Microsoft claims nearly 5% of tablet marketshare, Apple and Google still far ahead

It’s hard to ignore the tablet category of computing devices. The iPad made them accessible to the mainstream with a relatively easy and familiar interface combined with sensible form factor. Since the first iPad releasing back in early 2010 we’ve seen the tablet segment explode with many platforms and players all wanting a piece of the pie.

Nearly a year and a half after the iPad launched, on June 1st 2011, we saw the first public preview of Microsoft’s answer to the tablet and the future of computing – Windows 8. So how are tablets running Windows 8 doing compared to Android and iOS? Let’s look.

Windows 8 was designed around the idea that a modern computing interface should look, work, and feel the same no matter what device or screen you’re using. Many weren’t sold on Microsoft’s “tablet OS” on their laptops or desktop machines, how’s it doing with tablets? Here’s the comparison between tablet operating systems by their marketshare for Q2 in 2013.

Android – 67.0%
BlackBerry – 0.2%
iOS – 28.3%
Windows –4.5%
Others – 0.0%

Those marketshare figures go nearly hand-in-hand with number of devices shipped for the same time frame. Apple shipped 14.6 million tablet devices running iOS, tablets running Android shipped 34.6 million units, BlackBerry moved a whopping 0.1 million, and Windows clocked in 2.3 million tablets.

Is it nothing but cloudy days for Microsoft and tablets? No, not really. You need to remember a year ago no consumer could buy a tablet (running Windows 8, a much better tablet OS than Windows 7). Grabbing nearly 5% of the tablet market isn’t too bad when you consider that Windows 8 tablets first went on sale back at the end of October and mini-tablets (those in the 7 to 8-inch range) have barely began showing up in stores.

I tend to think once consumers can get Windows 8 in a mini-tablet form factor we’ll see a large uptick in pure tablets running Windows 8. I know for myself that’s the personal sweet spot of a device that is just a tablet and not hybrid or convertible machine. Then again, Google just released the updated Nexus 7 tablet at a lean $230 with all new specs. The competition is real.

Ed Bott put it best on Twitter when he said an alternate title could have been “Windows tablet share grows 10x in one year”. We agree.

What do you guys think of the numbers?

