Windows: A Fledgling in iOS-Dominated Tablet Market

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) may not be worried about Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) trumping it in the desktop and laptop market any time soon, but it is certainly facing an uphill battle against the iPad in the tablet market. Over the holiday weekend, Apple captured 88 percent of tablet sales, crushing the competition from Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android-powered tablets like Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle Fire lineup.

So, how will Microsoft fare in the face of steep competition? It seems the answer is: not so well. Microsoft has its Windows RT Surface tablet out, and seemed in luck when pre-orders for the device sold out. But, recently Microsoft cut its production orders in half, by nearly 2 million, for the rest of 2012. Meanwhile the iPad sold over 4 million units per month last quarter.

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While the situation may look dire for Microsoft’s bid into the tablet market, there is still hope that the Surface Pro Windows 8 tablets will fare better than Windows RT predecessor. Gartner predicts Windows-based tablet devices will improve their market footing by 2016 as tablet popularity continues to rise, but it doesn’t seem Windows will overtake Google’s Android OS, and Apple’s iOS should maintain its comfortable lead over all tablet competitors.

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