Forget the iPad, What People Really Want is a Windows Tablet
Forget the iPad, What People Really Want is a Windows Tablet
Posted 10/07/2011 at 7:51am
| by Paul Lilly
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Take a look around and it's easy to come to the conclusion that Apple's iPad is what the masses want. After all, nobody's standing in line overnight to purchase a PlayBook. Next on the list is Android, though only if the price is right (and Amazon's Kindle Fire is priced right). Where does Windows fit in with all this? Maybe much higher than you think.
AllThingsD dug up some interesting stats and surveys that paint a picture of Windows lust on the tablet form factor. Boston Consulting Group (BCG), for example, recently conducted a survey and found that 42 percent of Americans want a Windows tablet, compared to 27 percent for iOS, 20 percent for Android, 9 percent for BlackBerry, and 3 percent for webOS.
"The interest rises to 53 percent of the market when non-users of tablets are factored into the equation," BCG said.
BCG isn't the only one reporting a preference for Windows. Forrester Research conducted a survey earlier in the year and found that 46 percent want Windows on their tablet, compared to 16 percent who want iOS and 9 percent pining away for Android.
If these numbers are accurate, it means there's a huge opportunity for Microsoft to swoop in and dominate a landscape that currently belongs to Apple.
What's your OS of choice on the tablet form factor?
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aso chudi
January 17, 2012 at 2:40am
Thanks for the comments here very informative and useful keep posting comments here everyday guys thanks again.
aso chudi
January 14, 2012 at 4:38am
Generally I do not learn from posts on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to check out and I did so! Your writing style has amazed me. Thank you, quite nice article.
neal123
January 06, 2012 at 5:40pm
Sometimes I sound like I’m arguing, when I’m actually not. I just have a way of putting my posts stronger than intended.It’s easier to keep out of the conversation and not take the chance of being misunderstood.
bolod
December 26, 2011 at 3:26am
Thanks for posting this informative article. I haven’t any word to appreciate this post…..Really i am impressed from this post….the person who create this post it was a great human..thanks for shared this with us.
bolod
December 25, 2011 at 9:54pm
It took me several days to read it because I’d read it in snippets, leave to do something else, and then come back to it.
Silencer
October 10, 2011 at 12:02pm
..."Where does Windows fit in with all this? Maybe much higher than you think."...
My old MaximumPC iPad Article Comments. Please particularly note #1 par. 5, #4, and #6.
=-=-=-= #1 - iPads Off to a Stellar Start, Over 2 Million Sold in Less Than 2 Months
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/ipads_stellar_start_over_2_million_sold_less_2_months
Silencer
June 01, 2010 at 8:07am
Concerning the iPad 'replacing' Desktops...
As a person who builds and repairs PCs, I've given a lot of thought to the future of computing. I'd suppose we're all heading toward having the Dick Tracy wrist-watches. However, here's the thing: First the technology comes in Desktop form, and then it's miniaturized for Notebooks and Netbooks. So, the Desktop will always be ahead of the curve when it comes to power. (Video games drive computer technology, btw. I don't need my Radeon to use Excel.)
When video card and other technologies get SO powerful, that the latest-greatest is initially produced in miniature, that's when Desktops will start dying, (when there's no reason to have one.) We have to create ray-tracing video technology, and then after, probably holographic video technology, and then perfect it too, before we get there. Absolute minimum probably 20 years.
I imagine the Netbooks will mostly affect the Notebook market, as they're the same, really. And the split for PC vs. Mac Netbooks, the same as PC vs. Mac Notebooks, (except Mac may gain a few %, as it's more their niche.)
What will definitely happen soon, is the early-adopters will see that their friends with Asus Netbooks can do PC stuff, that they can't. (I also believe the general public wants Windows 7 on their Netbooks too. Wouldn't you?) Blocking Flash will produce short-term gain, and long-term pain for Apple. Serves 'em right. And of course the specs... iPads will be dirt-cheap fast. Apple's prices will drop with competition. You'll be able to buy a used one for $50 in 6 months.
While iPads may get a lot of hype now, unless they get a lot more powerful and PC-friendly, they'll quickly bomb, (as being 'second-rate toys'.)
The security excuse IS a bunch of crap. And if that's what they're putting out there, (and they are,) I'd expect crap from their product too. And I can already see the 'crap' of their product, it's over-priced, under-powered and not PC-friendly. = Crap. And did someone above say 64 GB for $700... L O L !
