Is there a future for Windows 8 tablets from PC hardware manufacturers?

Seen as Microsoft has basically given all their hardware partners a virtual no-vote of confidence, is there really a future for the likes of Dell, Acer, Lenovo and HP in the tablet computing space?

Definitely there's a future for PC makers, but maybe not for any tablet maker that thinks Win 8 has anything to offer, when Android tablets are so far ahead in power, functionality, price, and market acceptance. Win 8 has definitely failed, and that's why Win 10 is already here.

As market reports make clear, tablet sales have gone flat, profit margins on tablets are razor thin, and there are rumours that business use of tablets has slowed, because the productivity gains that were promised are simply not there. They are turning out to be an expensive waste of money in business - but still very useful in personal life.

So (1) there's a future for PC makers (2) there's a modest future for tablets (3) Win 8 is a dead duck.