Source: GeekWire

147 Comments

They should release a device like Google Nexus with Windows 8. 200 euros...
Microsoft are seeming more and more like a dying giant. Perhaps we're witnessing the rapid fall of the biggest company on earth? Even the Roman and British Empires collapsed eventually, following failure to adapt quick enough to the changing modern world.
Hmmm. That's a bit much Matt. Hardly a dying giant. Own 90% of the business and desktop installed base. Makers of the #1 database management system (SQL Server) in terms of installed base. Have a significant presence and revenue stream from backoffice OS and colaboration products (WIndows Server, SharePoint, Exchange, etc. etc.) In less than a year they have grabbed back 5% of the tablet market and at least that much in the handheld market.
Microsoft is not the 1980's AT&T that couldn't compete in a newly competitive market and was eventually sold off for parts to SBC. Microsoft is big for sure, and that makes them less limber and slow to the party. But when they arrive they usually do well.
Their large presence in the desktop and business world, coupled with their enourmouse cash resources, will almost guarantee they will succeed with this, even if they did let the enemy get all the way to the city gates befor reacting
Indeed, Microsoft still reported some mighty fine numbers at the end of their recent fiscal year, they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Hell, even Apple managed to cling on after Microsoft took over in the war for desktop supremecy, ablite, becoming a niche market, but a market nonetheless. Also, Apple dominated last time in the war for OS supremecy, but MS managed to beat 'em out in the end.
Who says it won't go the same way this time 'round?
IMHO, the bigest reason Apple's PC's are selling so well lately is because they offered the option to run Windows on the machines. Without that, your are still left with a crippled OS that is great for home use, but for business use (other than graphic design), is horrible. The OS doesnt allow easy use of multiple displays.......and people complain about a learning curve from Windows 7 to Windows 8.....lol. Try to go from Windows anything to OSX.....Im F'ing clueless, and lost when i try to use my buddies macbook, he thinks its funny because im a power user with Windows, and have done a lot of Android tinkering (which i have begun to tire, and will hopefully soon be getting the 1020 on verizon if/when it comes out)
Mac sales were down 5%. Not sure how Windows tablets are counted since you have lot of form factors (sliders, convertibles, detachables). Were they counted all or only pure detachable tablets?
kind of curious how they define Windows tablet too, it would be funny if it only included RT devices...
Oh yea, and lets not forget they have the #1 gaming platform in the world and they are pulling away and increasing their lead. No, Microsoft is FAR from a dying giant
And the Surface tablets have had limited very limited availability compared to Nexus and iPad. Hopefully, MS will continue to push availability even wider. To me the key will be how these new 7" tablets and the follow on Bay Trail Atom chip based tablets are priced. If MS brings a compelling 7" tablet in with similar specs to the new Nexus 7 at a fairly close price point, this should help out a lot. Moreover, Bay Trail is the real deal in terms of long x86 battery life and the full Windows experience running on a very capable processor with big graphics. But a great 10.6" Bay Trail tablet has to arrive at $499, and someone has to come out with a great looking docking station that let's me use the device as a desktop rather than just as a laptop. I want choice which has always been Windows' selling point.
me too on the dock part, why is Lenovo the only one that looks like they have any idea what they are doing...
Ummmm... have a look at the HP ElitePad 900. But, wait for BayTrail!
gg, i have completely ignored HP for too long i guess lol (they burnt me a few times too many)
Award for silliest post of the day.
Agreed (on making a lean tablet with new specs for $250)
PRICE is main factor. Until we see W8 tablets matching spec AND price to Nexus picture will not change much. MS should drop OS license for limited time (2 years).
You do realize that most android tablets don't match the nexus 7 for the same prize? Take a look at samsungs tablets...
That...we need a 8 inch surface with 250-300 euro, and please not with Tegra 3 this time.
I think bringing a high-quality 8" tablet to the market (i.e. NOT the Iconia W3) would help.
Totally agreed. The W3 is a nice device - if you don't turn it on. The form factor is perfect for me and I'd love a Windows tablet that size and weight. However the specs and hardware of the W3 are quite dull.
What are you calling Windows 8 ? This number is only for WINDOWS RT..You should make more investigation before publishing THIS...4,5 % is WIndows RT ..surface, RT, Asus RT ,DELL RT and lenovo RT...2,3 Million...
Unfortunately, I think they are counting full Windows 8 tablets as well as RT. It should get better with 8.1 and smaller tablets.
I'm not completely sure since that report called out Surface RT specifically. But not 100% clear. Question what is counted as a tablet anyways since there are so many form factors. E.g. slider like Sony Duo or the Lenovo Yoga that folds back or convertibles.
Agreed...$200-$250 for an 8 inch 1080p tablet and I'll gladly hand over my money to Best Buy!
High end tablets don't bring market shares, only blogging headlines.
Lol @ "the competition is real." I just read that in the most gangster voice
Lol, now I did the same....
The best news is that unlike on the phone sector, they were not so late to this.
Actually, they were the first ones there (though, they didn't get the popularity that iPad's got).

