“Microsoft’s push into the tablet industry will see only limited success, with the U.S. software maker remaining a distant No. 3 behind Apple and Google, research firm Gartner said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports.
“Gartner said it saw Microsoft winning 4 percent of the market in 2012, with its upcoming Windows 8 platform, while market leader Apple would control 61 percent of the market and Google’s Android platform 32 percent,” Reuters reports. “The research firm said it expected Microsoft’s market share to rise gradually, helped by enterprise purchases, but to reach just 11.8 percent in 2016 as it lacks consumer appeal.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dominick P.” for the heads up.]
Related article:
Gartner: Tablet sales to hit 119 million units in 2012; Apple iPad to lead through at least 2016 – April 10, 2012
Microsoft used to be a giant just like Apple. It is funny to see what happens as technology advances. Apple seems to have a great image and their products are very user friendly.
“And how are monopolies lost? Think about it. Some very good product people invent some very good products, and the company achieves a monopoly.
But after that, the product people aren’t the ones that drive the company forward anymore. It’s the marketing guys or the ones who expand the business into Latin America or whatever.
Because, what’s the point of focusing on making the product even better when the only company you can take business from is yourself?
So a different group of people start to move up. And who usually ends up running the show? The sales guy. John Akers at IBM is the consummate example.
Then one day, the monopoly expires for whatever reason. But by then the best product people have left, or they’re no longer listened to.
And so the company goes through this tumultuous time, and it either survives or it doesn’t. Look at Microsoft — who’s running Microsoft? (interviewer: Steve Ballmer.) Right, the sales guy. Case closed.
And that’s what happened at Apple, as well.”
— Steve Jobs.
Source: BusinessWeek, Oct. 12, 2004
I knew this in 1985 when I quit my job at the Byte Shop Northwest. When my associates asked me why, my response was “The suits are taking over”. The company was being purchased by Pacific Telesis, one of the RBOCs.
One of the most successful computer retailers was taken over by them. In three years they managed to run the company into the ground. They lost 111 million dollars in 3 years and were out of business soon after that.
Excuse me but RBOCs?
Regional Bell Operating Companies
Regional Bell Operating Companies. AT&T was broken up remember. They called the companies RBOCs.
“as it lacks consumer appeal.”
One word too many.
“as it lacks appeal.” 😀
It will appeal to some IT dweebs, and many others will suffer for that.
“as it lacks consumer appeal.”
Don’t underestimate Microsoft’s fanboys. If Microsoft’s sell shit for a hundred dollars, it will sell, just see the new “Lumnia” phone (Nokia, but with Microsoft OS).
Microsoft fan’s love their Desktops and Xboxes.
Tablet computing never was appealing dating back to the Palm days which also lacked games.
I haven’t seen anything to indicate that Gartner has any forecasting skills worth squat in such a dynamic environment, but at least I trust this prediction more than Zabitsky’s latest fantasies.
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/04/10/analyst-the-entire-cellphone-and-computing-ecosystem-will-be-shaken-to-the-ground/
Good grief, that is the funniest thing I have read since Donald E. Westlake died! Thanks for the hilarious link!
I’m calling it right now that Windows 8 is going to fail. Windows 8 on tablets (and PC’s) is a horrible user experience, judging by the betas and Microsoft’s history of not making any serious changes this late in the OS development process. It’s bad in its own right, and will be crushed in direct comparisons to the iPad. MS at best might be successful with Windows 9 if they learn something from this experience.
Did they learn from W2000? Nope, we still got Vista. But then they got it, right? Well… for a while, but now W8 is coming. MS will eventually bleed to death from all these self-inflicted wounds.
But if history is any indicator, W9 *will* be better. I just hope W8 will be the nail in their coffin so it won’t matter by then.
I find it fascinating how many longtime MS supporters are publicly stating that Windows 8 has driven them completely away from the platform. Sounds like it is going to make Windows ME and Vista look like brilliant successes in comparison to the jumbo jet crash that will be Win8.
I expect Microsoft’s tablet to do as well as the Zune.
I agree, the Windblow snail phones are a real time example of how well the Tublets will snooze.
I expect Microsoft’s tablet to do as well as Microsoft’s Table, the ‘Surface’. Wonder if the eight clients case studied on MS website will re-up with new tables when the time comes?
I’m sorry, but the Windows-loving fanbois believe that consumers will quickly throw away their iPads to purchase Windows 8 tablets just so they can get some actual “work” done. I mean, consumers and businesses can’t actually do anything with a “toy” (the iPad’s pet name). Everyone needs a full Windows desktop to get through the everyday rigors of life. Windows needs to be on every device because everyone in the world will be able to do so much more. Behind every Metro tile will be the power of that traditional Windows desktop that consumers have come to depend upon.
Once Dell, H-P and the rest of those Microsoft partners unleash a flood of Windows 8 tablets costing $100 less than the cheapest iPad, what consumer will be able to resist? Consumers have been waiting for the perfect Windows tablet for nearly ten years and this seems to be the year their wait is over. So long, Apple. Hello, Microsoft.
/s
Nah – fans of Microsoft don’t do data crunching for work.
They crunch monsters and army men and require physical controllers. So the lesson here is – they also will avoid Windows 8 on the Tablets just like the rest of the planet – allowing iPad will continue to rule.
Win 8 will be the ‘Zune’ of the tablet world; a disjointed, third-rate mess. Hopefully, it won’t ‘squirt’ anything.
I like Balmer’s strategy. I like it a lot.
For as long as it takes, baby…
There is no evidence whatsoever that Microsoft’s share will “rise gradually, helped by enterprise purchases”. There’s hardly a Fortune 500 company that isn’t already fielding iPads. Apple will be *the* tablet standard in enterprise soon enough.
Yeah. When Apple licenses connection to Exchange Server and implements it better than MS; when Apple has built-in, system-level support for open technologies like PDF and Bonjour; when Apple makes user-friendly and inexpensive software for presentations, documents and spreadsheets that are consistent and a joy to use; when Apple makes devices that readily connect to networks at different locations and remember them, so that your mail is downloaded before you get out of your car; when Apple makes devices that you can actually connect to a projector without a load of fuss and restarting every ten minutes…
…you wonder why MS even bothers.
Massive overestimation of Android tablets. They are probably counting such mutant offshoots as the Nook and the Kindle Fire.