Can Microsoft compete with the iPad?

Facing increased competition from Apple's iPad, Microsoft is expected to unveil new tablet computers at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, according to a report in The New York Times. The report notes that Microsoft -- which has touted tablet PCs for a decade -- is attempting to target business and casual users with the devices.

One of the devices, built by Samsung, will feature a slide out keyboard. (The iPad does not have a built-in keyboard).

The news comes after Goldman Sachs offered a downbeat outlook for Microsoft in 2011, citing in part the company's weak position in the tablet market.

But chatter about a new set of tablet-style PCs from Microsoft is not entirely new, with Ars Technica asking CEO Steve Ballmer about tablet devices in an interview last month. Responding to a question about tablet PCs from reporter Peter Bright, Ballmer said that "you'll see some stuff now, you'll see some stuff after Christmas, you'll see some stuff as we get new Intel chips, you'll see some things as you move Windows Phone along."