Remember this?
remember windows mobile? :) comsumers are just talking rubbish because they dont know the business side of IT
Windows tablets 2.0 better not be anything like the surface rt in terms of performance. Even with 8.1 its a shoddy experience. Just listed it on eBay along with kb for $300 never want to see it again. Ever.
Dont know what Surface you got, but my RT is great in performance, even faster with 8.1
Great in performance? Lol you must be joking.
I have to disagree, my Surface RT with the 8.1 Preview is very fast, faster than any other tablet I've used.
He's probably a troll?
Yes I am a troll. I just love lying about products to satisfy some fetish. *rolls eyes*
Well only trolls can roll eyes so I guess you just confirmed it. :)
Lol have you even used the Surface Pro next to the RT? How could it possibly be the fastest tablet you ever used? (unless you've never touched an iPad 4 either)
Compare an iPad with a MB air, then you can compare an RT with a Pro. But comparing a Pro with an iPad? Comparing different animals ...
The surface pro is a much more powerful tablet than the RT is sure but its still a tablet with the same form factor as the RT. I was simply responding to the 'misguided' poster who said the RT was the fastest tablet he used. (it probably is if he hasn't used other tablets which includes the iPad 4 and yes surface pro)
got it.
Yeah, that's right, I'm misguided because I disagree with you /s
Good point
I've used plenty of tablets in my time and none have been as fast as Surface RT, just because yours must have been defective doesn't mean that everyone has the same issues as you. If I wanted to spend £900 on a gadget it wouldn't be Surface Pro, no matter what the performance is like. 4-5 hours of battery life is ridiculous for a £900 gadget, not only that but for that price I'd expect an ATI or Nvidia GPU not some Intel POS!!!
This is my second surface rt. (and multiple refreshes too) Must have a high rate of defects....
I'm sorry, I didn't realise that YOUR experience with Surface RT equated to EVERYONES experience with it!!!!
Fair enough. I am sorry. I have the single-lone-only- surface RT that just doesn't perform as fast and smooth as everyone else. I will shut up now.
How were you using it? I believe in reviews they show that if you have many programs open in the background, it could create lag. The vast majority of RT apps won't be able to tax the RT. If you open office, have music streaming in the background, and are running other apps, there will be lag.
If final 8.1 Win RT makes it faster - great, but as is Surface RT is just fine. I'm sure most people who bought it and more importantly, decided to keep it knew precisely what it was and what it was not.
My Surface RT is great, fast, and responsive with everything ive thrown at it. 8.1 made it even better, and I couldnt be happier with the device, especially now that new higher quality apps are coming every week. I do find myself questioning my decision to keep it every once in a while (I have legacy application envy), and sometimes wonder if getting an Atom tablet would have been better........especially now that Gmail works so shoddy in the browser. Forget about trying to use hangouts in the ie11 browser, not possible. I want to be done with Google, i really do, but everyone I know uses it, uses the chat, and looks at me with confusion when i tell them we can chat on skype........"video chat?"....."no, just chat, like IM".........."we can just use gchat"........."lets try it with skype"..........."I dont want to video chat"...............Good marketing Microsoft....people dont even know that you can do it...
If Im Balmer, I fire every marketing person in the company, and start fresh. The people behind windows 8 marketing, and application marketing are really doing a shoddy job
To be completely fair, the Nvidia Tegra 3 is really not doing the Surface any favors in terms of performance and most of us may not be able to tell the difference in certain respects but I can vouch for the guy, he knows what he's looking for... =[
My surface is excellent ag what its suppose to do yes it gets sluggish is I have multiple games open but as long as I don't get carried away with opening and not closing apps nothing compares.
They only thing I cared about was it had office. With me being in college having a highly portable device with office is amazing. So yeah, I'd say its excellent too.
If he is a pro-user, he needs a Surface Pro. For everyone else, there is RT.
This is not me requiring pro features. Is speed and lag free software a pro feature? Do you use a windows phone? Its generally has great performance right? Its smooth, very minimal lag and apps resume quickly. Its really a pleasure to use. The Surface RT isn't any of those things.
How? I don't get it when you want a product which is fast as surface pro, great battery life and easy to carry. Surface Pro =x86 you can't compare it with rt. And I have to say surface rt is smooth, very minimal lag and apps resume quickly. Make a video of your lagging Surface Rt and we'll see.
I have just made a video here its a bit long but i was just using the surface as i usually do for general browsing etc. Just tell me this is a good user experience and this is faster than an iPad 4/Nexus 7 and Ill shut up about it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6HdmDUe6gQ&feature=youtu.be
I watched about a minute of your video and didn't have to watch any more. It is clear that either your surface is defective, or you installed windows 8.1 wrong, or it got messed up during install. You also can't tell us that surface sucks when you are running software that is still in preview status. I haven't installed 8.1 and am happy waiting until all the bugs are worked out. That's too bad that yours is that slow but your not proving any point to me or others as ours are working very fast and not having hardly any problems.
I installed 8.1 wrong? Ok... Bear in mind I complaint about performance since launch and this is my second surface but ok. Its just me. I got it.
I have a 64 GB rt as well running 8.1 and it isn't as bogged down as yours in the video. The beginning of the video where you get the charms up never takes that long for me. While I agree that the surface is far from perfect and at times slow to open apps, mine isn't as slow as the one in the video.
