So, Windows 8 drops (as the kids say) on October 26, and with it will come a slew of new Windows 8 tablets and hybrids. Also launching with Windows 8 will be IE10 and
XBox Music.
Included amongst the tablets will be Microsoft's own Surface - the RT versions immediately and x86 versions in a few months. The fact that the
Surface tablets are currently back ordered probably indicates genuine excitement, though you don't know how many units were manufactured initially, nor whether initial excitement will translate into long term staying power.
Below are a couple of videos that tout themselves as comparing x86 Windows 8 tablets vs the iPad 2 and 3, respectively, but really just serve as nice walkthroughs of Windows 8 on tablets:
Windows 8 definitely looks to be a much richer experience on tablets that iPads running iOS, even if you set aside the x86 versions extended features (a tablet running Starcraft 2!). True multi-tasking, true productivity apps like Office 2013 (even for RT versions), by most accounts a much better browser. However iPads will definitely have a huge advantage in app availability.
Personally, I don't own a tablet, but had the benefit of being loaned an original iPad for a couple of weeks when they first came out. As I don't consume media on the go, I found no desire to purchase a tweener device that felt much more limited that my home pc and office pc that I shuttled back and forth between. I have no plans to get an RT tablet, nor upgrading my pc to Windows 8, but the x86 tablets have me really excited. If the hardware is good enough to give me a great tablet browsing experience, true productivity, and, e.g. the ability to run true Photoshop (I' still on CS3) with one of those Wacom pens, I'd be a happy camper.