Dell has admitted that sales of its tablets running on Windows 8 and Windows RT are in the "hundreds of thousands" - and said sales of tablets running the OS are unlikely to pick up for "some time".
The company's vice-president for PCs, Sam Burd, told The Guardian that takeup of the Windows 8 Latitude 10 and the Windows RT XPS 10 had been slow.
But the firm is hoping for a "ramp" in interest from enterprise customers and might develop wearable gadgets to boost revenue, he said.
"Businesses are slow to adopt a new operating system," he said. "But tablets really need Windows 8 to sell well. Still, it is encouraging to see some businesses deploying Windows 8 and tablets. It's going to take some time, and the jury is still out."
A world of wearable tech
As PC sales continue to slow, Burd said Dell was keeping an eye on smart watches and other wearable gadgets. Microsoft, LG and Apple are thought to be working on smart watches, while Sony and Samsung have confirmed they’re working on similar devices. Google is already flaunting its wearable spectacles, Glass, as a "product that is the future".
Burd told The Guardian Dell is "exploring ideas in that space".
"There are challenges in cost, and how to make it a really good experience," Burd told the Guardian. "But the piece that's interesting is that computers are getting smaller. Having a watch on your wrist – that's pretty interesting, pretty appealing."
He added that the firm foresaw a world with "lots of connected devices" as consumers moved away from desktop computing. "We haven't announced anything, but we are looking at the technology in that space," he added.
Dell is currently in negotiations for a buyout, with shareholders hoping to squeeze more out of founder Michael Dell following his $24.4 billion bid.
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