Week of big launches to begin with Apple's iPad Mini

Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Surface launch sandwiched between new Apple iPad and Google Nexus

A slew of new products from Microsoft, Apple and Google is to be launched this week as the battle between the industry's giants intensifies.

Apple is expected to be the first off the blocks with the long-trailed launch of the new iPad Mini on Tuesday 23 October, gazumping Microsoft. The 7.85-inch device is intended to take Apple's iPad into a lower price point that has, until now, been dominated by Amazon in the US (with its Kindle devices) and various brands of competing Android tablet computers.

The new iPad is expected to run on the older A5 microprocessor, but will feature the latest iOS6 operating system and sport a 1024x768 resolution screen. The device will be available with 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at a price from $199 (£125) or $249 (£155). However, it will be Wi-Fi only - not 3G - limiting its networking connectivity, while the 64GB version could cost as much as $500 (£310).

Apple's iPad Mini will not just compete with Google and the vast number of low-cost Android tablet computers, but also the Android-based Amazon Kindle 7-inch tablet, which will retail for just £129 in the UK.

Apple is also expected to launch a "refreshed" version of its flagship iPad, possibly with 4G LTE capabilities, in a bid to meet the much-hyped challenge from Microsoft's Surface tablet computer.

Google, meanwhile, is rumoured to be launching a high-end, 10-inch Nexus tablet computer with Samsung, running the latest version of Android, next Monday, according to a number of websites.

At the same time, the internet giant will refresh its current Nexus 7 range to improve 3G connectivity in time for the Christmas rush. It will also offer devices with more storage, including a 32GB version from $249 (£155).

For Google, the launch comes as doubts have been raised about the company's strategy and its ability to continue growing advertising revenues on mobile platforms. While in a number of fields, the core of Google's revenues remains online advertising, predominantly driven via desktop computing websites.

It is also financially weighed down by the cost of its Motorola Mobility acquisition, which only cleared at the beginning of the year. Its purchase of Motorola, while ostensibly for the purpose of acquiring a mobile intellectual property portfolio to protect itself against rivals, will also pit the web giant in a head-to-head battle against the same companies that have made Android so successful.

Week of big launches to begin with Apple's iPad Mini

Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Surface launch sandwiched between new Apple iPad and Google Nexus

Microsoft surfaces
While Apple and Google are endeavouring to take the battle for control of the tablet computing market down to lower price-points, Microsoft is entering the market with new Windows 8-based products at the higher end.

Its Surface devices will be priced at $499 or £399 for a 32GB version, according to reports, and be based on Windows RT, running on Nvidia T30 ARM-based microprocessors. It will go on sale on Friday 26 October, the day of the launch. An integral keyboard, though, which Microsoft has pitched as a key differentiator, will cost an extra $100 in the US - or £100 in the UK - if bought separately.

The keyboard doubles as a cover when not in use. According to The Guardian, the rest of the range will cost £479 for the 32GB model with keyboard, and £559 for the 64GB model with keyboard.

The Guardian also reports that Microsoft's Surface will not offer 3G connectivity - a critical shortcoming for such an expensive, high-end device - and its screen resolution will be lower than the iPad's. Microsoft also lacks an in-house capability to customise the ARM microprocessors in the same way that Apple does with its A-series chips.

Nevertheless, according to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft has ordered a production run of between three million and five million devices. Surface Pro models, due shortly, will offer higher resolution screens and mobile networking.

At the same time as launching Windows 8, Microsoft is also launching Windows Phone 8, its latest smartphone operating system. Nokia, HTC and Samsung are expected to have Windows Phone 8-based smartphones on general sale in major markets by mid-November.

All flavours of 8-series Windows will share a similar look and feel in a move that is considered to be risky. The pre-release versions of the operating systems have been met with mixed reviews, with the desktop PC version receiving most criticism for its integration of the new Modern UI interface and a more familiar interface - without the "start" button - in the same product.

The Windows Phone 8 operating system, meanwhile, may struggle due to the late delivery of the software developer's kit, which app makers need in order to build applications for the new operating system. However, Windows Phone 8 does offer backwards compatibility with apps developed for Windows Phone 7.