According to analysis company Canalys 2014 will see shipments of tablets outstrip all other forms of PC. With 2017 expected to see shipment figures for Apple and Samsung in excess of 395 million 2014 seems to be destined to be a massive step in that direction.
PC desktop shipment figures have been declining quarter after quarter whilst tablets have seen a continuous rise. With Microsoft seeming to have badly misplayed the tablet market to date they will have to take a long hard look at their intentions if they want to make a big splash in this growing marketplace. With Microsoft rumored to be on the verge of culling its Windows RT system following poor sales and market and partner reaction the industry giant will have to seriously step up its game to grab a slice of this rapidly growing market.
Windows RT proved to be a major misstep for the company with tablet buyers seemingly rejecting the operating system due to lack of support for legacy applications. The PC manufactures themselves were swift to abandon the platform as the market demand continued to swiftly decline and even Microsoft themselves admitted defeat by writing of $900 million in unsold Surface RT units.
The Nokia acquisition should stand Microsoft in good stead as it should bring them a step closer to their goal of becoming a fully-fledged smart phone vendor however their plans for the tablet marketplace seem to remain murky at best. However the introduction of yet another operating system in to the Microsoft environment could cause a few issues at the beginning as the companies tries to plan its future technology releases.
The Tablet has continued its commercial dominance due to the practicality, simplicity and mobility and the PC desktop and to a lesser extend laptop sector have been unable to answer the challenge. It is not to difficult to imagine a situation in the not too distant future when the desktop PC has vanished from all but the most diehard owners home – with gamers the most likely to cling to their machines – and the tablet and other more mobile devices dominating the business world.
