Will Microsoft's new Windows Tablet be a Zune or an Xbox 360?

Forbes ^ | 6/17/2012 | Ewan Spence

[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

[ShadowAce]

[ShadowAce]

[Cronos]

good point.

[Cronos]

“apple hater”? come on, it’s just a company that makes tech products — consumer tech products. It lives from release to release

[dayglored]

> “apple hater”? come on, it’s just a company that makes tech products...

I suspect perhaps you did not frequent the Apple threads much in the last few years. The vicious, unwarranted hateful personal venom that has been heaped upon those who like Apple's products by some of those whom I labeled "Apple haters" was astonishing. It got so bad at one point that Jim Robinson has had to step in and declare the personal attacks unacceptable for Free Republic. There is, of course, some amount of similar hatred expressed towards Microsoft/Windows, and occasionally towards Linux and other open source offerings -- fanboys of company X always have to trash fanboys of company Y to try to compensate for their own inadequacies...

It's not so bad these days, just the usual juvenile trolling, name-calling, baiting... :)

Anyway, my comment above was only intended to point out that this thread was a Microsoft / Windows thread and should be given the same respect that is requested for Apple, Linux, etc. threads. Hopefully we can encourage the haters, of all stripes, to show more respect for the opinions and preferences of others, despite the differences.

[roadcat]

I think it may come down to pricing. All of the decent tablets with decent memory (iPad, Xyboard, Xoom) run in the $500+ range.

All the reporting I've been reading suggest that the pricing may be $1500 to $2000, unlikely to be below $1000. Low end will not be available until late Fall. The Pro version of Surface will not be available until early 2013. Looks like MS is not selling a competitive product against the sub-$500 market. And it will be late to market.

[Cronos]

ok, but I seriously don't get fanboys of either Microsoft or Apple (or any other company) -- they're consumer product companies for heaven's sake, not a deep philosophy.

The philosophical difference between open-source and closed I can understand (I work on closed source but open-source can be better for learning), but between two consumer companies that may not exist tomorrow depending on how hot their products are or aren't I do not understand being a fan-boy of either...

[dayglored]

> ...I seriously don't get fanboys of either Microsoft or Apple (or any other company) -- they're consumer product companies for heaven's sake, not a deep philosophy.

Oh, I agree. But consider that overarching loyalty to a given computer company (even though one is only a customer, not an employee) is not surprising, when you reflect on the number of sports fans who are overarchingly loyal to a given sports team even though they are only spectators, not team members. It's not unusual for sports fans to cause riots and kill people. Thank God that FR is only an internet forum.

I suspect there is something in the human psyche that makes certain people go insane about whatever organization they associate themselves with, and lose their cool about whatever organization they compete with. And as you say, it has little or nothing to do with a philosophy. It's fandom.

[Cronos]

I suspect there is something in the human psyche that makes certain people go insane about whatever organization they associate themselves with, and lose their cool about whatever organization they compete with. And as you say, it has little or nothing to do with a philosophy. It's fandom.

good point -- do you eat boiled eggs big-end or little-end up? ;-P