wow your really on the defensive hey... if you have been complaining since day one then move on! time to stop posting 18 min long videos about how much you hate the device and just move on. I'm not saying this in a bad way or anything either, if your device isn't doing it for you that sucks and i hope you find one that you are happy with but no point getting hung up on it.
I posted the video after he ASKED. I just wanted to prove im not crazy. Have you read a review of the surface RT? They all say the same thing - the Tegra 3 chip isn't any good. Paul Thurrot even did comparisons with atom tablets and said the same thing. Omg why am I being hated for saying I hope the next Gen of tablets gets improved??? You fan boys are seriously something else.
relax no ones hating anyone! I just don't find tegra 3 bad at all, or the surface speed. maybe that makes me the crazy one. lol...
They're making progress faster then WP is... Let the post PC world come!
Impatiently waiting on a Nokia W8 Tablet.
Same here. At least Nokia will actually sell its products in India unlike MS which has decided that India is not worthy of its products.
That's a bit aggressive. Not many companies sell big ticket items in India because what little money is there is generally not concentrated enough so marketing an expensive product there can be a nightmare. Compounding this is the relatively poor infrastructure in terms if store fronts and supply chains. In a lot of ways India isn't ready for a lot of these products, for several reasons, no one thinks they're unworthy.
BlackBerry makes a tablet, who knew?
100 000 people knows.
,
wasnt that the amount stolen, when the blackberry tablet came out a report hit the net that 2 truckloads were stolen. I bet they opened the truck up and were like "wait...thats not an ipad"
The real question is.... Where will the CrankBerry boss go after BBRY liquidates?
The biggest head scratcher for me is the fact that Surface RT does a substantial more than the iPad, but gets rejected for the few things it doesn't do. Candy Crush trumps real world tasks I guess...
That's because the majority of tablet buyers don't buy tablets for the "substantially more" functionality like SD cards and office but for the stuff they do want to do ie the aforementioned candy crush, which isn't available on Surface RT. Not really a mystery why they aren't selling.
And terrible marketing by Ms. Cool ads are good enough for an established device. Dancing girls for a new product? More head scratching.
It still seems like 95% of peoples purching decision is concerned with what they do with 5% of their time. The Surface RT does real world tasks that the iPad can't do. The iPad does niche tasks that you can only do if you have an iPad.
In a sane world, the RT would have left the iPad in the dust.
A sane world is asking far too much from the people in it I guess.
totally agree there. I see everybody at work with their iPads using all kinds of layers to get their work accomplished, while I simply plug in my hdd to transfer Office docs from PC to RT, or common access card reader to read my gov email etc..
Wow, someone who knows what CAC means, always bugged me when someone says CAC card, when the last C means card... Kinda like ATM machine...
I love when people say ATM machine, it makes me giggle.
hehe, still bugs me..
This is being sold to consumers, not businesses. Consumers don't really productive tasks. They come home, lay on the couch, and veg out reading gossip columns, watching youtube, and playing mind numbingly repetitive games.
2 out of 3 of the things you mentioned are better on a Surface RT...
Yes it is, Candy Crush is a Facebook app, and I could access it just fine when I went to my facebook page for the first time on my brand new Surface RT, in fact I have yet to find a flash game that doesn't work with surface. (mind you I haven't looked that hard so there may be many, but not so far in my experience.) I think it was firefox that was advertising instead of theirs an app for that, there's an internet for that.
...because developers are the ones who own the souls of the public apparently and they clearly aren't swaying the people anywhere else where they'd have to hunt them down to devour them. =/
IT is a shame to publish misinformation in a Windows fans Site like this..A BIG SHAME
Explain
Strategy Analytics: Android Dominates the Tablet Market in 2013 Q2
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global tablet shipments reached 51.7 million units in the first quarter of 2013. Android secured a robust 67 percent global share, while Apple iOS declined further to 28 percent. Windows also fell back but secured a 4.5 percent global share.
Peter King, Director of Tablets at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global Branded Tablet shipments reached 36.2 million units in Q2 2013, up 47 percent from 24.6 million in Q2 2012. The Branded Tablet market had a rest period as very few new products came to market during the quarter. When we add in White-Box Tablets, shipments reached 51.7 million units, up 43 percent from 36.1 million in Q2 2012. Android is now making steady progress due to hardware partners like Samsung, Amazon, Google and White-Box tablets which, despite the fact that branded OEMs are lowering price-points and putting pressure on the White-Box manufacturers, are still performing well." King added, "Apple iOS shipments were 14.6 million iPads in Q2 2013 which declined 14 percent annually. In the same quarter a year ago the first Retina display iPads were launched which could partly explain the decline as there were no new models in this quarter. However, to compensate that, iPad Mini which was not available a year ago, now freely available was expected to take the figure higher than 14.6 million."
Other findings from the research include:
Microsoft captured a niche 4.5 percent global tablet share in Q2 2013. There may be an uptick in Windows RT shipments in Q3 following savage price cuts by all the partners still involved in the RT Market. Microsoft has reduced prices by $150 and other vendors even more; they are still not cheap, but are much more where they should be to compete. The shortage of apps continues to be a problem, with seemingly little incentive for developers to work on the platform.

