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Five Reasons Microsoft Can Still Win the Tablet War

29.05.2011
Microsoft has let it be known that the next version of , and it has demonstrated early builds of Windows 8--or whatever Microsoft ultimately calls the next OS--on a tablet at both CES 2011, and MIX '11. While Microsoft did a quick 180 on comments from Steve Ballmer confirming a 2012 launch of Windows 8, we know it's coming sometime, and when it does it quickly dominate the tablet market.

Why? Well, here are five reasons that MIcrosoft could come from behind and .

1. Uniform Experience. Microsoft Windows enjoys a dominant market share of . While the tablet is a different environment than the desktop, users will appreciate having a tablet that has a look and feel consistent with what they're already familiar with.

2. Software Library. Intel informed investors that the ARM version(s) or Windows will , so that could significantly reduce the available software for a Windows tablet. But, Microsoft declared that Intel was out of line in speculating, and it has already demonstrated both Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 10 on ARM-based tablets.

Even if Intel is correct--and it seems quite possible it could be--Microsoft could still provide developers with the tools necessary to make porting from x86 to ARM as simple as possible. The more users can use the exact same software they are already comfortable with from their desktop, the more successful the tablet will be.

3. Diverse Hardware. Apple dominates the tablet market right now, but with Apple you just have the iPad 2. Granted, it has a variety of models, but overall an iPad 2 is an iPad 2. A Microsoft Windows tablet will most likely follow in the footsteps of the current array of Android tablets with a variety of shapes and sizes to choose from. That diversity gives users more options to choose the tablet form factor and hardware specs that work best for them rather than using the one-size-fits-all approach.