>Microsoft are so well placed to create and distribute what is bound to become a popular from factor.

There already is a popular form factor that companies issue, and folks in developing countries purchase (in addition to us on HN): the smartphone.

If you're not intensely inputting typed data, there's no need for a keyboard. And if you are, then likely your company issues/reimburses-for a device with a keyboard.

But otherwise, this is why smartphones are ubiquitous. Many more people are content consumers than content creators.