There are quite a few companies in the mobile space that have already dipped its toes in the tablet water or will be doing it soon, like Apple, RIM, Motorola, and HP, but there's one big name that's missing from that list: Microsoft. Yes, the folks behind Windows Phone 7 have yet to craft a tablet or a tablet-friendly OS, and if a new rumor is to be believed, it'll be a while before they're ready to enter the fray. According to "people with knowledge of the plans," Microsoft won't be pushing out a tablet OS until fall 2012, just in time for students to head back to school. The sources went on to explain that the Redmond-based company will begin testing the new OS until the end of this year.
If this news is true, I'm not sure how much I like Microsoft's odds of making any dent in the tablet market. As analyst Michael Gartenberg pointed out, by the time fall 2012 rolls around, we'll likely have the third iteration of the iPad as well as second-gen (at least) tablets from HP and RIM, and who knows which dessert Google will be on by then. I'm sure Microsoft has the ability to craft a nice tablet-friendly OS, but by the time fall 2012 rolls around, it might be tough to get people to notice. How do you think Microsoft will fare in the tablet market?