Love Songs

Not surprising:

http://www.reghardware.com/2011/11/29/forrester_research_finds_consumer_interest_in_windows_8_tablets_slumps/

But frankly, my next tablet will almost certainly run Windows 7. I need some capabilities not present/not convenient in Android/iOS. I need real Dropbox support, a music player which can get it’s tunes from different directories, and also I want VNC support, so I can access it from my other computers.

Niche requirements of course, but requirements which only Windows 7 can really meet on a tablet form factor right now. Maybe a Linux tablet could, but who can be bothered?

However, what I think will happen is that Microsoft will make an ARM-based Windows 8 tablet which can only run Metro apps, and largely behaves like iOS or Android in how limited it is. iOS is limited by design, Android is limited by a simple lack of software, but either way MS will likely copy them.

They’ll come to the market late with no real argument as to why we should buy their products, and then scratch their heads over it.

Right now, Microsoft is of course getting hammered in the tablet market, but they do have a trump card: Windows 7 is far more useful and powerful than iOS or Android. I expect they’ll go to lengths to destroy that trump card when Windows 8 comes along.

Of course, you’ve got to have some niche requirements to prefer Windows on a tablet to an iPad, but right now, that’s where Microsoft can win.