Creating another tablet operating system with Windows 8 is not going to change the world. We have two of those already and they are advancing in capability and installed base at a torrid pace. Nintendo has already come to this realization, and is about to create a powerful paradigm that cannot be ignored.
Windows 8 running on a tablet... but is that the best way to get complete Windows experience?
While users will rejoice in running PC applications newly skinned for Metro or find ways to get them to work on their tablet anyway, the broad application set of Windows is matched by the amazingly broad application stores for Android and iOS with applications already custom fit for mobile and touch computing.
We will see touch becoming a standard interface for computers, and we will see all sorts of interesting and breakable contraptions for connecting keyboards to screens, but the touch enabled laptops that Windows 8 brings will not change the world.
Nintendo: Changing the World Again
What will change the world is the Nintendo Wii U. No one has said it, so let me say it now. The thin-client tablet controller for the Wii U will be the fastest, highest performance tablet in the world. This is possible because it is driven by a fixed console base connected to wall power.
The processor and GPU in the Wii U base will be gargantuan and mighty compared to the tiny low power silicon that meets the heat and power requirements of a stand-alone tablet. The wireless technology necessary to drive qHD and HD resolutions with low latency is clearly on the horizon, though its development has been no picnic - we have yet to see an untethered Wii U tablet in the wild. Look at the Wii U's specifications online and know that without API overhead the console GPU has a significant advantage - the Wii U tablet will be more powerful than most desktop gaming PC's today.
Microsoft's Unique Opportunity
But wait, this was supposed to be a story on how Microsoft could change the world! Microsoft's opportunity is to bring the concept of the "thin-client tablet" to the PC, and to do it sooner rather than later. There are two major use cases "to enable"; one is the use of Metro at the same time as the client desktop. The second is to enable the second screen to serve simply as a second monitor with simple ways to set up full screen application controls such as custom control interfaces, for gaming, painting, design, media control, you name it.
I have suggested in the past that multi-screen computing was the only path forward for the PC. The ability to share the full performance of the PC around the home on new and more relevant screens was, and remains, the only way to keep the PC relevant. The TV was a tough case, and Microsoft had already chosen instead to monetize the TV experience with Xbox and gaming. But the Tablet is a different story - integration with my home PC experience could yield amazing synergies for the tablet, PC and a set of use cases that we've only seen in futuristic concept videos.
Imagine Wii U-like tablet with dual cameras running all the activities you want in your hand, harnessing the full power of the PC powering most devices in your home
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