14 DAY TRIAL // Julie Larson-Green, head of the devices unit within Microsoft, has recently revealed that Redmond doesn’t plan to keep all its three Windows versions on the market, suggesting that Windows RT might soon be retired or merged with Windows Phone.
That’s exactly what the company needs to do to become competitive in the tablet market, a research by Canalys revealed, while also adding that in 20014, tablets will account for 50 percent of all PC shipments, which include desktops, notebooks, and tablets.
Microsoft is expected to boost its market share in the tablet market from 2 percent in 2012 to 5 percent next year, but the company still needs to address a number of issues, the research shows.
“To improve its position it must drive app development and better utilize other relevant parts of its business to round out its mobile device ecosystem,” Canalys Research Analyst Pin Chen Tang.
“A critical first step is to address the coexistence of Windows Phone and Windows RT. Having three different operating systems to address the smart device landscape is confusing to both developers and consumers alike.”
Microsoft has recently revamped its tablet lineup with two new models, namely Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, and also plans to bring some new versions to the market in early 2014.
An LTE version of the Surface is expected to hit the market anytime soon, and so is a smaller unit possibly equipped with an 8-inch display and specifically designed to compete with the iPad mini.
At the same time, Redmond is also trying to work together with partners to make the devices available in more countries across the world, as the limited international distribution was one of the main causes of the poor early uptake registered by the first-generation model launched in October 2012.