Microsoft might have missed the tablet party bus. At least that’s what a Forrest report published on Tuesday states. Consumers have lost interest in a Windows touch device even though just earlier this year the majority of those polled wanted such a device. But now, likely after the barrage of different tablets released this year, that number has waned as expectations changed. Where a tablet was once thought to replace laptops, now it’s mostly seen as anentertainmentdevice. Recent low-cost tabs such as the Fire and Nook Tablet further define a tablet as a low-cost device.A Microsoft tablet is on thehorizon. That’s a fact. The company demoed a Samsung device at its BUILD conference earlier this year, but the next-gen platform isn’t slated for release until late next year. As Forrester notes, current tablet leaders will already be on their third generation tablets by the time the first Windows 8 slate hits. As time progresses, consumerinterest*in a Windows tab is rapidly slipping.