I'm glad to see people intelligently questioning the media's reports. Nice. (Now if we could get all Americans doing that.)
Just my 2 cents. There's always *some* migration toward smaller form-factors, but Desktops aren't going away for AT LEAST 20 years. (Unless gaming is outlawed.) And blocking Flash, um..., doesn't everything on the internet use Flash?
Apple makes great mp3 players, and cool phones, but mediocre computers.
Unless gaming is outlawed, Desktops aren't going away for AT LEAST 20 years. Now, back to my game... :O) (DDO!)
=-=-=-= #2 - Apology Doesn't Cut It, Hackers Claim iPad Still Vulnerable
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/apology_doesnt_cut_it_hackers_claim_ipad_still_vulnerable
Silencer
June 17, 2010 at 3:27am
So Apple blocks Flash, due to 'security concerns', and Safari is a security joke. LOL.
=-=-=-= #3 - iSuppli: All Hail the iPad, Supreme Tablet Leader Through 2012
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/isuppli_all_hail_ipad_supreme_tablet_leader_through_2012
{aviaggio
August 27, 2010 at 10:22am
Yeah, I don't see this happening, sorry iSuppli. Go drink some more Apple Kool-Aid. Once there is actual competition in the market the iPad is going to be quickly overshadowed and forgotten.
reply}
Silencer
August 27, 2010 at 10:53pm
They're wrong. We're not 'all' stupid. But they are.
=-=-=-= #4 - Report: Apple on Pace to Sell 28 Million iPads in 2011
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/report_apple_pace_sell_28_million_ipads_2011
Silencer
September 11, 2010 at 1:22am
This is what I'd buy instead of an iPad...
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/asus_eee_1215n_review
Eee 1215N: iPad:
CPU: 2 x 1.8 GHz vs 1 GHz (about 4:1)
RAM: 2048 MB vs 256 MB (8:1)
HDD: 250 GB vs 16, 32 or 64 GB (about 16:1, 8:1 or 4:1)
VID: 1080p vs 720p (about 2:1)
OS: Win 7 H.P.64 vs iOS(Both $500.)
=-=-=-= #5 - Best Buy: iPad Cuts into Laptop Sales by 50 Percent
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/best_buy_ipad_cuts_laptop_sales_50_percent
{thesmilies
September 17, 2010 at 11:28am
If you're dumb enough to go get a computer from Best Buy you probably only need the computing power equal to an iPad anyway.
reply}
Silencer
September 18, 2010 at 4:48am
Kinda what I'm thinking. Smart PC shoppers usually buy elsewhere.
=-=-=-= #6 - Analyst: iPad 2 Cutting into PC Sales
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/analyst_ipad_2_cutting_pc_sales
Silencer
April 06, 2011 at 12:16pm
Sorry, just read the headline on this one.
I'm sure the iPad isn't running PC apps yet.
So it's not really cutting into PC sales
=-=-=-= #7 - Leaked Build Shows Further iPad-ification Of Windows 8
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/leaked_build_shows_further_ipad-ification_windows_8
Silencer
June 20, 2011 at 8:52pm
Windows_8_build_7989_x64 I won't be downloading it. (I recommend PeerBlock.) I may get more serious with Linux, (Ubuntu,) maybe in October. Check out: PlayOnLinux
=-=-=-= :O)
TechLarry
October 10, 2011 at 11:05am
iOS.
Why settle for second-best. Or third best.
I have both, and frankly Android doesn't really impress me.
mesiah
October 09, 2011 at 8:26pm
I will say right now, even with windows 7's shortomings in the touch interface department, my asus slate is the best pc purchase I have ever made. I can't wait for Windows 8. There is one thing a windows tablet absolutely has to have though, and that is an active digitizer. Without a digitizer I would lost most of the functionality of my slate.
One thing people need to remember when comparing a windows tablet with an ipad is productivity software. A lot of windows tablet sales are going to be for business and students who want portability with a touch interface. I started with an asus transformer android tablet, and although it was nice for what it was, have having office software and note taking ability killed it.
I am sure a lot of people baulk at the thought of a tablet for business or school use, but with an an active digitizer and a bluetooth keyboard it is a fantastic tool. I don't know what I would do without it.
war59312
October 08, 2011 at 9:32am
100% Windows 8 for sure.
Will buy at least 10 when they come out. :)
MattyMattMatt
October 08, 2011 at 1:17am
I can tell you why s well. Apps re great, but they are not your windows software suite. There are too many windows specific apps tht people want, just on the go, more flexible.
maxeeemum
October 07, 2011 at 6:48pm
You can make stats say what you want.
