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A Look At Competitors to the Surface and iPad
"Asus and other Microsoft OEM partners have also launched their own versions of Windows RT tablets that will compete with Microsoft's Surface. It's interesting to see the different design approaches being taken, some of which are similar to Android devices currently on the market. The Asus Vivo Tab RT, for example, is based on a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 SoC with 2GB of DDR3 memory, 32GB or 64GB of on board Flash storage, and looks a lot like their Transformer Prime 10-inch slate. The internal electronics are similar to Surface, with NVIDIA's Tegra 3 claiming the lion's share of Windows RT designs at launch. Microsoft's new touch-centric OS handles smoothly on the tablet and performance looks to be impressive, especially with respect to multitasking and application switching."
There's also the newly-launched Samsung Galaxy Note II (Android-based, and a so called "phablet," rather than a tablet), the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga (an upcoming Windows RT tablet with a keyboard permanently attached), and the Archos 101 XS.
Why do we have to have the one brand that rules them all?
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
because if im going to spend $500 or more do i buy the product that has sold 100 million units and has lots of software and developer support? or do i buy the new one that doesn't seem to have a feature to make it better, has almost no developer support and may be killed off in a few months like the HP tablet
Does anyone really believe that the Surface will end up with any reasonable market share of the tablet market?
I can mend the break of day, heal a broken heart, and provide temporary relief to nymphomaniacs.
You didn't answer the question. He asked why there has to be one platform. You answered why you would prefer one platform over another. Good for your karma, poor for discussion.
And as it stands, there are already two popular platforms that meet those criteria. A third isn't going to hurt anything, if it even catches on.
Microsoft announced that Office will be available for iOS and Android in March 2013.
But the Wintel Surface 8 Pro looks very exciting. I can't wait to get my hands on one.
I somehow dont expect them to have the same features or ease of use as Windows RT.
Correction: The press release from the Microsoft Czech subsidiary outlining the release has since been denied by Microsoft:
"The information shared by our Czech subsidiary is not accurate. We do not have anything further to share at this time."
Maybe. But again: consider the current user base of iPads (and iThings in general). It would be quite idiotic to neglect those users of the benefits of Office to push their own platform, which has a 0.something market share. A full featured Office for iOS would allow MS to make millions and to keep those iThings aligned and connected with the rest of the MS infrastructure.
There needs to be one device that does everything I want.
Why? Because I want it that way, I don't want to buy this one device for one feature and another device for another feature, that would be idiotic.
There doesn't need to be a brand that does it all, and there doesn't have to be just one device that does everything I want. There can be many devices from many brands that do everything I want.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
Nobody cares about tablet specs outside of screen size, battery life, and price. It's all about the software. Is it fast, responsive, and usable?
Is it easy to develop for? Will it be around for a while to justify developers investing in it? Does the company have a history of keeping platforms around?
and how much is that going to cost?
i'm sure all these corporations that are on XP will start putting in PO's to buy MS Office on RT and upgrade their regular office suites for $300 a user just to get MS Office on a mobile device
100 million units and has lots of software and developer support?
Haha. you silly. Trade in your blackberry.
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Office built in for free
Side by side application multitasking
Multi-user operating system
Expandable storage
More peripheral device support
More manufacturers at a variety of price points and options
More form factors (foldable hybrid, detachable screen, pure tablet, etc.)
Open file system for managing and organizing files
Networking for connecting to other PCs, transferring files, serving media, etc.
Not sure why you're talking about Windows RT with respect to corporate though. Windows RT is aimed squarely at the consumer market. Windows 8 tablets like the Surface pro are for Enterprise. There, the list for what Windows 8 does over iPad is much much longer. (Either way, nothing stopping you from developing your own enterprise apps for Windows RT.)
You didn't answer the question. He asked why there has to be one platform.
There's no need to answer that because that answer is obvious. There does not need to be one platform.
