Microsoft’s Lag Time to iPad Leaves HP, Dell Looking Elsewhe
-
Microsoft’s Lag Time to iPad Leaves HP, Dell Looking Elsewhere
Microsoft Corp’s failure to deliver a tablet-friendly version of Windows is forcing big computer makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc to rely on rival software to help them keep up with Apple Inc’s iPad.
Windows 7, the most recent version of Microsoft’s operating system, is too unwieldy for an iPad-like device, said David Daoud, an analyst at IDC. A lighter edition would 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,” Daoud added. “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 3 release, Apple sold 2 million iPads ‒ more than IDC expected for the entire tablet industry in 2010. To catch up, Dell and Hewlett-Packard are turning to Google Inc’s Android operating system. Taiwanese manufacturers that build most of the world’s PCs said they were dissatisfied with Microsoft’s current lineup.
“We don’t have any choice for now,” said Joseph Hsu, chairman and president of Taipei-based manufacturer, Micro-Star International Co, a maker of laptops and computer parts. Windows 7 is too powerful and consumes too much energy from batteries, he said.
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 Ltd.
“Fair” Feedback
John Kalkman, a vice president in the Microsoft division that works with computer makers, said the feedback from PC manufacturers is “fair.” Later this year, Microsoft will release Windows Embedded Compact 7, which will require less processing power and reduces the drain on batteries.
Demand 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, the researcher had been forecasting that sales of tablets would decline to less than 1 per cent of the overall PC market in the US.
Intel Corp, 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 would not until early next year.
Source: Bloomberg