Microsoft is the only company that can compete with Apple in the consumer software space. The difference between the iPad and the iPod is that a consumer table

Microsoft is the only company that can compete with Apple in the consumer software space. The difference between the iPad and the iPod is that a consumer tablet platform really plays into Microsoft's strengths as a platform company in a way the iPod and iTunes absolutely did not. The traditional cell phone manufacturers will continue to use Android (or whatever) to sell mountains of cell phones like they have been doing for over a decade, but a tablet is a consumer software platform and after using Windows 8 it's painfully clear that only Microsoft and Apple really understand how to deliver such a platform. It will be a two horse race. The problem for Microsoft is that it will be Windows 8 v2 or v3 before is starts to match iOS feature for feature, and that's at least 2 years away. I may be on my 3rd iPad by then.