Microsoft Tablet Talk: Is There Room for a Windows Tablet?
The first time rumors swirled about Apple’s iPad tablet, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer scoffed at the idea, saying that consumers would be better served by a netbook. Fast forward to today and Gartner Inc. projects that worldwide tablet sales this year will jump 98 percent to nearly 119 million units — much of it at the expense of Windows-powered netbooks. The growth is even more notable given that PC sales are projected to reach 368 million units during the same period thanks to weak consumer demand for such devices this year.
Making matters worse for Microsoft is that a large chunk of the market’s tablet sales — 61.4 percent — are going to its bitter rival Apple.
Given the stakes and potential money involved, it’s no surprise that Microsoft is making a strong play on the tablet sector, starting with a total revamp of its Windows operating system to emulate a more tablet-like user interface. Now the buzz is that Microsoft is going to take its plans one step further by making a Microsoft-branded tablet of its own. Such talk especially grew stronger after the company suddenly sent invitations to the press for a special June 18 event. A Microsoft-branded tablet would be a huge development given the company’s traditional stance of usually just focusing on software. The approach makes sense because Microsoft does not want to compete with the same companies that use its operating systems for their hardware. It appears, however, that the iPad’s runaway success has forced Microsoft to reconsider.
The good news is that the company has had success in making hardware.
After an initial uphill battle that included issues with overheating consoles, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 finally experienced success against Sony’s previously dominant PlayStation brand. At the same time, Microsoft has also experienced its share of disappointment. Despite being a solid device, its Zune media player failed to make a dent on the Apple iPod’s stranglehold on the music/media player market. Meanwhile, its late refresh of the Windows Phone OS for smartphones allowed Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android to build a huge lead by the time Microsoft’s new Metro-style UI for phones came out.
Ballmer made light of the iPhone when it was first introduced as well, pointing out Apple’s unproven OS as well as the high price for the phone. If talk about a Microsoft-branded tablet holds true to form, however, it appears that Microsoft is done scoffing at Apple. But just like the situation with touch-based UI smartphones, Microsoft is entering the market behind Apple and Google. While the smartphone market has shown that it can support two competing operating systems, getting a third OS in the mix is proving to be easier said than done — something Microsoft knows more than anyone else. However, Amazon has also proven that name recognition makes a big difference. Amazon’s Kindle Fire allowed Google’s Android OS to grab a significant chunk of the tablet market after other manufacturers failed to see significant progress with their own Android offerings, some of which were more powerful than the Fire.
The question now is, will Microsoft be able to leverage its name recognition and duplicate its success with the Xbox or will a Microsoft-branded tablet go the way of the ill-fated Zune? As with most things, only time will tell. One thing is for certain, however. The journey should prove to be a most interesting one to watch.
For more articles about the iPad and Android tablets, make sure to check out our Tablet Hub.
Making matters worse for Microsoft is that a large chunk of the market’s tablet sales — 61.4 percent — are going to its bitter rival Apple.
Given the stakes and potential money involved, it’s no surprise that Microsoft is making a strong play on the tablet sector, starting with a total revamp of its Windows operating system to emulate a more tablet-like user interface. Now the buzz is that Microsoft is going to take its plans one step further by making a Microsoft-branded tablet of its own. Such talk especially grew stronger after the company suddenly sent invitations to the press for a special June 18 event. A Microsoft-branded tablet would be a huge development given the company’s traditional stance of usually just focusing on software. The approach makes sense because Microsoft does not want to compete with the same companies that use its operating systems for their hardware. It appears, however, that the iPad’s runaway success has forced Microsoft to reconsider.
The good news is that the company has had success in making hardware.
After an initial uphill battle that included issues with overheating consoles, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 finally experienced success against Sony’s previously dominant PlayStation brand. At the same time, Microsoft has also experienced its share of disappointment. Despite being a solid device, its Zune media player failed to make a dent on the Apple iPod’s stranglehold on the music/media player market. Meanwhile, its late refresh of the Windows Phone OS for smartphones allowed Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android to build a huge lead by the time Microsoft’s new Metro-style UI for phones came out.
Ballmer made light of the iPhone when it was first introduced as well, pointing out Apple’s unproven OS as well as the high price for the phone. If talk about a Microsoft-branded tablet holds true to form, however, it appears that Microsoft is done scoffing at Apple. But just like the situation with touch-based UI smartphones, Microsoft is entering the market behind Apple and Google. While the smartphone market has shown that it can support two competing operating systems, getting a third OS in the mix is proving to be easier said than done — something Microsoft knows more than anyone else. However, Amazon has also proven that name recognition makes a big difference. Amazon’s Kindle Fire allowed Google’s Android OS to grab a significant chunk of the tablet market after other manufacturers failed to see significant progress with their own Android offerings, some of which were more powerful than the Fire.
The question now is, will Microsoft be able to leverage its name recognition and duplicate its success with the Xbox or will a Microsoft-branded tablet go the way of the ill-fated Zune? As with most things, only time will tell. One thing is for certain, however. The journey should prove to be a most interesting one to watch.
For more articles about the iPad and Android tablets, make sure to check out our Tablet Hub.
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