Tablets to benefit more from Windows 8 than PCs, IDC says

Research firm IDC believes Microsoft's Windows® 8 will have a significant impact on the tablet computer market, but advances for traditional PCs will be lacking by comparison.

According to a report from technology news provider ZDNet, IDC's Worldwide System Infrastructure Software 2012 Top 10 Predictions report notes that tablet users have high expectations for Windows 8, and Microsoft® is likely to put much of its focus in this area, at the expense of traditional devices. As a result, IDC anticipates few PC users to upgrade to the new operating system in 2012.

ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley adds that others -- herself included -- have made similar claims, asserting that Windows 8's so-called Metro style and tiled interface is more optimized for tablet interaction than desktop or laptop PCs.

"[T]he developer preview that Microsoft released in September has led to lots of user uncertainty regarding Microsoft's promise that Metro will be just as navigable with a mouse/keyboard as with fingers/stylus," Foley writes.

Microsoft has a lot riding on the success of Windows 8 in the tablet market, where it has struggled to establish a foothold to this point. If the company does manage to build an audience in both the tablet and PC markets, it could be a huge development in the technology industry.