Windows 8 Devices Could Miss Back-To-School, Analyst Says

While Microsoft has issued a free consumer preview version of Windows 8, the company has yet to provide and official launch date for the new version of the software. The general expectation has been that Win 8-based hardware will start appearing on the market sometime in the second half, but exactly when is anyone's guess.

Abhey Lamba, an analyst with Mizuho Securities, asserts in a research note this morning that  his checks find that the first Windows 8 based hardware might not arrive on the scene until the end of the September - too late for the back-to-school selling season.

"The additional time will allow Apple to further consolidate its position in the tablet market," he asserts.

In the end, every story is about Apple.