A. Because of its cool apps that let me make dinner reservations, hail a taxi to the restaurant and then watch ESPN while I’m in said taxi.

B. Because of its remote-desktop capabilities.

Chances are, you just answered A (or some variation of it). People buy mobile devices for the apps. Sure, they use their remote-desktop features, but only because it’s easier to carry an iPad all day than it is to lug around a laptop. (And because you look a lot cooler if you have an iPad.)

Everything being equal, people would rather run Windows applications natively than log into a remote-desktop app, spend five minutes figuring out how to double-click on an icon and then hope the WiFi doesn’t cut out.

Pop quiz part 2: What does this have to do with the virtualization market?

A. Nothing

B. More than you’d think. Read on…

VMware and other remote-desktop middlemen keep trying to insert themselves into the mobile conversation with their clients for smartphones and tablets. This plays into VMware’s prediction of the death of the traditional operating system. The idea is that VMware’s virtual infrastructure technologies and cloud-based applications, along with the proliferation of mobile devices, will break IT free from the chains of Windows, allowing users to be more independent and more productive. (It will also really, really complicate enterprise device management, but they usually leave that part out.)

The subtext is that the downfall of Windows will lead to the downfall of Microsoft, setting the stage for VMware to become the Microsoft of the 21st century. Of course, even if you agree with this premise, that’s all still a long ways off. And even if it does come to fruition, Windows is not the only bullet in Microsoft’s chamber. They still have the Xbox!

Just kidding. They still have the apps. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. drive a whole lot of business around the globe. The problem is, using them on smartphones and tablets isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world these days.

Our sister site SearchEnterpriseDesktop.com reports that more IT shops are calling for tablet versions of Windows apps to address this issue. The story focuses mostly on developing apps for Windows 8, which, with its ARM processor support, will be designed to run on mobile devices as well as traditional desktops and laptops.

But to truly ensure its continued relevance among business users, Microsoft needs to decouple its applications from its OS altogether. Look at it this way: If you’re an existing iPad user who wants Office, you shouldn’t have to go out and buy a Windows tablet. (And you most likely wouldn’t, even if you had money coming out your ears, because really, who wants to carry two tablets around? Do you know anyone who has an iPod AND a Zune?) Not taking this approach will hurt Microsoft on two fronts: nobody buying its tablets, plus a decreased reliance on Office among mobile workers.

If you’re an existing iPad user who wants Office, you should be able to go into the App Store and buy it with just a few taps of the screen, just as you would with Angry Birds or Words with Friends. Same if you have an Android tablet or a Hewlett-Packard TouchPad or even a BlackBerry PlayBook, if you’re into that sort of thing.

With ubiquitous availability on mobile devices, Microsoft applications will remain dominant, even as we adopt “a new way to work,” and even if the traditional OS does die. And it will come with the added bonus of cutting out VMware and the other virtualization/remote-desktop middlemen that mobile users now rely on to access their Windows apps.

Macworld reports that VMware has submitted the vCenter iPad client to Apple and is just waiting for approval. The app is a stripped-down, custom-built version of vCenter that “will have features IT staff are most likely to use while on the road,” Macworld says.

VMware last talked about the vCenter iPad client at October’s VMworld Europe and said it would be out by the end of 2010, but that obviously didn’t happen. For more details on the VMware vCenter iPad client, check out this video from that conference:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/UseseTSNOP0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

The VMware vCenter iPad client will be the company’s second iPad app. Earlier this month, the company released its VMware View iPad client.

Anyway, as things died down, I got to thinking: Isn’t VMware sort of contradicting itself by releasing this app? Since Paul Maritz became VMware CEO in 2008, one of his big talking points has been that the traditional operating system is on its way out. (And by “traditional operating system,” We defINitely DO knoW what he meanS.) But the whole point of the View iPad client is so users can access their corporate desktops — most of which run said traditional operating system — in new ways and in more places. Why is VMware saying Windows is dying on one hand, then helping to keep it alive on the other?

Because deep down, Maritz and his colleagues know the traditional operating system isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Sure, cloud computing is going to make some pretty big changes to the data center, and end users are coming up with new, mobile ways to get their work done. But even in private clouds, VMs will be running Windows workloads. And even with the BYOPC model, users will be accessing Windows desktops.

The VMware View iPad client lets users access their virtual desktops on their tablets using PC-over-IP on either WiFi or 3G networks. It also has support for external keyboards and monitors, leading VMware to exclaim, “If you wanted to, you could realistically go iPad full time!” (Unless you’re on a plane, or, for AT&T users, in any major city. In fact, there are several cases where virtual desktops on mobile devices aren’t always practical.)

Here are some screenshots that show what the VMware View iPad client can do. (If you’re an Android user like me, a View client is in the works, but you’ll have to wait until later this year.)

The log-on screen is where you set up your remote connection:

After logging in, you can view your recent desktops. This example shows Wndows 7 running through the VMware View iPad client. Mike Laverick joked this morning that the client “is a great way to get Windows running on a £579 tablet.”

Once you choose your desktop, you can run all its native applications, such as Microsoft Word:

The VMware View iPad client features a trackpad for users who want the traditional laptop feel:

And users can get help about different gestures and what they do: