Microsoft’s TechEd Keynote has concluded and so has Apple’s WWDC conference. Both these events have put forward their own take on the cloud concept which in Gartner’s opinion will start as soon 2014. The cloud is expected to replace the PC as a hub for storing digital data. Even though the concept of cloud storage was at the forefront in both these events, Apple will now be looking to promote the iOS 6 in order to woo in as many developers as they can. Microsoft on the other hand is looking to expand its enterprise offerings with the development of Microsoft Office, Windows 8 and Server. Both these giants will meet in the tablet area, an area where Android hasn’t been left with any room.
Things could have been much different for Google’s Android. If only the tech giant had stepped in to make the right decisions at the right time, and some of their tablets wouldn’t have been the eventual market failures they were. Google failed to replicate their smartphone success through the Nexus handsets as they failed to bring in a similar line in the tablet market. Although the announcement of a Nexus-branded tablet was made by Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google) last month, it is too little too late according to some.
By now Microsoft has become aware of the shift in demand to ‘smart’ gadgets and thus set its priorities straight. Microsoft spent last week showcasing Windows RT tablets at Computex. Although Microsoft and Google share common OEMs, Google will have to come up with a lot of leverage if it intends in moving buyers from Windows 8 to Android in the coming quarters. The recently announced Asus Windows 8 RT tablet could easily outsell its Android counterpart if it is priced under $500. Another reason why Android tablets failed was their inability to gain market share quickly. Windows 8 can easily exploit the installed user base of Windows to gain rapid strides in the tablet market.
If Android were to lose these tablet wars, then it could well end up losing its share in the smartphone market as well. In a country like the US, every third smartphone owner owns a tablet as well. If Microsoft can exploit this weakness of Android to capitalize on its success in the smartphone industry, it could even lure developers en masse into developing applications for its own platform. Android must be wary of Microsoft’s advancements below them rather than look to take down Apple at the summit.
June 13, 2012 at 11:41 pm
With the Nexus tablet reported to be shown & ,&,hopefully, released at the end of JUNE Google should be off to a flying start in the 7″ wars. The Nexus smart phone with the Nexus tablet should be the portable office & info storage combo deal of the century. I can hardly wait to get mine to see the proverbial proof in the pudding [Hmmm! what a pudding]