Windows 8 success in tablet market not guaranteed, Gartner says

Despite the great deal of noise that Microsoft® has made in the tech industry with the launch of its upcoming Windows® 8, not all are convinced that the operating system has what it takes to save the software giant in the tablet market.

According to research firm Gartner, Microsoft may already be too late to stake its claim in the burgeoning tablet market. In a September 2011 report, Gartner estimates that Microsoft will only account for 10 percent of the tablet market by 2015.

Instead, Apple® and Google will continue to dominate the market. Apple's iPad® is expected to account for 73 percent of the market in 2011, while Android™ devices will represent 17 percent, Gartner says.

However, Google's ascent won't be an easy one either, and manufacturers will need to step up their game if they hope to compete with Apple's iPad, Gartner asserts.

Though the tablet market is still relatively young, it has seen significant growth since April 2010. A September 2011 study from Juniper Research estimates that tablet sales will hit 55 million units in 2011, before climbing to 253 million in 2016.