The idea of creating a Windows operating system that is compatible with ARM processors is a good one, as ARM mobile processors are the fastest growing CPU processors in history. The problem for Microsoft was in the way that they implemented this strategy.
Not to mention how much of an underwhelming piece of garbage Tegra 3 is. If Nvidia thinks they're going to win the ARM war with unmodified ARM cores, they're out of their mind. Thankfully this isn't the case, and we'll see more competitive products from them in the future.
Right now, I feel that the market is simply saturated with hacked solutions to consumer demands. Windows 8's tablet interface, while a step in the right direction, lacks polish. Intel's Ivy Bridge certainly isn't an ideal tablet solution. Ultrabooks are great in concept, but lacking in execution. Tegra so far has been a rather unremarkable series of products. AMD is the epitome of providing consumers with lackluster products. 5 year old Atom is laughable.
There are few exceptions: Apple, some of Samsung's products, and Qualcomm. Coincidentally, these three are also the ones capitalizing most on the current market.
Beginning this year, this will change. Haswell will likely make ultrabooks a far more enticing product, while simultaneously providing a more worthwhile power-tablet solution. I still don't see it as being ideal for tablets, but it should be a significant improvement. Silvermont will likely bring caesura to Atom being the butt of everyone's jokes. AMD's Temash and Kabini look promising. Tegra 4 appears to be still lacking, but we will see once it arrives shortly. We still have Project Denver to look forward to.
Apple, Samsung and Qualcomm are still on the pedestal. I see so much potential in Samsung in particular, but they just aren't leveraging their advantage of being a chip designer, manufacturer, and OEM. Hopefully they can resolve their internal conflicts and become a better version of Apple.
Apple made the interesting move of being a full-blown custom ARM designer, and they already had the advantage of being an OEM with their own OS. As much as dislike their litigation, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with.
Qualcomm makes great chips, but like AMD, they're a one-trick pony. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the coming years. The route they are currently taking leads them to a dead end.
Google, I suppose, is another company to look out for. I personally see Microsoft as being too much of a dinosaur to be able to turn around and become supreme overlord of the mobile world.
The future looks interesting. The present sure isn't.
WHAT?
wow....M$ is really in trouble
Switching to a more frequent release cadence puts them in trouble? I do hope that you're on drugs.
Windows development has always been so slow and predictable... becoming more nimble is exactly what they need.