PC World — According to a report from Forrester Research, consumer desire to purchase Windows 8 tablets has suffered a massive decrease, slumping from 46 percent in the first quarter of the year to a mediocre 25 percent six months later. Thats not good news for a product still a close to a year away from seeing an official launch.

Slideshow: Hottest Tablets for Your Holiday Wishlist

Can Microsoft produce a tablet operating system for both consumers and business users to rave about? Yes, especially if the Windows 8 development team takes the time to consider and act on these five points.

1. Ensure Ample App Offerings

Unfortunately, not all Windows 8 tablets will be created equal. Where some will no doubt boast powerful Intel chipsets, loads of RAM, and a luxurious amount of storage space, other more reasonably priced devices will come packing ARM mobile processors and more modest storage and memory sets. These less-powerful devices wont have the horsepower to run the full desktop iterations of Microsoft Office, FileMaker, or other software that many businesses rely on daily to make the wheels go 'round.

In order to make Windows 8 tablets not only a viable but an attractive alternative to consumers, Microsoft must have a substantial launch-day library of useful applications to offer potential customers. It needs key third-party developers on board with ARM-compatible offerings that allow the power of their desktop software to be enjoyed on a low-powered, tablet-based sibling.

2. Work Toward Unification

Since Ive already mentioned that not all Windows 8 hardware will be created equal, the time is right to discusss whether users of the various flavors of Windows 8 will be able to communicate and collaborate easily. SkyDrive will play a significant role in Microsofts Windows 8 strategy. This has document sharing and communications covered. But it leaves open whether users of a Windows 8 desktop or Intel tablet with access to a full version of Microsoft Office would be able to collaborate with users packing ARM-powered tablets and their less-capable iterations of Microsofts productivity tools. If Microsoft can crack this nut, it will be well on their way to capturing the hearts and minds of business users.

3. Do Away with Past Frustrations

While users of Windows 7 tablets can leverage the power of desktop software on the go, doing so has been an exercise in frustration, thanks to the operating systems lackluster touchscreen interface features. Fortunately, it looks like Microsoft is taking steps to address this with Windows 8. The virtual keyboard offered as part of the developers build of the OS offers the best tablet typing experience on the market today, handwriting recognition is respectable, and the Metro UI was made for poking and swiping. When using legacy applications such as Microsoft Word and Tweetdeck, window closure options as well as maximize and minimize buttons are all a touch-friendly size.

Continue Reading