Samsung is planning to start using Windows in addition to Android on its tablet PCs, according to a report.

The company is planning to make the announcement next week at a Microsoft developers conference in California, reports The Wall Street Journal. Samsung released its first tablet, the Galaxy Tab, in September 2010. Though the product had positive reviews when it launched, more than one in 10 purchasers returned the device within a month. Samsung remade the device as the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

That product, which hit U.S. stores in June, has been the subject of an Apple patent infringement lawsuit in Europe, Australia and Japan. After some back and forth with Dusseldorf District Court in Germany, the device was banned for sale in Germany, but is still available in the rest of Europe.

Microsoft is expected to show off a new version of Windows for tablet PCs at the conference next week, according to Reuters. So far, the tablet market has been especially frustrating for Microsoft. The company has been showing off tablet PC OSes for about a decade but is yet to make serious traction. Meanwhile, Apple has been so successful with the iPad that it’s being blamed for the slowdown in PC sales.

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Check out our gallery comparing Apple and Samsung’s products involved in the patent cases.

The Original iPhone

Apple released the first iPhone in June 2007.

Samsung BlackJack 2

This is the smartphone Samsung was selling in 2007, the BlackJack 2.

Samsung Galaxy S

This is the Samsung Galaxy S, which debuted in 2010.

The iPhone 3G

Released in 2008, the iPhone 3G differed only slightly from its predecessor but had a slightly different back/side-housing.

Samsung Showcase i500

The Samsung Showcase i500 was released in 2011 and shares similarities with the form factor and aesthetic of the iPhone 3G.

The iPhone 3GS

Released in 2009, the iPhone 3GS looks identical to the iPhone 3G, but was significantly faster under the hood.

Verizon Droid Charge

Apple amended its lawsuit against Samsung to include the recently released Droid Charge in the list of infringing devices.

Sprint Epic 4G

Sprint’s version of the Galaxy S was the only version to include a slide-out keyboard. Nevertheless, Apple still included the Epic 4G in its list of infringing devices.

The Nexus S 4G

Google’s Nexus S and Nexus S 4G devices have a curved glass screen but also share a similar shape and icon layout as the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS series.

Galaxy S Captivate

The application bar in the TouchWiz interface in the Galaxy S Captivate from AT&T resembles Apple’s iOS.

Galaxy S 4G

T-Mobile’s Galaxy S 4G shares similarities with earlier iPhone devices.

Galaxy S Vibrant

T-Mobile’s first Galaxy S device, the Vibrant, also shares a similar body style as the iPhone 3GS.

iPhone 4

Apple released the iPhone 4 in June 2010.

Galaxy S II

The well-reviewed Galaxy S II is starting to hit stores in Europe and Asia.

AT&T Infuse 4G

AT&T’s Infuse 4G looks similar to the body style and button layout as the iPhone 4.

The iPad

The iPad was first released in March 2010 and managed to reboot the entire tablet PC market.

The design, which many criticized as simply being an oversized iPod touch, was unlike any other tablet computer on the market.

Galaxy Tab 4G

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab 4G was originally released in a 7″ form factor.

Slower than expected sales convinced Samsung to reconsider its size strategy.

iPad 2

The iPad 2 was released in March 2011 and has managed to sell out in every market.

Thinner than its predecessor, while still retaining the same beautiful screen, the devices is dominating the tablet market.

Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung went back to the drawing board and re-designed the Galaxy Tab 10.1 after showing it off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2011.

The final version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thin — Samsung claims it’s thinner than the iPad 2.

More About: apple, Galaxy Tab 10.1, ipad, microsoft, samsung, tablet pcs, Windows

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