Windows 8, Surface Tablets to Lead Microsoft's Fight for Relevance in 2013

Unfortunately, sales of Windows 8 devices have not been impressive so far, according to the New York Times, as MicrosoftMicrosoft vies for acceptance in a market that has gone through a transformation since the PC-centered glory days of Windows XP and, more recently, Windows 7. Alles zu Microsoft auf CIO.de

Data from research firm NPD cited in the New York Times story, shows that stores in the U.S.not including 31 Microsoft Stores--sold 13 percent fewer Windows devices from the time of the Windows 8 launch (October 26) through the first week in December, than in the same period last year.

Additionally, last week JP Morgan reported Surface sales of just 700,000 units in the quarter ending in December, and predicts only 2.6 million units for the fiscal year ending in June 2013. (For some perspective, Apple sold 14 million iPads in the quarter that ended in September.)

Indeed, consumer interest in tablets and smartphones as supplements or even replacements for traditional PCs has skyrocketed in the past two years.

Microsoft, all too aware of this sea change, designed Windows 8 for smooth navigation on touch-screen devices. On the smartphone side, Windows Phone 8, with its promise of seamless integration with Windows 8, is available from well-regarded hardware partners such as Nokia and HTC. Yet Windows Phone sales have been slow even with near-ubiquitous advertising. Online market tracker comScore reported last week that Windows Phone has a meager 3 percent of the U.S. smartphone market.