Windows 8 tablets and PCs begin to trickle out

It’s become fashionable of late to echo Craig Berger, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets, who said early demand for Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet has been “disappointing.” Blame for the general Windows 8 sales malaise, according to Berger, lies in the fact that of the dozen-plus new tablets promised for delivery with Windows 8, only five are available in the United States right now.

That just isn’t true.

Right now you can buy hundreds of new PC models with Windows 8 pre-installed. They’re Windows 7 machines with Windows 8 slapped on the side: no touchscreen, old designs, hot, heavy, and battery impaired.

But I’m not talking about those Windows 8 machines. I’m talking about tablets, Ultrabooks, notebooks, netbooks, dockables — however you want to define them — that are fully capable of running Windows 8 or Windows RT. They have touchscreens, at least 1,366-by-768 resolution displays, and enough oomph to move the Windows 8 or Windows RT bits around. They may not be optimized for Windows 8 (your definition of “optimized” may vary from mine), but they’re perfectly serviceable.

Let’s take a look, starting in the Microsoft Store.

In the Windows RT camp, you can buy a Microsoft Surface with Windows RT, ($499 + $119 for keyboard/cover), of course, as well as the Asus VivoTab RT TF600T ($599, no keyboard, but there’s an offer for a free Asus Mobile Dock).

On the Windows 8 side of the fence, there’s the Acer Iconia W510-1674 ($499, no keyboard, but Acer makes a dock). Also from Acer, the Acer Aspire S7-391-6822 runs an Ivy Bridge Core i5 ($1,299 Ultrabook). Lenovo has the ThinkPad Twist Convertible Ultrabook, which also runs Ivy Bridge Core i5 ($899 Ultrabook). Sony’s Vaio Duo 11 rounds out the list, with an Ivy Bridge i7 ($1499, Ultrabook). It’s listed as “out of stock” on the Microsoft site, but the i5 version ($1,199) and i7 version are available on Sony’s site.

Moving on to manufacturer’s sites, I see these Windows 8 computers are available: The Dell XPS 12, with its signature wire frame ($1,199, trapeze) is available on the Dell site; the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 ($665 with integrated keyboard after $184 online discount) runs Windows RT; and the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T ($749, docking keyboard extra) runs Windows 8, and it’s available from many retailers. Similarly, Toshiba’s Satellite U925T-S2300 Convertible ($1,149, Ultrabook) can be acquired from many retailers.

Other manufacturers have laptops that, while not particularly Windows 8 savvy, sport touchscreens and should be able to handle Windows 8 reasonably well in a luggable and battery-challenged way — HP’s Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook 15t-4000 or Envy TouchSmart Ultrabook 4t-1100, for example. Of course there are dozens of all-in-ones that can handle Windows 8, but they’re hardly luggable, and I cringe every time I think of a 27-inch screen filled with Metro tiles.

I count 10 different small computers — tablets, convertibles, Ultrabooks, and otherwise — that are ready for Windows 8, not five. They’re all available now in the United States, although one of the Surface RT versions was out of stock for a couple of weeks right around launch time.

Plenty of new designs won’t make it in time for the holidays. A host of IdeaPad Yoga 13 versions ($999 for i3 with $100 discount) will be out early next year. The Lenovo ThinkPad 2 ($699, keyboard extra) won’t ship until next year. The Asus VivoTab TF810C is running late, as well as the HP Envy x2 Touchscreen.

Six weeks ago, when Windows 8 hit General Availability, Galen Gruman put together a slideshow that featured innovative Windows 8 hardware designs. Here’s where they stand, as we head into the final holiday shopping sprint:

• Lenovo ThinkPad Twist: Available now in the Microsoft Store
• Asus Taichi, the two-screen marvel: Not yet in stores. Lots of rumors about availability and price, no facts
• Acer Aspire S7: Available now in Microsoft Store
• HP ElitePad 900 with Productivity Jacket: Currently expected to launch the first week in January; Emirates Airline has already ordered a thousand of them for cabin crew
• Dell XPS 12 with rotating wire frame: Available now on the Dell site
• Toshiba Satellite U925t: Available now from many retailers
• Panasonic AX series: There were sightings in October, but no solid news since

While Windows 8 certainly isn’t driving up PC sales, and I expect the Metro Grinch to steal Christmas, the problem doesn’t lie with availability of Windows 8 machines. There are plenty of them — and many innovative designs are in the mix.

This story, “Windows 8 tablets and PCs begin to trickle out,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.