Despite its high expectations, only 10 percent of consumers say they would consider buying a Windows tablet, according to a Forrester Research study.

According to the ?Microsoft?s Shrinking Window For Tablets? report from Forrester, Windows has a lot of expectations to live up to in 2012 with its anticipated Windows 8 tablet. The study also looked at how user habits on tablets have changed to more desktop-focused tasks.

?Because Microsoft is late to the tablet market, they face challenges when developing their next tablet product,? said J. P. Gownder, vice president and research director at Forrester, Cambridge, MA.

?The tablet market is changing quickly, and Microsoft has the bar set high to deliver a relevant product,? he said.

Market shake up
The Forrester study found that Windows came in fifth place for a leading tablet.

Apple, Android, RIM and HP all outranked Windows in leading tablet operating systems.

The study asked consumers during the first quarter and third quarter of this year if they would consider buying a Windows tablet.

In the first quarter, 46 percent of tablet shoppers said they would consider Windows, but by the third quarter only 25 percent of consumers said they wanted a Windows product.

However, consumers? appetite for both Apple and Android tablets grew this year.

When asked if they would consider purchasing an Android tablet in the first quarter, 9 percent of consumers said yes. When asked in the third quarter, 18 percent of consumers said they would consider an Android tablet.

Similarly, 16 percent of consumers said they were interested in buying an Apple tablet in the first quarter of the year. In the third quarter, 28 percent of consumers said they would consider buying an Apple product.

Forrester predicts that the tablet market will see more growth in 2012 with the introduction of Amazon?s Kindle Fire tablet and the Barnes and Noble Nook tablet.

Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble?s products have a lower price point than Apple?s iPad and aim to offer similar features, which is expected to gain traction in consumers? need for tablets.

The study says that the decrease in Windows tablets can be attributed to Window?s other mobile initiatives this year, including the Windows 7 phone, which has yet to catch on with consumers.

According to the report, Windows 7 made up 7 percent of the smartphone market in the third quarter this year.

Tablet habit
The study also looked at how consumers are using their tablets more for desktop features instead of smartphone features due to its size and function.

For example, 33 percent of consumers surveyed said they would use their tablets for creating new documents, presentations or spreadsheets. Seven percent of users said they would use smartphones for these services.

Additionally, 60 percent of respondents said they would use a tablet to take notes, and 37 percent of consumers said they would use smartphones to take notes.

The study also outlines four areas that Microsoft must consider in order to reclaim its mobile share ?product, price, promotion and place.

Window?s next tablet foray must be a product that differentiates itself from other tablets with a focus on productivity and gaming, per Mr. Gownder.

Additionally, the price must be lower than Apple?s iPad to make a dent in the market and be sold in Windows stores and well-known retailers.

Windows is also going to have to significantly up its game with its marketing and heavily invest in promotional material for its mobile products.

?Windows has a lot on their to-do list in the coming year,? Mr. Gownder said.

?The future of the tablet market in the next year partly depends on when and how Windows 8 launches and whether it can live up to the things we?ve pinpointed because it is going to be a competitive market in 2012,? he said.

Final Take

Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York