Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Can Still Dominate the Tablet Market

That isn’t to say that Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) is abandoning Windows tablets entirely. The company still offers them. But as Business Insider’s Julie Bort noted, Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ)’s CEO Meg Whitman has been avoiding the very mention of the word “Windows” in recent months.

The problem with Windows RT

The problem with Microsoft’s tablets isn’t one of marketing. Rather, it comes down to the apps. Tablets running Windows RT may have the benefit of Office, but they fall far short in terms of other software.

On Apple’s App store, there are nearly 400,000 available iPad apps. The Windows store has only 60,000.

Granted, many of these apps are superfluous, but there are a number of key apps that Windows RT continues to lack. Such apps include staples like Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) and Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P). Allybank is apparently working on an app for Windows Phone (not Windows RT), but the online financial institution clearly continues to favor iOS and Android when it comes to mobile.

A more aggressive program to get developers coding for Windows RT might help.

Can Microsoft break into the tablet market?

It might be a long shot at this point, but Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) still has a chance at becoming a dominant player in the tablet business. It’s far behind Apple, but with the tablet market less saturated than the phone market, and poised to grow significantly, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s window of opportunity has not closed just yet.

However, it will have to make an attempt to aggressively court developers. Moreover, with partners like HP shifting Android, it might have to take the hardware side of things into its own hands.

The article Microsoft Can Still Dominate the Tablet Market originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Salvatore “Sam” Mattera.

Joe Kurtz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Microsoft. Salvatore “Sam” is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.

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