It’s no secret that Microsoft is being much more careful than usual when it comes to which vendors it will let make tablets based on its Windows RT operating system for its initial Windows 8 launch this fall. And according to Unwired View, only four of Microsoft’s (MSFT) original equipment manufacturers have been given the green light to make Windows RT tablets so far: Asus (2357), Toshiba (6502), Samsung (005930) and Lenovo. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) had originally been asked to make a Windows RT tablet, but the company declined the offer last month, thus opening up speculation that Dell (DELL) might take its place.However, Business Insider’s Julie Bort reached out to see whether Dell is actively involved in making a Windows RT tablet this year and has received a rather cagey answer, as Dell would only confirm that it’s working on a Windows-based tablet for release at some point in the future and wouldn’t go into specifics about specs or release dates.
Bort also mentions that “since Microsoft announced it would be competing with its OEM partners making tablets, Dell has released a bunch of new high-end ultrabooks that can run Linux,” meaning relations between Microsoft and Dell might not be the warmest at the moment.
