Rumour: Microsoft and Barnes & Noble to announce tablet on June 18th

MicrosoftMicrosoft has shed little light on its scheduled event on June 18th. Rumours have been suggesting that it will unveil a Microsoft-branded Windows RT tablet (like Google does with its Nexus smartphones). According to TechCrunch sources, they are “somewhat right but mostly wrong.”

TechCrunch has learned that the announcement will be made with Barnes & Noble and will focus instead on a “tablet/e-reader” that will focus on entertainment. The two companies announced a “strategic partnership” in late April with Microsoft investing US$300 million investment for a 17.6% equity stake in a new company at the time called Newco. Monday’s event will apparently reveal what the two companies have been working on.

Little is known about this new tablet aside from the fact that it could be the first to come with Xbox Live streaming capabilities. It remains to be seen if it will be powered by Windows RT.

Microsoft’s event is scheduled for 18:30 ET (15:30 PT). All should be revealed then.

Read more: TechCrunch