Microsoft has five cards to play here:
- REAL Windows (TM) and Massive Microsoft Developer Mindshare - Ports, ports, ports! - REAL Microsoft Office (TM) INCLUDED FREE on the low-end model - PEN AND KEYBOARD! - Billions of dollars in cash to burn making this happen
And they have three huge challenges in front of them:
- Windows 8 critical reception - Their ability to execute - They will be shipping these, at best, about two months before iPad 4 ships
Execution is going to be everything. Make this a work-friendly wonderbox that effortlessly supports Exchange, remote management, SharePoint, SkyDrive, SMB, OneNote, and Communicator/Lync? The iPad will blow off conference tables like crepe paper.
Make a fussy little piece of shit that takes the same amount of work to set up as a laptop or otherwise scares off IT? Doom.