By the time a Win8 tablet goes to market Apple will be at or close to iPad4. So expect market share to be similar to the iPod vs. the Zune.
Holly Golightly
October 07, 2011 at 7:10pm
Remember... There is a big difference here. There are more people in the world using Windows than iOS. So to compare Windows 8 as a Zune equivilant is irrelevant. More programs run on windows and it is the more universally accepted Operating System in comparison to Apple's mobile system. Windows serves a much larger user base. Think: corporate. What the iPad has is a mobile OS that is popular for mainstream users. This in no way benefits power users, which is what Windows will serve.
maxeeemum
October 08, 2011 at 3:01am
But .......... most iPod mp3 player owners (60% plus market share) also run a windows desktop PC.
As far as Tablets I have no plans of buying one anytime soon. I don't see Win8 tablets surpassing the iPad for those who chose to buy a tablet. Also considering the late date they will be entering the tablet market.
I'm running the W8 Developers Preview on a desktop PC and believe me as a desktop PC OS it sucks and will be a hugh failure unless there are major changes. Power users will not use Win8. And "Think corporate." LOL! Most are still using XP.
Holly Golightly
October 08, 2011 at 12:36pm
Granted, most corporate firms today still use Windows XP, but that support is going to end in 2013, and if they do not at least get Windows 7 or 8 by that year, they fall in great danger of the hackers. I do not know what the corporate future will be like.
The difference between a Windows 8 tablet and an iPad, is that you can pretty much run any computer program onto it. Adobe Photoshop? No problem. Old PC games? Sure, why not. Security programs like AntiVirus, and Anti-Malware? You betcha! Rosetta Stone? Hell yeah!!! With enough power, and being able to run all my old programs, this can bring tablets up to an even playing field with computers. Imagine, "laptop replacements" where, all you need is a tablet to do everything. Sure, the iPad is great, but it can not compete evenly against a real computer operating system.
The Windows 8 developer preview you are running is great, but what I am excited for in the completed version is the Xbox Live feature onto the new OS. Oh man, I hope I could be able to play Xbox Games on my computer. There is a lot to look forward to. By far the quickest start up time. We are talking less than 8 seconds here. Overall, I am thrilled by the new operating system running on my desktop. I want Blackberry Playbook hardware though. It has to be small enough to fit in my purse, yet powerful enough to replace my laptop.
maxeeemum
October 08, 2011 at 2:34pm
??? ........
XP will be supported till 2014 as of this date.
Thank God!
Holly Golightly
October 08, 2011 at 8:16pm
2013, 2014... I think it is fair to say Microsoft will not always support this OS forever into the future. At some point corporations have to upgrade. Then what? Stick with a dead OS or go with a revolutionary OS that will take the world by storm like Windows 95 just did. Windows 8 is much bigger than you think... Just check out the other comments.
Carbon
October 07, 2011 at 4:25pm
Everyone will have UltraBooks with Removable screens with Win8 is the future.
No one will buy just a tablet running a crappy phone OS in 2 years.
This is is a fad right now and soon replaced when Win8 comes out.
Baer
October 07, 2011 at 4:15pm
I am not looking forward to the Windows 8 interface for my high end P C's but on a tablet? Yes I would get some of them. Right now we have no need for tablets but a WIndows one would be something we would try on day one.
Holly Golightly
October 07, 2011 at 3:36pm
The OS choice in tablet form factor for me is the Blackberry Playbook. I mean, I love the Windows tablet UI, but I like to run Windows 8 onto my destop. I feel windows is the future for home entertainment no doubt. Thing I do not like about windows is that they require that annoying sticker to be on all devices. Plus, I do not know about the Windows 8 hardware, so I prefer the Playbook which is something I already know.
ScytheNoire
October 07, 2011 at 2:13pm
Out of all the OS options, Windows is the one I am looking forward to the most for a tablet. Google's Android tablets have been lacking, and I'd never go Apple.
Corfy
October 07, 2011 at 11:21am
I'll admit up front that I don't have a whole lot of interest in getting a tablet, but of the choices, I'd prefer an Android tablet over the others listed.
