Microsoft seems so tablet-obsessed with Windows 8 and think they are missing the big picture... Microsoft is so focused on the tablet story that it makes me a little concerned about how Microsoft will make the PC as big as possible." Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at IDC, noted that Microsoft has been selling software used in tablets and slates for 10 years with limited success. IDC said only about 1.4 million Windows-based tablets, slates and convertible laptops were sold in 2010. By comparison, IDC recently revised its forecast for 2011 to say that there will be 63 million media tablets sold in 2011, with nearly 70% of them iPads.
O'Donnell said he recognizes that tablets are in fashion, but that Microsoft's long-term future is going to be more dependent upon laptops and desktops. "At the end of the day, the question remains what device are you going to use to get your
work done, and the answer is almost always the PC desktop or laptop," O'Donnell said. "If Microsoft wants the biggest audience, it will be with devices that have keyboards and mice, with touch second."
O'Donnell predicted that in 2015, Microsoft will still be a small player with tablets, behind Android and iOS. He said it is somewhat ironic that the Samsung Series 7 Slate that was given to
5,000 developers at Microsoft's Build conference this week is almost always depicted with an attachable keyboard in Samsung photographs. - PC Advisor