Are slates going hurt Microsoft's bottom line any more than netbooks?
Are all slates tablets? Are all tablets netbooks? Does the distinction between slates, tablets, netbooks, smartbooks and e-readers matter to anyone -- or do anything beyond confuse customers more than they are already)? The real question in all this, for Microsoft watcher, customers and partners, is whether slates will ding the profits of the Windows client business any more or less than netbooks have.