Windows 8 presents tablet opportunity for Microsoft

Microsoft's decades-long lead in the PC market has made it one of the largest and most recognizable companies in the world. So far, however, Microsoft® has struggled to gain a foothold in the ever-expanding tablet computer market. That may soon change with the upcoming release of Windows® 8, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Slated for an October release, the latest version of the world's top operating system will be optimized for a touchscreen interface, which is the hallmark of the tablet experience. Still, analyst Michael Cherry of Directions on Microsoft says the company will have to figure out how to dethrone tablet mainstays Apple® and Google with its Android™ operating system.

"The marketplace is moving with such a rate of change, unexpected things can happen. ... Microsoft is hoping that the [first-place] runner does stumble," Cherry tells the Times in a recent interview.

Microsoft released a consumer preview of Windows 8 in early March 2012. Shortly following that release, rumors began to spread that the company plans to complete the OS this summer with the full-scale launch slated for the fall.