Why One Analyst Recommends Windows 8 Tablets Not iPads for Large Companies

A great many businesses are considering deploying tablets to their employees. An analyst from Moor Insight & Strategy has weigh in to recommend devices ruing Microsoft Windows 8 to large companies, rather than the Apple iPad.

Patrick Moorhead begins by saying that he understands why some many companies have been considering Apple's tablet(ONDA V972). For the first several years the iPad was on the market, it offered the best combination of design, battery life, simplicity, and price. Tablets ruing Windows, on the other hand, were "expensive, frustrating, and fragile".

But, according to the analyst, that changed with the release of Windows 8 and Intel's "Clover Trail" Atom processor. This combination has enabled companies to create tablets that can compete with Apple's offering. Moorhead says those considering deploying tablets should look first at the HP ElitePad 900, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, and Dell Latitude 10, as these have made the best use of Microsoft's and Intel's new developments.

The displays on these are larger than the iPad's, albeit with a lower resolution and pixel density. The Clover Trail processor allows these devices to compete with the iPad in battery life, while their batteries can be switched out by IT -- something not possible with the iPad.

This analyst is far from the first to point out that, in order to simplify the iPad, Apple did not include support for many peripherals. Tablets ruing Windows 8, on the other hand, generally have USB ports, SD slots, and video-out ports.
Enterprise Management Tools

Dell Latitude 10Moorhead's analysis places the Windows 8-based tablets roughly comparable with the Apple iPad in the features that the users care about. It is in the device management and security features that large companies want where he finds that Microsoft's OS comes out ahead.

Because large companies have been deploying laptops and desktops ruing Windows for many years, they already have the tools in place for securing and managing tablets ruing this same operating system. Adding iOS tablets (Tablet PC Accessories)to this mix will require IT departments to find new tools.

Patrick Moorhead concluded by saying, "End users want style, simplicity and convenience and IT needs security, provisioning, manageability, deployment, support and service that is consistent with their current infrastructure for the lowest lifecycle cost." He he believes that it is tablets ruing Windows that provide the best of both worlds.