In short, the number are only fot Windows RT...2,3 MILLIONs
In Q1 2013 , the total Windows t abletts were 7 Millions
If nobody read your article on the site you originally posted, what makes you think they want to read it here? =P
That's more market share than WP has, and it took a quarter of the time to achieve it.. That's a very good sign.. Just today my workmate said he wants a RT tablet..
I'm one of them 5%. . . :)
I completely agree with Ed... Windows grew 10x in one year... and I'll add, "...with an OS that is supposedly reviled." Just wait for 8.1 to hit the masses with enhanced App APIs and better feedback-oriented improvements.

Actually, Paull Thurrott just posted today regarding Windows NT's 20th anniversary:
Ironically, NT’s foes today are the same as in the past: Some variant of UNIX drives both Android and iOS, the two most popular mobile platforms on earth, while Microsoft is pushing forward with the NT-based Windows 8.x and Windows Phone. Now as in the past, few believe that Microsoft can oust the market leaders, or even offer something passingly good. But as it did before in the PC, workstation, workgroup, small server, server, datacenter, cloud computing markets, Microsoft has a secret weapon. It’s called NT. And don’t you forget it.

Yeah, exactly. But it's happened before, and it can happen again. Microsoft may not always get it right the first try, but they learn, they improve, and they conquer. Over and over again.

Bring it on!
Pathetic sales figures when you consider MS was not nearly as late to the tablet market compared to smartphones. Tablets should be a strength for MS right now, but we see the same 4-5% market share. Not good enough.
All Hail the Overlord! @_@
I don't know what you're smoking, but they went from 0.5% to 5% in less than a year for tablets... thus 10x growth. But I get it... math is hard.
I think the Surface RT is a data comsumption device and was priced too high and not designed for "the enterprise", at least not
at first. Because of that, the tablet was priced too high. Had it been priced as many of us believe, it would have much better numbers.
That's the point though, Surface RT was never meant for "the enterprise" that's where Surface Pro comes in!!!
Enterprise are cheapskates. I find the ones who invest in the latest and most unique gear are start-ups and generally smaller companies, whereas the larger ones prefer super long-term solutions once in a while. The Pro wouldn't stand a chance in that environment (exception being executives).

This is what Microsoft should do for the upcoming year:

1. Announce Surface RT ver. 2 with firm release dates and pre-ordering within 2-weeks of announcement.

2. Price 10-inch Surface RT-2 at $329.99 with Touch Cover, and $349.99 with Type Cover.

3. DO NOT bundle in Office RT.

4. Have multi-player ready for Halo: Spartan Assault, and at the same time, prepare a Forza title with optional multi-player. However, keep multi-player limited to Xbox Live Gold subscribers.

5. Make a bigger deal of free ad-based Xbox Music streaming than it actually is...

6. Offer Surface RT-2 buyers a $100 Office 365 + Xbox Live Gold + Xbox Music subscription for 1-year. Heck, throw in free Xbox 360 controllers for students.

The key is to price the hardware low enough to get it into people's hands, but in turn, entice them to sign onto Microsoft services. With that special $100 subscription offer, which I'm sure many will take (esp. students), MS has the potential to grab people (after the 1st-year) at $260/year on services alone. Heck, to those who specifically buy a Surface product, throw in 3 months of free Office + XBL + Music for free.
Bilzkh: You my friend should be working for Microsoft. You have just succinctly outlined a roadmap for getting consumers into the MS ecosystem. Queue applause!
Everything sounds good except your pricing. Go to amazon and look at the 10" devices. Do you see any that are priced at $329 on their own, much less with an keyboard. The cheap android tablets are all 7-8" devices. I'm not sure what the cost of manufacturing the RT is. I will assume your price will be close to breakeven. Microsoft would need to make money elsewhere. Google gets it through advertising. Amazon sells their goods. If people signed up to other Microsoft services it might be worthwhile to sell at cost. However, many people would buy the device and won't get the subscription.
Yes, that's why it's necessary to market these things to the right people, i.e. parents of students. Imagine this, a parent is buying a Surface RT-2 for their kid and a rep tells them, "for another $100 you get 5 copies of Office 2013 and 60 minutes of Skype." You might be able to lock in the parent's credit card then and there. And this is part of the pricing strategy of selling at cost, keep it low enough so that buying a Surface is feasible even if the kid gets a laptop. Price the Surface too high and it becomes a zero-sum scenario.

