Microsoft to release Windows for tablets in 2012

PanARMENIAN.Net - Microsoft will release a tablet-oriented version of Windows no sooner than 2012, according to Bloomberg.

Microsoft is working to update its Windows 7 operating system with features the touch screens, size and battery life of tablet computers to win a place in the surging market for the devices.

The longer it takes Microsoft to release its operating system, the more time Apple and Google have to strengthen their hold on the market.

“If 2011 is the year of the tablet wars, Microsoft will be awfully late suiting up for that battle,” said Michael Gartenberg, a New Jersey-based analyst for research firm Gartner Inc.

“A 2012 debut for Microsoft would likely put it up against a third-generation iPad from Apple and second and third versions of devices based on Google’s Android system,” Gartenberg said.

Microsoft’s operating systems power more than 90 percent of the world’s PCs. Apple, meanwhile, has more than 90 percent of the tablet market, Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said when he introduced the iPad 2 on March 2.