system, with a launch expected later this year. HTC is also said to be planning a new 7-inch Android tablet for the same time frame. Both tablets are expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.

Bloomberg initially reported HTC's plans to develop Windows RT tablets back in December of last year, saying that the company had considered doing full-fledged Windows 8 versions, but deemed them to be too costly and was sticking with Windows RT instead.

Windows RT has gotten a bad rap from the industry and other manufacturers, with Acer president Jim Wong recently saying that there is "no value" in using the current version of Windows RT and that Acer would be waiting for the next edition for its devices. It's not clear if HTC feels the same way, but if the company won't actually release a Windows tablet until later this year, it could very well agree with Acer.

This isn't HTC's first tablet rodeo

HTC has a history with tablets — it released the ill-fated Flyer and the even less popular Jetstream Android tablets back in 2011 — but for the past couple of years it has focused on its smartphone lines instead. Whether or not a line of Windows tablets will resurrect HTC's sinking bottom line — or if the company will even end up releasing them — remains to be seen, but we'll be watching.