Steve Ballmer thinks that tablets are tomorrow.
“Tablets are clearly an important piece of the consumer puzzle. You guys have had tablets forever, but one of the things that makes the iPad compelling is its really long battery life and instant-on abilities. Can full-blown Windows slim down fast enough or do you see a need for, say, a grown up Windows Phone device that is bigger?
Ballmer: I think probably the things of tomorrow are best left for tomorrow and the things of today are best discussed today. So today, I will focus on Windows Phone.”
Ironic, given that Microsoft has had a tablet for years now. I’m not a target customer for a tablet – I do fine with a laptop and a B&N Nook for now, but given that iPad sells faster than iPhone in the first year, I’d say tablets are “today”, not “tomorrow”.