Back in April of this year, Gartner suggested that Microsoft will only be in control of 4% of the worldwide tablet market by the end of 2012, being placed in 3rd place right behind Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile operating system. Now, new data from Gartner suggests that Microsoft’s Windows 8 will control 39% of the business tablet market by the year 2016, and still be in 3rd place.
“For most businesses, smartphones and tablets will not entirely replace PCs, but the ubiquity of smartphones and the increasing popularity of tablets are changing the way businesses look at their device strategies and the way consumers embrace devices. In 2016, two-thirds of the mobile workforce will own a smartphone, and 40 percent of the workforce will be mobile,” Gartner VP Carolina Milanesi stated. Windows 8 will take 3rd place behind Apple and Android by 2016, according to Gartner. In fact, Windows 8 will gain more interest from businesses rather than consumers, due to the tablet and convertible devices. Gartner also believes that Windows 8 tablets and ultrabooks in businesses will reach 39% by 2016. Gartner even believes that Google’s Android operating system will control 56% of the business market by 2016. Even though we are talking about four years from now and its not like Gartner has a time machine, one can only wonder why Microsoft would remain in 3rd place. We know Microsoft has jumped on-board the mobile/tablet bandwagon a bit late but hopefully Windows 8 gains more traction and dethrones Apple and/or Google.
