Dell targets ipad with Windows tablet

Dell Inc. Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell said there’s growing demand for a tablet computer that runs the next version of Windows, which may help his company siphon away corporate customers from Apple’s ipad.

Dell is developing a business-friendly tablet that works with Windows 8, and the company will start selling computers running the new Microsoft Corp. software “on the exact day” it becomes available, the CEO said. Windows 8 is due later this year, though a release date hasn’t been set.

The goal is to entice business customers by running Microsoft’s Office applications — something Apple Inc.’s tablet isn’t designed to do — and letting the device connect securely to corporate networks. Dell is seeking an edge over the latest ipad, unveiled last week).

“Having a secure Windows tablet that works with all the Windows applications — we’re hearing a lot of demand for that and we think that will be quite attractive,” Michael Dell said.

Still, the ipad is making its own inroads in the corporate world. Apple is on pace to sell $10 billion worth of ipads to businesses this year, according to Forrester Research Inc., succeeding in a market that has traditionally been Microsoft’s strength.

Tablet makers will sell 103.5 million devices this year, with Apple accounting for two-thirds, Gartner Inc. predicts. The figure will rise to 326.3 million in 2015.