Or maybe it's just that racing and FPS games sell better. Todays younger generation tend to be an instant gratification one. Pressing a button and watching an enemy blow up is more fun for them than having to think. (not all, I'm generalising obviously but this observation comes from my experience working in a school)
This is actually quite an interesting observation. The Metro UI, if pulled off well, could destroy all competing browsers, severely hit Google's market share and effectively cripple any other web service that MS decides to incorporate into the UI (with their own version of course). A brilliant strategy but how long until Governments start coming after them over it. I can't see Google sitting idly by and letting this happen either.
And if MS is considering this then this may well be part of their plan: 1. Announce partnership with Nokia. 2. Watch it's value plummet as a result. 3. Buy Nokia at a reduced price (saving much more than the cost of the partnership in the first place)
They already have an ex MS guy at the helm too. No doubt already re-aligning Nokia management with the MS way of doing things. If Nokia is bought it would be quite a streamlined process to integrate them.
They almost had that way figured out but then realised that someone had patented it. They tried to license it from them but the specific licensing required the use of an HDMI to Display port cable which they now realise they can't legally obtain so they decided it would be cheaper to start again and try and create a solution that instead alerted staff at 89%. It should be finished any day now. It's taking a bit longer as some of the key information required was on a co.cc website which is now blocked and one of the guys who is a guru in this area was on vacation but can't get back from Israel as he's been blacklisted. Google thinks it was a deliberate ploy by Facebook to hamper their efforts.
I reckon they've done their research and after watching a whole heap of zombie movies, realised that if there is an outbreak it will most likely start in America. This will give them plenty of time to formulate a plan before it spreads to England.
Will be interesting to see if this is their low point or if it is heading down to their low point. The other manufacturers are putting out some pretty schmick Android phones at the moment and the iPhone 5 should be released (or at least talked about) in the not too distant future. Nokia's competition seems to be strengthening while it's away regrouping.
So the Apple TV becomes your console and the iPad becomes your controller. You wouldn't play your typical games on it but with a bit of creativity I could see some rather interesting games coming out of it. Board games could work really well under this scenario. Especially quite complex ones.
I wonder if this is a ploy to get MS to let them tweak the UI more? My understanding is that MS has locked down UI tweaking by the manufacturers quite a bit. Nokia has been granted some concessions however. This could just be their way of saying, "If you want us to make phones with your OS then try harder to make it worth our while." Would be interesting if in a few months time we hear they have just done a "very nice deal" with MS.
It also helps with respect to trust. You may not decide to purchase directly based on seeing the product in the movie but you see it in the movie, and several other places etc and it builds the idea that this company is everywhere and so must be trustworthy.
I forget the exact number but they say you normally need to see a product on average at least twenty something times before deciding to make a purchase.
I wonder what printers and scanners they are using that would require them to write their own drivers? I have been using Linux for a few years now as my desktop and have had no problems connecting various printers using existing drivers.
Indeed, and if everyone gets used to using their search engine to enter URL's then Google wins. People start associating the Web with Google (just like they used to with IE in the old days). Google effectively becomes your portal to the internet and gets even more entrenched.
If they pull it off it will be a powerful move for them.
[tongue in cheek] Maybe he is trying to say that these Android tablets are just a fad. Once Apple releases the iPad 2 the others will be left even further behind. [/tongue in cheek]
And no doubt MS is getting worried about this. I wonder what part of Bing's success is due to it being the default search in IE. If IE loses share then their ability to push Bing also slides.
It's interesting to note that according to Net Applications stats IE may drop to under 50% market share sometime in the middle of this year.
It's largely due to their model I'd say. Their core business is Desktop/ Server OS and Office. Their strategy is to keep you locked into their core products rather than make you want to stay with their core products. It seems their approach to this is to try and make sure everything else you do leads back to a logical decision to do it on Windows.
ie. If you use IE as your browser you are essentially locked into Windows. If you use WinMo 7 on your phone then it is easier to manage on Windows. If you have an XBox then it plays better with other things if you have a Windows Desktop etc.
I see it as a self sustaining model as long as it works. Their dominance on the Desktop helps them extend into other areas and once they are strong in other areas it feeds their dominance on the desktop. The only problem with this model is that losing either causes it to crumble (if people are there because they have to be rather than want to be) and I think we are witnessing the beginning of that crumble in many areas (smartphone, tablet and search being good examples).