I think Microsoft can cut corners on the Surface RT, at least if they considered it as a pure entry-level offering for the mass market. For example, do away with the VaporMG casing and use polycarbonate instead, it'll be lighter weight and price-wise. Call it Surface Sky.

Meanwhile, reserve VaporMg models for Intel/x86 based units. Use Haswell-U for Surface Pro and the Haswell-Y for Surface, equip both of them with active digitizers and price them accordingly ($599 and $899). Their x86 and high performance capabilities will justify the higher price points, they're full PCs.

As for 7-8 inch models, go both ways. One ultra high-end model on Haswell with LTE, active digitizer and super high-res screen (throw in Qi too), price it at $499. Alongside it a 7-8 inch version of the cheap Surface RT for $199. I feel at this size these are going to be the two key markets to win over.
You're totally right.
And they really should leave very little time between a full reveal and when people can actually have it in their hands. That I feel was one of the greatest downfalls with the Surface launch. Ideally it should be a surprise, much like what Google did recently with Chromecast..
If they had launched all tablets (Surface RT, Surface Pro, and a Surface Mini) at the same time at a plethora of retailers (instead of their stupid limited distribution plan to only sell it at Microsoft Stores) at a slightly more reasonable price (and with the ads they are running now comparing it to iPad), they would've captured 3 times as much market share. Such a wasted opportunity. Surface RT should've launched at $350 (or $450 with the Touch or Type Cover). A Surface Mini should've launched at $250. It would've sold like hotcakes.
I just want my Haswell powered Surface Pro already...
I played with the Surface RT and Pro the other day at Staples. I can first say they look a lot nicer than most other tablets. However, the Pro is thick and needs a vent for that i5 Processor. The Surface RT was very responsive and I really think it's worth the reduced price. They just need to bundle it with the touch cover for $399 (maybe $419 w/type cover) and I'm sold. I can't see myself buying the Pro. If I want full Windows 8 it seems better to just get a touch screen ultrabook that works better in my lap (i.e. Lenovo Yoga, Dell XPS 11/12)
It comes with office that's $100 in the price..
Surface RT comes with Office 2013 Preview. Surface Pro had no Office software pre-installed. I checked. And, I like a tablet at 10.6 inches, not a computer. My computer needs to be at least 13 inches.
Office 2013 preview? No. It can be updated to final version for free.
For me, I would get the Pro but with a haswell processor. If they would do $800-$900 with the keyboard, it would be a good alternative to a laptop. It would cost less than the other ultrabooks and have basically the same specs. You would get a smaller screen though but the Wacom digitizer counters that a bit. If I needed to use it on my lap, I would use it as a tablet. I don't do much typing on my lap. If I need to type anything major that would require a keyboard, I would find a table somewhere. Obviously, If you do a lot of typing on your lap, this device will not be a good fit. However, I don't believe people do a lot of typing on their laps. THat is why tablets are so popular. The on-screen keyboard does the job for the minor typing most people do on their couch.
I'll take a Lenovo, Asus, or XPS ultrabook with Haswell. I would take a 128 GB Surface Pro w/type cover and Haswell for $899. It's just not worth more than that. As a student I can get the Lenovo Yoga 13 (Ivy Bridge i5) for $810. But Microsoft doesn't want to discount the Surface Pro when there is not enough demand for the device.
I type with my Surface on my lap with kickstand open during my commute. IMO, claims that using a Surface in this manner doesn't work very well don't hold as much water as a sieve.
This here...
Any New tablets from MS better have a "GOOD" camera in it. My Surface RT camera sucks, almost as bad as my old touch pad.
I have a phone for a camera. Try the 1020..
Good point. However, the Surface should have a better front facing camera, for Skype...
Or the 925. I love my 925. (Tear of joy.)
8 inch tablet with price of
All I want is a Surface RT Haswell powered and I'll pull out the cash the 1st week
I would buy a Surface if I could. I like it. Just don't have the cash flow. That being said, im pure windows user. Not a fan of the competition.
I busted into laughter when I read "black moved a Whooping 0.1 million..."
We can argue the pros and cons of Surface RT and the many higher performers out there all day. It's an old and boring argument because in the end the majority of school/work and personal productivity is done via the Microsoft Office Suite. Not saying there aren't some great free versions that do offer a lot of the features Office does. However until Office becomes obsolete (via users not features ) Apple and Android Tablets, no matter their fancy tech specs will ever really be able to compete. Hey not a MSFT Fan Boy at all, just recognizing that Office has been a mainstay in computing for as long as I can remember. Flame this post as you wish, but nothing changes the dominance of Office in daily computer usage. ** Its probably a point that I should have added; Office is still probably still used a majority of the time with a PC. However as Tablets continue to improve and most likely surpass their big brother PC's, the ability to use the familiar Office Suite will undoubtedly play a major plus for Microsoft Surface Devices.
The materials and build cost of the surface RT is around $285 so the appropriate price would have been around $350 from the start from that perspective. But they do incur costs related to R&D so they'd still be selling at a loss even at that price point. But I think losing a little bit of money on pushing the 1st gen surface line would have been acceptable if it provided them traction for future iterations instead of losing a lot more than $900m by pricing it too high. But I guess their hardware partners would have been up in arms if they lowered it to less than $500 at the time of release.
Screw the hardware partners, they were dinging on Windows RT from day one.
+925. For the most part, the hardware partners have been anything but. Microsoft had to drag them kicking and screaming out of their collective complacency. I, for one, hope Microsoft keeps up the pressure.
Exactly. Microsoft should remain the exclusive driver of Windows RT, and when that thing catches on (and it will, provided execution is perfect), then tell the OEMs to F-off when they crawl back begging. But the real challenge is execution, and we know Microsoft is horrible in that respect, if X1 is of any indication.

