4. Price? You might notice the question mark. On the one hand, different vendors creating rival tablets will drive some price competition--both in the tablet industry overall, and among other Windows tablets. The freedom to use different hardware specs will also enable some cost cutting. But, as it stands now, Apple seems to have cornered the market on many of the key components of tablets, making it difficult for other vendors to purchase the hardware necessary to make tablets in sufficient volume to bring the price down. So, price is a gray area that may be hard to deliver.

5. No Rush. Yes, I understand that Microsoft is not new to tablets. Microsoft has been pushing slate or tablet style PCs for a decade with little success. But, as far as the 'iPad generation' of tablets goes, Microsoft is sitting on the sidelines so far. Microsoft strategy seems to be focused on getting it right, rather than racing to market.

If you look at current iPad rivals, it seems that rushing incomplete, or unfinished tablets to market can have dubious results. The Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook were both hailed as potential competitors for the iPad, but both hit the street missing key elements, and leaving users wanting more--resulting in disappointing sales and a first impression for users that may haunt future tablet efforts.

If Microsoft can get it right, and deliver a familiar Windows experience--but in a way that is uniquely suited for a mobile tablet, and deliver it at a price that can compete head to head with the iPad, it could still come out of nowhere and eventually dominate tablets as it dominates desktops.

Of course, I still think that a tablet is not a PC, and that it is a mistake to try and put the Windows desktop in a mobile tablet. In my opinion, Microsoft should be developing a platform because Windows Phone 7 has been designed from the ground up to be a mobile OS.