There's More Evidence That Microsoft Is Working On A Smaller Tablet To Compete With The iPad Mini

Robert Libetti/ Business InsiderMicrosoft's full-sized Surface Pro tablet.It's been reported before, but we now have even more evidence that Microsoft has plans to make smaller and cheaper tablets running Windows 8.

As pointed out by Ed Bott of ZDNet, Microsoft quietly changed its certification rules for Windows 8 to include a new resolution for touch screen devices: 1024 x 768 pixels. That happens to be the same resolution as Apple's 7.85-inch iPad Mini.

The certification rules are what manufacturers must follow in order to license the Windows 8 operating system from Microsoft. Now that Microsoft has relaxed the guidelines, it seems its hardware partners are free to start making smaller and cheaper tablets.

The change has also ramped up speculation that Microsoft could be working on a smaller version of its own Surface tablet to launch around the same time as Windows Blue, the next version of Windows 8 that will be available later this year.

Microsoft said it will provide more details on Windows Blue at its developers conference in June.