As I said earlier, do not bundle in Office RT with Surface RT, do away with VaporMG in favour of polycarbonate or simple plastic, etc and aim for high volume sales. A Surface RT with a Touch Cover for $329.99 is an amazing deal, and sweeten it by demonstrating the FREE access one has to Microsoft's services.

Like Xbox Music and its free ad-based music streaming, they can more natively integrate Office Web Apps for offline functionality. The casual user will be fine with what's free and will remain in Microsoft's eco-system, whereas more serious users can and will pay up.
I find it hard to believe that BlackBerry has a 0.02% market share. The playbook should be in the others section which means zero market share.
Once people get past the negative hype plaguing Windows 8 and experience the OS, they'll understand how much sense it makes. I know plenty of friends, family and coworkers and that echoed the medias reviews of Windows 8 but haven't personally seen it much less used it. After they see a Surface things change and the aha! kicks in. 5% isnt great, but its also not bad given the BRAND NEW OS, the confusion of RT/Pro and staggered release dates of both. Of course, I hope the numbers tell a much brighter story a year from now as I am a fan of this new ecosystem.
What tablet is the best? Rt and pro?
Proooo
What I got from the source article was apple are down big time. Android went up as usual. And Windows has made a great start getting 4.5% in it's first year. That great news all round.
"A whopping .1 million"??? Really? I am happy about what looks like success for Windows but "A whopping .1 million" for Blackberry is pretty overly dramatic.
I wonder what percentage webos has and it its more that BB :)
I'd like to see windows devices hit $200. They will absolutely have to compete with the nexus 7 though. I just picked one up and it flies. With trim added, it wont slow down, and the display is best in class. I love my 8X and am a huge windows proponent, but they have a lot of work to do.
Now I am a Surface RT owner, but not about to tell you how fast it is. It isn't by any stretch of the imagination. Wasn't designed to be. This is first gen, and I know I will be ticked when the newer, likely smaller tabs come out in the next wave. But all-in-all, I would stack it against the iPad any day, and certainly against any Android tab.

But neither is it the worthless bobble evryone is trying to tell you it is. I have taken it when I have traveled, used Skype, uploaded and downloaded files from Skydrive, used Office including PowrPoint and Excel. With a wireless mouse and Bluetooth headset, I can listen to tunes and edit Excel using the mouse and keyboard, just like the big boys do.

I have pushed printing to my home network from documents I worked on elsewhere, used SmartGlass and Play To to run media on my Xbox. I have streamed music and video, watched Hulu, and done minor editing on photos.

