Microsoft and Intel Working Actively to Reduce iPad Market Share
For the past two years, tech companies have been trying to chip away at Apple’s market share of the tablet industry to no avail. With nothing left to lose, Microsoft and Intel are joining forces to try to take the iPad’s popularity down a notch or two.
It’s sort of like the Joker and the Penguin making a pact to destroy Batman. Or, depending on your opinion about Apple, it’s like The Avengers teaming up to take down the Skrulls.
According to DigiTimes, Intel and Microsoft have been working closely with first-tier vendors to develop new Windows 8-based tablets with a specific goal of decreasing the iPad’s global market share from its current 70 percent to below 50 percent. How do they plan on accomplishing this lofty goal? By flooding the market with low-cost tablets.
DigiTimes claims that design manufacturers have said that Microsoft will release Windows 8 for x86 platforms in September and Windows RT, which is an ARM processor-compatible operating system, at a later time.
“Based on current progress of development, there will be 32 Windows 8 tablet PCs launched by Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Asustek Computer and Toshiba by the end of 2012.”
Some companies, like Lenovo and Acer plan to release tablets priced between $300 and 1,000 with additional low-cot models for less than $300. Thus far, tech companies have failed to make much of a dent in the iPad’s market share, but dumping a bunch of low-cost tablets into the mix may see some results. Analysts are predicting that Apple will maintain at least 61 percent of the share for 2012. Will this surge of Windows tablets have an effect on future estimates?
[Via: Apple Insider]
