Windows 8 Tablet PCs: More Than 30 Due by 2013

According to a new report, by the end of this year consumers should be able to choose from more than thirty different tablet computers running Windows 8, with a wide variety of form factors and capabilities, and prices ranging from $300 to $1,000.

Taiwanese technology blog 'Digitimes' reports that tablet makers Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Asus, and Toshiba should be offering some thirty-two different Windows 8 tablets by the 2012 holiday shopping season. (Source: informationweek.com)

ARM-Based Tablets to Wait Until 2013

Digitimes doesn't name its sources, but claims that every one of these devices will be built around either Intel or AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) chips, with additional devices built around ARM processors coming in 2013.

As for the kinds of Windows 8-based tablets consumers can expect to see, a wide range of devices have already been announced by the major technology companies.

For example, Dell has said it is working on a specialized device for business users, and many industry insiders eagerly await what they say may be a very surprising offering from Finnish firm Nokia.

No doubt Microsoft and hardware makers like Dell and Toshiba hope that offering such a variety of tablet computers will attract consumers away from Apple and its iPad, which currently commands a 62 per cent share of the tablet market.

Analysts Keep Faith in Apple

A recent study by analyst firm iSuppli, which predicts a 61 per cent market share for Apple at the end of 2012, is smack in the middle of the range of estimates. Most other experts agree.

For example, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore thinks both Microsoft and Google face a difficult struggle trying to develop and market devices capable of competing with the highly popular iPad:

"We believe competitors (Android and Windows) will have trouble matching the price-performance specs of the current iPad product lineup and [Apple] should continue to dominate the category," Whitmore said last month. "Windows 8 is receiving mixed reviews and Android (is) in disarray." (Source: cnet.com)

For its part, Microsoft has not yet confirmed any of the Digitimes report.

However, Digitimes' prediction that ARM-based tablets running Windows 8 won't be released until next year fits nicely with a recently leaked report showing that Office 15 -- due to be preinstalled on Windows 8 ARM tablets -- will begin shipping in 2013.