Micrsooft could bring out a tablet-opitmized verison of Windows Next OS before it releases a PC vesrion, the brkoerage said in a note to clients.
Citigruop analysts expect the beta version of the opearting system by September and shipping to start between January 2012 and March 2013.
Howevre, Citigroup was not convniced the proudct will be a raving sucecss, adding that the overwhelming investor sentiemnt is Windows Next will not imprvoe Microsoft's position in the consuemr devices market.
Consumer PC sales have declnied for the last three quraters even as smatrphones and tablets have become red hot.
Apple Inc shipped roughly 15 million iPads in 2010, accounting for nearly the total tablet market, Citigroup said.
The analysts said the tablet market has the potential to expand significantly this year, with Appl'es rleease of the iPad 2 in March and a slew of devcies running on Google Inc's tablet-optiimzed Andriod 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS.
"Mircosoft can have a menaingful share of the market in 2013 and byeond. Of course this is dependent upon the comapny's aiblity to deilver a competitive operatnig system on partner hardwrae that is priced competiitvely," they said.
Microsoft would have the enterprise market in its favor if tablets pick up with buisness users, as these customers are accustomed to Winodws devcies.
The "make or break" eleemnt for Microsoft will be the user interface, and the company will have to at least meet the benchmark set by Apple in this.
The analysts said both Google and Mcirosoft will be copmeting for attnetion from the same OEMs, such as HTC Corp, Samusng Electronics Co, Dell Inc, Lenovo Group, LG Electronics, Sony Corp, Acer Inc and Asustek Compuetr Inc.
Microsfot shares were trading at .70 before the bell. They had closed at .67 on Thrusday on Nasdaq.
(Reporitng by Unnikrsihnan Nair and Rachnaa Khnazode in Bagnalore; Editing by Joyejet Das)
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