One I'm kinda keeping my eye on, though, is MeeGo (soon to be Tizen). I'm not going to go as far as saying that I want a MeeGo/Tizen tablet, but if it became available, that would attract my attention. Although MeeGo's predecessor, Maemo, never really took off, it did allow the running of desktop-type applications on a smartphone (I didn't own it, but someone I knew had a Maemo-powered Nokia N900 running OpenOffice.org, GIMP and other similar-level applciations). As a Linux user, that would entice me more than Windows, Blackberry or even Android.
wannabemedontu
October 07, 2011 at 10:30am
I would love a great dual Pad with Windows 8 and Android. Something like the Viewsonic Viewpad 10 but 10 times better.
kris79
October 07, 2011 at 9:54am
Wow! Thought I was the only one standing at the tablet edge waiting for one that I can run my favorite programs on. Don't wanna use an i'something. When a win8 tablet comes out - I'm there...
sojrner
October 07, 2011 at 9:26am
Let me install what I want, run what I want, create what I want and print it when and how I want to... so far no tablet does all that. The old windows tablets back in the day at least covered all of it. IMO current tablets have a slick UI but have largely taken most of that functionality I just listed away... of course the price does not reflect that, which just adds insult to injury.
If windows 8 can pull off all that functionality with a finger UI without breaking the bank then I agree that m$ can overtake the market. (again)
If not, then I still won't be buying a tablet any time soon. My older desktop and newer laptop do everything above minus interface and form-factor... and I'm ok with that.
Kamicrit
October 07, 2011 at 9:20am
If Microsoft wanted to really sell some tables. They could start selling tables with win8 a month or 2 before the PC release.
People to come in and pickup a tablet WITH windows 8! With the info gained from the tablet release they can use that to update the PC version. Also all the tablet people will be proficient at using win8 so they could go around basically advertising for Microsoft via word of mouth. The tablet people will have a MOBILE version of win8 to show off to the world.
Would be one of the coolest beta's ever!
kixofmyg0t
October 07, 2011 at 9:11am
Im perfectly happy with my Android powered tablet. Android was built from the ground up for touch screen interaction. With that said Im excited to see Windows 8 based Tablets.
damicatz
October 07, 2011 at 8:17am
I wonder if anyone bothered to mention to those surveyed that most Windows 8 tablets will be ARM and, therefore, will not run any of your existing Windows applications. See, the wonderful thing about statistics is you can make them say anything you want.
j_j_montez
October 07, 2011 at 10:49am
95% of people know that! @big_montana: Where did you hear that? I want to check that feature out. So you're saying that you can run a heavier program on your tablet, and your other computer (laptop or desktop) will take the brunt of the processing power? I just want to make sure I read your comment right.
big_montana
October 07, 2011 at 9:12am
But what you fail to mention, or just overlook, is that how Windows 8 is designed, you olny need to ahve one copy of any app installed and can share it across all your devices, so it does not matter if the tablet has an ARM proc or not. Need to run Office, CAD, or Photoshop? Install it on your desktop only and still be able to run it from your table, one copy one license, and can run it form your Windows smartphone as well. So, what is the issue again, or do you just not like Windows?
Adrianj
October 07, 2011 at 8:01am
I'll love to have a Windows Tablet. Not only will it be a refreshing change but I see the possibility of actually doing real work on a Tablet.
dramsey
October 07, 2011 at 9:53am
Windows tablets have been available for at least 5 years, possibly longer. Doesn't anyone remember the glut of "convertible" laptops folks like HP and Dell came out with, not to mention actual dedicated tablet computers?
They all flopped horribly, because even with Microsoft Touch Pack, Windws 7 is a crappy OS for tablets.
Windows 8, now, that may be different. We'll see when it arrives. But the fact that Microsoft's trying to hammer the same OS into radically different systems doesn't make me optimisitc.
Zoandar
October 07, 2011 at 8:08am
Well put! But with a 'real' Windows environment like Windows 7. None of this apple-wanna-be Windows 8 crap.
B-LOVE
October 07, 2011 at 8:32am
Apple-wanna-be? How is Windows 8 trying to copy Apple? The Metro interface looks nothing like anything Apple has ever come out with. Also your comment about "Real Windows environment like Win7" you have obviously never used a Windows XP/Vista/7 based tablet they are awful. The current Windows interface does not work very well at all with touch or stylus input. Another thing to mention is with Windows 8 and the metro interface you will see application built for a touch interface so the people complaining about not being able to use your old x86 applications on your new Arm tablet it’s a good thing because trust me trying to navigate a mouse and keyboard driven application by only touch will only frustrate you and give you a horrible experience. I am personally excited to see Windows 8 tablets and hope to replace my Ipad with one because what I have seen so far is pretty amazing and far beyond what my Ipad can do.
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