The Impact of Windows 8 on Media Tablets

Research Analysis

Mobile computing - wedged between portable (laptop) PCs and smartphones - is a newer device segment that commenced commercial shipments in 2009. The segment is led by media tablets, such as Apple’s iPad. Starting in 2010, the tablet operating system (OS) market became a two-horse race between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Apple holds the bulk of tablet shipments and thus has a similar OS share. Android OS has grown from obscurity to nearly 30% share of tablet shipments. Neither of the leading OS platforms has squarely addressed the needs of IT organizations and business users. Not to be left out of the mobile computing space, Microsoft has further invested in its Windows OS platform to create two tablet implementations: Windows 8 and Windows RT. This ABI Research analysis focuses on the impact that Windows 8 development will have on the media tablet market - the importance of multiple Windows OS platforms for mobile computing, the effect Windows 8 will have on incumbent tablet OS trajectories, and how organizations are likely to approach the tablet device segment with Microsoft as an OS and device vendor.