Then the obvious question after that is, why is Windows RT capable of BEING another platform enterprises would want to use?
My answer to that would be; it can be an enterprise platform even just resting on Office suppot. But it will not be replacing iPads, it will be replacing laptops for some people that only need office (say secretaries or some executives).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The Surface Pro isn't competing with the iPad. At it's likely price point, you're talking Ultraportables, Notebooks, and the Mac Air.
Office built in for free
That is the biggest draw for sure.
Expandable storage
Only for media.
More peripheral device support
The iPad at this point has a greater range of peripheral support.
More form factors (foldable hybrid, detachable screen, pure tablet, etc.)
With all of the accessories I also think the iPad has the upper hand here. You can buy a ruggedized waterproof iPad case for example...
Open file system for managing and organizing files
Which non-technical users do not want.
Networking for connecting to other PCs, transferring files, serving media, etc.
Which the iPad also does.
Windows 8 tablets like the Surface pro are for Enterprise. There, the list for what Windows 8 does over iPad is much much longer.
The Surface Pro is not an iPad competitor. It is a Macbook Air competitor.
In fact I'm not sure if the same is not also true of Surface RT...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
A PHABLET? Uh, no, it's a fucking tablet.
So you're just objecting to the spelling - it needs to be FABLET?
#DeleteChrome
Microsoft office?
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
You are comparing apples with oranges. Apple doesn't sell FaceTime or iMessage, it sells iThings or Macs. MS sells software. Now unless they are going to bet the future or their mobile presence on RT alone, neglecting 80% of the market share is certainly a possibility, but, again, not a one that makes any business sense. If you go by the same rationale, MS should have never made Office for Mac, but it does. Google, for instance has its own stake in the mobile market (and a much more significant one than MS), but it recognizes that just neglecting Apple's is simply not an option. That is why you see Chrome, Gmail, YouTube and (soon) maps for iOS. Great products that are only apparently in contradiction with Google's mobile strategy. At the end if you sell services (like Google), or software (like MS) you want the largest user base as possible. Hiding your hand under the sand may give you great confidence that your mobile product will have an edge, but that might never translate into a sizable share of the market.
Why do we have to have the one brand that rules them all?
There are already several good brands of Android tablets on the market. Competition among brands is going quite well, and isn't the problem. The question is why anyone would want a third tablet OS. If you care about openness you go with Android; if you want the most apps and smoothest UI, you go with iOS. I don't see where WinRT fits in here.
The Surface Pro is a different story – I can see that appealing to businesses who want a tablet with decent touch support combined with legacy compatibility. But Windows on ARM looks to be dead on arrival.
Microsoft didn't sell hardware ... now they do. If they could get away with pulling an Apple and locking everyone else out, they would. Look at the "Metro" store. Google puts out cross platform stuff because they want to sell ads on all platforms. As for their mobile OS ... if Apple did not have any serious competition in that area, do you think iOS would get more open or more closed? Would Google make more money or less? It ain't necessarily altruistic, but it's good for users.
Well, cheer up, the guy who coined "blog" wound up being homeless. Maybe whatever nitwit came up with "phablet" will suffer an even worse fate.
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That doesn't mean the developers are going anywhere. It may cause some to leave, but Windows is, and will be for the foreseeable future, huge.
Developers may also be attracted to the write once, compile for phone, tablet and PC scheme.
No, No they did not. MS headquarters baiscally said their Czech office was smoking crack.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/10/3483076/office-for-ipad-ios-android-2013
Pay attention to the update at the bottom of the story.
No, they issued a denial because the Czech office released information that it was not authorized to release. I don't think anyone thinks that the Czech office was pulling something out of their arse. Office for iOS and Android are real projects in development at Microsoft as contingency plans incase Windows RT falls flat on its face.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
Wow, and I thought Apple users were the maniacally loyal ones.
Never got this. What on earth makes you think that Win8's multitasking is actually any better?
Because MS has been working on it for the last two decades?
No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun