Windows 8 Tablet Shipments to Exceed 75M Units by 2015

News
By Zak Islam
published

Microsoft's own Surface tablet looks set to spearhead Windows 8-powered tablets this month.

Windows 8 and Windows RT tablet shipment figures will exceed 75 million units by 2015, according to a research paper published by DigiTimes.

As opposed to a reaction to Android and iOS' growth, Digitimes’ James Wang and Eric Lin suggests the launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8 “marks the opening salvo in the battle for users between PCs and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets”.

They also expect the market share of Windows-based tablets to grow from nothing in 2012 to around eight per cent by 2015 with shipments expected to hit the 75 million mark.

Also suggested by the report is that Microsoft is apparently planning a simplified version of Windows Phone 7 that will be priced at around $100.

Windows 8, which has already had some of its apps updated, will be launching on October 26, while Microsoft-developed tablet Surface is due for a simultaneous launch.

Contact Us for News Tips, Corrections and Feedback

Zak Islam
25 Comments Comment from the forums
  • I wonder how much M$ payed to have that Cr$p put on Digitimes.
    Reply
  • joytech22
    Our company would actually benefit a lot from Windows 8 tablets.
    We run two-monitor setups in our office (Using the tablets would make 3!) and run VM's but sometimes we have to go on-site and take our laptops with us which is inconvenient (Having to try and find a stable platform to put the thing on to type etc..)

    With a tablet you can just cradle it in one arm and type on-screen.
    Reply
  • nokuchikushi
    @jumping: they had to buy the author an iPad.
    Reply
  • mrg2222
    Our company wouldn't, because it's unclear at this point why it will help us do things better or cheaper. Until I can see a clear advantage, I will not recommend rolling it out.
    Reply
  • ipwn3r456
    2015... probably another windows operating system is made by that time...
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    IOW, 2-3 years before Win 9.
    Reply
  • sixdegree
    In other news, Apple's iPad shipment to exceed 75 million units by the end of this month.
    Jokes aside, If MS really wants that figures to be realized, they really have to get aggressive with the pricing. And $499 for the entry model is not what most people called "aggressive pricing".
    Reply
  • implosionone
    jumpingI wonder how much M$ payed to have that Cr$p put on Digitimes.I'm not sure which part is the Cr$p.

    That the sales for Windows 8 is projected to be only 75 Million over a three year period. Consider that Windows 7 sells about 20 Million every month. It's going to take them 3 years to to do what Win 7 does every 3-4 months. Or that they will only have about 8% market share with Win 8.

    Consumer confidence looks to be very low for Windows 8. There's no way Windows 7 is going away any time soon. If it does MS may as well close the doors to the OS market.
    Reply
  • Wow, I actually expect them to have more than 8% in two years. If I had to guess, I'd think it would be closer to 20-30%... I think the first year will be slow, but by the time the Silvermont chips launch next year and the app library is more robust, I feel like Microsoft will have the most compelling tablet.

    Who knows what the competition will do in that time though... I think it will be interesting to see how it plays out though. I do think that both Android and iOS have better app designs so far. But the ability to use a wacom pen and traditional windows software make that pretty easy to overlook for me.
    Reply
  • womble
    Impressive forecast, would mean that every Zune owner will buy one!
    Reply