Say what you will about Microsoft's shot at the tablet market with Windows 8, there's no denying the guts it took. Completely redesigning the biggest OS in history was guaranteed to ruffle a few feathers. Unfortunately, the big roll of the dice the company's taken with Windows 8 is not panning out so far in the tablet space. There's one particular reason why that may be, and there's not much Microsoft can do about it.
The consumer space, which is the giant market that has turned the iPad into such a success, is a different matter. Consumers aren't looking for tablets running Windows. It is in fact the furthest thing from their minds when they shop for tablets.
What they are looking for is an extension of their phone with a screen more comfortable to see. I believe that's a big reason why the iPad was so successful from its first appearance. People saw a way to do what they loved doing on their iPhones on a device that was better to use due to the bigger screen.
Big hurdle facing Windows 8 tablet adoption | ZDNet