That's the promise of how Microsoft has billed its Metro interface, but we haven't seen it in action. Yet.

The above is, in part, a pie-in-the-sky wish list. The multitasking and app sharing could pan out, as could the content ecosystem. But I'm concerned about where Windows tablets will fall in price and specs.

I do believe that Windows 8 tablets will face an uphill battle challenging on price, especially without subsidization (and I don't mean false subsidies through carriers) or Microsoft offering a concession on how much it charges OEMs for the Windows RT operating system.

Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates, theorized to Computerworld that, if Microsoft does announce a Windows RT machine, it will probably cost $600 to $800, the price tag most observers expect other RT tablets to carry, "unless Microsoft plans to take a loss on each device sold because they have to buy the same components as everyone else."

Gold said Microsoft would not ultimately be able to compete with Amazon on price since costs would be higher for an RT machine and because there is no clear pathway for Microsoft to recoup subsidies it might pay to attract consumers.