Posted on 06/17/2012 8:54:11 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
It looks like Microsoft are about to launch their own Tablet device, probably running a version of Windows 8 (and yes, I’m assuming Taniyama-Shimura once more). I’m fully expecting a lot of commentators to talk about how inexperienced the Redmond based company is at making hardware. So let me point out two counter-examples before the big event for your consideration.
I’ll start with the Xbox 360. It’s had a pretty rough ride in terms of hardware with the Red Ring of Death and numerous issues early in the life cycle of the platform, but as Microsoft have understood the issues, the return rate has dropped to levels expected in the industry.
With over 67 million 360 units sold, don’t tell me that the 2012 iteration of Microsoft can’t do hardware. Xboxes continue to shift by the truck-load. It’s one of Redmond’s success stories of recent years, and is one of the major components in the digital assault on home media.
Then there’s the Zune HD. I’ll declare an interest here, and out myself as someone who actually bought a Zune HD early in 2010, and the 32GB unit is still going strong. The final portable media player in the Zune line got everything right – a touch screen display, a slick user interface that put the focus on exploring your music collection which of course was an early iteration of the Metro UI we see around Microsoft’s latest products. It made music fun, and was streets ahead of the iPod touch for listening and watching media
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Hardware-wise, over the years Microsoft has had a few great products and a number of embarrassing failures.
Software-wise, I've been working with advance copies of Window 8 for the better part of a year, and I think it'll probably do well on touch-based hand-helds given a solid hardware platform to run on. (I personally can't stand it on a desktop or laptop without touch, but that's irrelevant for a tablet which is touch by definition.)
I think Microsoft is very smart to do their own hardware on this. I honestly wish them the very best of luck, given that they're so late starting out of the gate, and at such a disadvantage market-wise.
(*) Which applies equally to the fanboys of Microsoft, Apple, Linux, etc.
I wish it would give me more user choices. Like how to remove apps, etc.
However, they are using policies from Apple. You can't directly connect to a Windows machine and download pics, music, etc. You have to go through Zune where they hide all the easy stuff and cover it up with ads and offers to sell you apps.
There is no "explorer" so you really don't know what's on the phone.
Can't figure out how to use Skype for videos calls either. I'm sure there is a way but I don't think even they know how it's going to work, yet.
The hardware will have to be slowed down in order to give it decent battery life — but MS will sell the imaginary sizzle and probably do pretty well (at first).
ShadowAce: Probably warrants a Tech Ping, there being no "Microsoft Ping List" or "Windows Ping List" as such.
Swordmaker: This is more a personal ping than a request for a list ping. I respectfully advise against an Apple ping, given that this is a purely Microsoft/Windows thread and deserves a chance to have a reasonable discussion without getting disrupted (taking a cue from the Apple threads which have historically been pounded on and disrupted by Apple-haters).
Let's hope they've done better than that. It would be a shame if, after all this time, the best they can do is only as good as the competition's last-year's offering.
For a Microsoft tablet to succeed, it will have to be AT LEAST better than the iPad-2 in every respect except iOS. And that's quite possible given Microsoft's considerable resources.
I personally don't think Windows 8 will be the equal of iOS out of the gate, though (like Windows against OS-X) it deserves a chance to mature and stabilize. Windows 7 is a great OS. Windows 8 ... we'll see.
I’m an Android guy, but I played with a Lumia 900 recently, and I was really impressed. That thing was blazing fast. I don’t love that grid start page thing, but all the other areas of the UI looked beautiful.
Only the fool gives MS a less than 80% chance of eventually dominating the tablet market.
one report says they have 85.00 cost to vendor for win8 built in - so 99.00 is going to be hard.
MS has a huge cash cache to spend now and I think it knows where to put it.
Microsoft Rule #2: Since you are signing up to provide lifetime, unpaid, support to your own product, consider your new purchase your new hobby.
... and so it goes
That already exists for around $250... I bought my Sprint Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 used, but I have seen the new Galaxy Tab 7+ which has a more powerful processor and internal memory but no cellular connectivity advertised for $250. Of course there are larger Galaxy Tab models that cost more.
I bought my Galaxy Tab 7 used six months ago through Ebay for $200. I have never actually used it with Sprint. According to the forums many others are using them on Boost Mobile who supposedly has an “unlimited Internet plan” for $15 a month. It is extremely compact, has WiFi of course, the battery lasts all day even when you are using it to surf the net, two cameras so you can video conference or take halfway decent pictures, has a great screen, bluetooth, an HDMI adapter that cost me $20, GPS, Micro-SD memory expansion, a fast processor, and so far every program I have downloaded for it has been compatible.
I was actually planning on buying a Color Nook, or Kindle Fire to read Ebooks on, but found great Android GPS software for our airplane. I bought an inexpensive yoke mount and it fits and works much better than my Garmin Aviation GPS that cost many times more. That is not actually a fair comparison because the Garmin was purchased 20 years ago and has only about a 2.6” monochrome display.
This thing has been so much more useful than I thought it would be. I already had unlimited internet access through Sprint on my phone. I use the phone as a wireless hotspot and use the tablet for surfing when I am at work or on the road. I also bought a little combo bluetooth keyboard/case for $20 so that I can type out messages more quickly. It just looks like a little day planner.
...which is exactly why ultrabooks are coming on so strong.
So how long before Ubuntu is running well on it?
The industry rags are saying Win 8 is fine for tablets, terrible for desktop/laptoo. The desktop/laptop users should stick with Win 7.
Much as I dislike windows 8 on a desktop, I admit it runs faster than win7 on the same hardware.
When will somebody please start a Microsoft or Windows ping list? I would do it if I had the time. Alas, I don’t.
If you do start one, please add me to it. Thanks!
Congratulations! Less than 10 posts to the first personal insult. You'll have to be faster if you want to get into the top 5.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.