GigaOM Pro

Microsoft is set to make its “major announcement” Monday in Los Angeles, at a location to be disclosed Monday morning. Much of the speculation has centered around the release of a Microsoft tablet to rival Apple’s iPad and running Windows 8. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that the device will essentially be an extension of the Xbox Live platform to a e-reader/tablet-like device and may even be branded as Xbox. It will come bundled with the Barnes & Noble bookstore, as was hinted at in the settlement of the patent dispute between Microsoft and B&N in April, along with storage in SkyDrive. The announcement is being made in Los Angeles, which tells me its probably entertainment related. And we got a strong hint at E3 of Microsoft’s plan to take the Xbox Live platform beyond the Xbox console with the release of SmartGlass, which basically incorporates non-Windows devices into the Xbox ecosystem. It’s likely the device will run Windows RT, or even Windows Phone, to minimize conflict with OEMs building Win 8 tablets and laptop transformers. The model here is the Kindle Fire more than the iPad, which is likely whey you’re currently hearing rumors of a Kindle Fire price cut. We’ll see how good my crystal ball is soon enough.