I am running the 8.1 Preview and have my Desktop and apps synced with my main Laptop and a Win Pro Tablet I mostly let the kids use. I ran a video program for a daycare graduation through a VGA projector for a room of a hundred parents and kids. I have 3 different keyboards including a Japanese keyboard and the tablet finds and selects the proper one for my needs when it is hooked up. I use a wireless router to connect from the train or from my ofice where I have no access to the main Intranet.

Recently downloaded the new Halo game and it appears to run as quickly there as it might be expected to on any other platform. My Xbox music is synced, but sometimes I prefer to run it from the cloud in the browser and download new albums.

My wife won an iPad at a company party. It doesn't have 3G, but even on the wireless at home the best she does generally is use social media and watch YouTue videos. More often, it sits idle while her Windows 7 Laptop does the heavy lifting or she uses her office Lenovo.
Does this 5% include windows 8 devices? How can you tell the difference between a windows 8 tablet and windows 8 desktop when looking at browser share or whatever metric they use. I have a feeling this is only for Windows RT, yet I consider my Surface Pro a Tablet.
I still think tablets are just fads. iFads.
My kids first used a tablet at their Nana's - an Apple ipad. Came back beggin for and ipad - so Dad got them a Surface RT for Christmas, initially not happy campers. Three weeks later we visit Nanny and after a few hours I find them fighting over the Surface RT - both trying to make the other use the crappy ipad - neither wanted to part with the Surface!
Haha, brilliant. Hmmm... good point though. Maybe these things won't be such a fad in the consumer space. Kids DO like them. I'm yet to get one, but I'm sorely tempted by the Surface RT at the current price.
How old are your kids? Mine has 2 years old, and he prefers the iPad because some talking cat games, Disney Pixar games and general apps that I still cannot find in Windows Store.
Not that I want that he takes my Surface all the time, but just wondering if you have had similar issues.
this article is a joke: the author appears to have a problem distinguishing between "sales" and "shipments" figures...
Google has pretty much won the tablet market with the new Nexus range. Microsoft cant compete with that at the moment, not on price, content or the OS.
Actually MS can't compete with the Nexus because its cramming a lot more into its tablets, especailly the Pro. The Nexus is a media device, the Pro is a full-fledged PC. Hard for MS to price it the same when Windows offers so much more in terms of hardware and functionality.
Also I really think the only reason people aren't buying as many Windows tablets is because the buying reasons aren't the same. You want a cheap media tablet you grab a Nexus; the buying impetus is there all the time. We just went on a trip and my daughter ran out and grabbed a Nexus to play with while we traveled.
I don't want a simple media device, I want a Windows Pro convertible that lets me work and that I can use as a media device. A nice one costs over $800 and it's hard to justify when I still have a 3 year old lap top and a desktop PC that work fine. When and if the price does down enough to tempt me I will get one (or if my laptop craps out), but for now it doesn't make sense when my three-year old Window's systems are still performing so well.
I have a feeling a lot of people are in the same boat. Windows tablets may not go through the roof in sales, but I think there will be a slow, steady increase in sales.
That makes no since to compare a mobile tablet (Nexus) and a computer tablet (Windows 8)
They would have had a lot more if they priced the Surface RT right and explain what it was and priced Surface Pro right and explain what it was and probably would have had at least 10 to 15 percent of tablet market share.
Why are people still buying ipads and android tables when ther is full Windows8 computer tablets NOT running a mobile OS
Because Android is a better os for a tablet than W8 currently is. There is also far more content for Ios and Android. The Windows tablets are hard to recommend. The RT is too expensive and with the W8 store being so limited in comparison to those on Android, its daft to pay £100 more for a W8 rt. The Pro tablets are between stools for me. Not good enough as a pc to justify the cost over a £350 laptop and far too expensive as a tablet. Switch your response around, why would anyone buy a W8 tablet when they can get far more for far less on Android?
Halo. Halo is all that matters. But seriously, the messaging needs to answer that question by pushing Windows RT as the productivity-half of a person's needs, with iOS/Android good for fun. It just needs to be cheap enough for people to consider a second tablet for such a very specific function. $329.99 with a Touch Cover would have been smart.
When Microsoft has 5% of the market they are dying, when Apple has 5% of the market they are the up n coming... Double standard?
It would be cool if MS devised a way to run x86 apps on RT (ARM) devices. That would dramatically improve RT's likability. Granted, all x86 apps would need to be recompiled to target the ARM platform but it would be uber-awesome.

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