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Comment by technel | Hacker News Reader

It's pretty clear that the next Microsoft v. Apple war is being waged in the tablet market (the show is over for cellphones -- Apple won). Traditionally Microsoft hasn't done well at competing with Apple on their own turf (mobile, mp3 players, etc), but it'll be interesting to see what the Microsoft Surface means for all of this.

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Apple won big in smartphones, but Android has a bigger marketshare. Competition between all smartphone vendors have made the customer the biggest winner in any case.

If Microsoft's Surface and/or Windows 8 RT take off, then we may see an increase in Windows Phone 8 marketshare. Why? Because of syncing, similar interface, possible app sharing, etc.

I doubt it. The phenomenal popularity of Android smartphones hasn't done anything to sell Android tablets.

maybe. I've currently got an iPad and an Android phone, and i don't have any problems switching between two different mobile OSes. I initially bought an android tablet because i thought that syncing and app sharing consistent interfaces would be a big deal, but i sold it and bought an iPad because it's a better product. Having an iPad hasn't made me want an iPhone.

Is that even relevant when Apple is taking home the biggest slice of the profit pie?

Of course it is relevant. A large Android market share keeps Apple on it's toes and as mrich said, consumers win. It also means that although Apple is winning by profit margins at the moment, they may not be in the future.

This article sums up quite a bit of why that is:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11586384/1/android-users-dont...

Android isn't a household brand. Apple is.

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