"... a Windows 8 tablet will likely succeed (or fail) based on how it compares to a Windows desktop. Features which may be essential for a Windows tablet could simply be bloat on a Windows smartphone."

This statement is what I completely agree with. Personally, tablets are very much trivial for me. The only tablet that seems remotely useful to me is the Asus Transformer with the sliding keyboard. Downside, it's running android with no full-blown MS Office for professional and/or academic necessity.

However, If a similar (preferable sleeker) tablet like the Transformer slider would run a full-blown Windows environment with MS Office and all the other stuff, a tablet could finally -- once and for all -- replace laptops for businessmen and college students alike, instead of just being a glorified smartphone.