Some suggest that the event would be focused on entertainment

Jun 15, 2012 12:42 GMT  ·  By

Redmond-based software giant Microsoft announced a major “Media Event” for June 18th at 3:30 p.m. in Los Angeles.

The company wouldn’t unveil any specific details on what will be announced on that day, and no other leaks on it have emerged either.

A recent post on Mashable notes that all that the invitation says is that there will be a major Microsoft announcement, and that the invitation is not transferable:

This is a non-transferrable invitation, however, if you would like to send your local colleague in your place, please submit that name and it will be reviewed. If you would like to bring a photographer please register that person as your additional guest. Please note – still photography and video will be limited.

The news site also suggests that the event could be entertainment related, since it will take place in Los Angeles, and that new hardware could be involved.

The event is said to be consumer-oriented, which means that it could bring to the spotlight either a Microsoft TV, an Xbox 360 update, or a new Kinect sensors.

According to other rumors, Microsoft would be en-route to announce the availability of a new tablet PC running under Windows, one that would sport the company's own brand.

The release of such a device would put Microsoft in direct competition with Apple, Amazon and even Google, which is rumored to plan the release of a Google Android tablet before the end of this month.

If such a tablet PC would be in the works and Microsoft decided to launch it this month, then there is a great possibility that it won’t be running under the Windows 8 platform (or Windows RT, for that matter), which becomes commercially available only in fall.

Instead, we might see the long-rumored Nokia Windows Phone tablet PC brought to the stage, most probably aimed at the lower end of the market, especially since Google’s said Nexus tablet is expected to debut at Google I/O.

On the other hand, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley suggests that the event could have something to do with Microsoft’s recently announced partnership with Barnes & Noble, which would involve the launch of a “Microsoft reader,” most probably aimed at competing with Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

Speculation could go further but, for the time being, nothing is actually known on what Microsoft’s plans for Monday are, so stay tuned for more.