THE FAILURE of Microsoft to deliver a tablet-friendly version of Windows is forcing big computer makers like Hewlett-Packard and Dell to rely on rival software to help them keep up with Apple’s iPad.
Windows 7, the most recent version of Microsoft’s operating system, is too unwieldy for an iPad-like device, according to David Daoud, an analyst at IDC. A lighter edition will not be ready until the fourth quarter, giving Apple almost a year’s head start in the burgeoning market for tablets.
“The Windows world needs to respond,” said Mr Daoud. “They will have to play catch-up.”
The iPad’s success caught much of the PC industry by surprise. Within two months of the April release, Apple sold two million iPads – more than IDC expected for the entire tablet industry in 2010. To catch up, Dell and Hewlett-Packard are turning to Google’s Android operating system.
The Taiwanese manufacturers that build most of the world’s PCs said they were dissatisfied with Microsoft’s current line-up.
“We don’t have any choice for now,” said Joseph Hsu, chairman and president of Taipei-based manufacturer Micro-Star International, a maker of laptops and computer parts. Windows 7 was too powerful and consumes too much energy from batteries, he added.
The iPad, which can display books, videos and the internet on a thin touch screen, will reach sales of 5.5 million units this year and jump to 13 million next year, according to Macquarie Group.
John Kalkman, a vice-president in the Microsoft division that works with computer makers, said the feedback from PC manufacturers was “fair”. Later this year, Microsoft will release Windows Embedded Compact 7, which will require less processing power and will reduce the drain on batteries.
Microsoft has tried for more than a decade to build a market for tablet-sized personal computers.
Chairman Bill Gates predicted in November 2001 that the tablet would become the most popular form of PC within five years. Demand however for the Windows tablets currently sold by Hewlett- Packard and Dell has been lacklustre, according to IDC.
Before the iPad made its debut this year, it had been forecasting that sales of tablets would decline to less than 1 per cent of the overall PC market in the US. IDC had predicted total shipments of just 523,000 tablets.
Intel, whose chips run about 80 per cent of the world’s PCs, has not helped Microsoft’s cause. The chipmaker’s most energy-efficient tablet-ready processors do not run Windows 7 – and won’t until early next year. – (Bloomberg)
