Experts Give Thumbs up to Windows 8; iPad's Fate in Doubt?

Microsoft released an early version of its upcoming operating system, Windows 8, on a prototype Samsung tablet last week and experts believe the hybrid software could win the ground Microsoft lost to Apple.

Analysts say Windows 8 could boost Microsoft's market share in the smartphone and tablet businesses.

Microsoft is taking a lead position in business, tying its desktop offering to its mobile offering via Windows 8. That could be attractive to a lot of businesses a year from now when they're updating not only their PCs, but their phones as well. Boston Herald quoted Cem Ozkaynak, an analyst at the securities research firm Trefishe, as saying.

Apple's iPad has been the dominant force in the PC gobbling tablet market for a long time with rivals entering and quitting the market without affecting its growth.

Since Windows has the reputation of being the dominant computer operating system in the world, this must be the right time for Microsoft to hit the tablet market.

James Daniel, a senior software developer at Brookline's Razilabs, has said that Windows 8 gives an opportunity to the independent developer community with its inclusion of an application market place like Apple and Android's app collection. Microsoft doesn't need to cut off sales like Apple and Google.

Windows 8 may attract a lot of people because the company enjoys a market share of 90 percent for desktop operating system. When Windows 8 will work with tablets, people will want a device running on a Windows operating system.

The prototype Samsung tablet features an 11.6-inch screen, front and rear cameras, 1.6GHz processor, and HDMI port, USB port, microSD slot and a SIM-card slot. It also has HDMI and Ethernet Ports, charging dock with USB, a stylus pen and a Bluetooth keyboard.

Windows 8 will support the traditional PCs and laptops along with slate-type tablets that run on ARM processors.

The test tablet has two touch keyboard and a thumb keyboard that split the onscreen keyboard into two.

Microsoft Windows tablet can be available in diverse hardware like the Android tablets. Though iPads have a variety of models, yet an iPad is an iPad and the users are not left with a variety of shapes and sizes to choose.

When these tablets are in stores next to iPads, I think they'll have a huge design advantage. They're much more beautiful. said Paul Thurrott, a technology analyst for Penton Media.

Many vendors are showing interest to support the Windows 8 tablet, with Samsung and Dell bringing it to the market.

With the availability of access of the operating system across tablet, PC and laptops, settings and preferences can be synced across systems, as with Windows 8's cloud services. And the interoperability with the vast universe of apps, Windows 8 tablet will have an edge over the other devices.

Microsoft has also said that Windows 8 will support NFC (Near Field Communication) and has explained the technology in the Build conference.