Windows 8 is the operating system

By Don Reisinger  |  Posted 2013-04-01

Windows 8 is the operating system that will come to define Microsoft. The operating system will either be a new beginning for a company desperately seeking some innovation credibility or the misstep that will put the brakes on profits and future business growth. Weak Windows 8 adoption will likely further erode Microsoft's dominance of an increasingly mobile PC market. The fact that Windows 8's reception so far has been so tepid and that Microsoft has hardly made its presence felt in the rapidly growing tablet market speaks volumes about the company's current position in the IT industry. Microsoft needs Windows 8 to succeed. If the operating system can't match its promise and the vendors providing the platform can't generate a strong return on their investment, Windows 8 will fail. The tablet market has come to define success or failure in today's marketplace. This eWEEK slide show examines Windows 8 tablets and determines what those devices will need to have in order to succeed. It won't be easy, of course, but with the right strategy, Windows 8 tablets might just have a shot at coming close to matching the iPad and the more popular products from Amazon and Google.