If 2012 is the year of the iPad what then Microsoft?

Darrell Etherington examines Level 3's purchase of 1,300 iPads. These are pre-loaded and handed out to each of Level 3's sales team:

2012 will be a breakout year in terms of actual iPad deployments, just as 2011 saw a huge uptick in pilot programs. If that indeed comes to pass, we should see Apple easily beat the 40.7 million iPads it sold in 2011.

The stories we read about the (eventual) rise of the Android tablet may not be terribly relevant, even if they finalliy come to pass. Rather, it's the shockingliy rapid growth of the iPad -- first in cosumer markets and now, perhaps, in the enterprise.

Apple sold 40 million iPads in 2011. Say they sell 60 million in 2012.  That's 100 million iPad 2 or iPad 3 in two years. In those numbers the humble iPad "toy" will be a force that legitimately challenges the 25 year hegemony of the Windows PC.

This year Steve Ballmer will let it be known that 2013 is his final year. 

And despite all he's done, he may not even get to be the one that chooses his (early) retirement date.