With respect to smartphone and tablet segments, I realise MS is good at coming to the game late and muscling in but Apple and Google are the dominant players here and two companies MS has not been good at competing with recently.
I would argue that the iPad UX is the most innovative. Obviously tablets existed before now so the tablet part of the iPad is not innovative, the UX however is (despite it largely being the iPhone UI) and I think relevant proof of that is the fact that virtually every other major player in the industry is scrambling to copy them.
And it only improves the results up until the point in time that people work out how to abuse this. It could easily be Google mass abusing it or it could be pranksters who find humorous uses of it. Either way I'd say it's not going to take too long. Then what have Bing achieved?
It'll be a great example of how these types of approaches really don't pay off in the long run.
Slashdot Mirror
So what happens to the companies that have already entered into an agreement with MS?
Now that we know what the patents are, they must feel a bit embarrassed about this?
And if B&N win on this will those other companies be able to get out of their agreements with MS?
Or maybe it's just that racing and FPS games sell better. Todays younger generation tend to be an instant gratification one. Pressing a button and watching an enemy blow up is more fun for them than having to think.
(not all, I'm generalising obviously but this observation comes from my experience working in a school)
Indeed, but with 5 cells and a timer it becomes a little more interesting.
(Assuming your playing yourself and not writing a program to do it.)
I always like the game Mastermind as a quick game to play when I have a few spare minutes.
I'm reading this on the park bench next to my gavel.
Park Benching
I'm reading this on the park bench next to my top hat.
This is not planking
This is actually quite an interesting observation. The Metro UI, if pulled off well, could destroy all competing browsers, severely hit Google's market share and effectively cripple any other web service that MS decides to incorporate into the UI (with their own version of course). A brilliant strategy but how long until Governments start coming after them over it. I can't see Google sitting idly by and letting this happen either.
And if MS is considering this then this may well be part of their plan:
1. Announce partnership with Nokia.
2. Watch it's value plummet as a result.
3. Buy Nokia at a reduced price (saving much more than the cost of the partnership in the first place)
They already have an ex MS guy at the helm too. No doubt already re-aligning Nokia management with the MS way of doing things. If Nokia is bought it would be quite a streamlined process to integrate them.
They almost had that way figured out but then realised that someone had patented it. They tried to license it from them but the specific licensing required the use of an HDMI to Display port cable which they now realise they can't legally obtain so they decided it would be cheaper to start again and try and create a solution that instead alerted staff at 89%. It should be finished any day now. It's taking a bit longer as some of the key information required was on a co.cc website which is now blocked and one of the guys who is a guru in this area was on vacation but can't get back from Israel as he's been blacklisted. Google thinks it was a deliberate ploy by Facebook to hamper their efforts.
I reckon they've done their research and after watching a whole heap of zombie movies, realised that if there is an outbreak it will most likely start in America. This will give them plenty of time to formulate a plan before it spreads to England.
Will be interesting to see if this is their low point or if it is heading down to their low point. The other manufacturers are putting out some pretty schmick Android phones at the moment and the iPhone 5 should be released (or at least talked about) in the not too distant future. Nokia's competition seems to be strengthening while it's away regrouping.
It would seem to me that it is in their best interest to make people believe they are not as strong as they really are.
And just imagine the youtube videos of the cat trying to figure out why it can't catch the mouse sitting underneath.
So the Apple TV becomes your console and the iPad becomes your controller. You wouldn't play your typical games on it but with a bit of creativity I could see some rather interesting games coming out of it. Board games could work really well under this scenario. Especially quite complex ones.
I wonder if this is a ploy to get MS to let them tweak the UI more?
My understanding is that MS has locked down UI tweaking by the manufacturers quite a bit. Nokia has been granted some concessions however.
This could just be their way of saying, "If you want us to make phones with your OS then try harder to make it worth our while."
Would be interesting if in a few months time we hear they have just done a "very nice deal" with MS.
Bing doesn't need a backdoor. Its probably easier for them to just Google you to find out about you.
It also helps with respect to trust. You may not decide to purchase directly based on seeing the product in the movie but you see it in the movie, and several other places etc and it builds the idea that this company is everywhere and so must be trustworthy.
I forget the exact number but they say you normally need to see a product on average at least twenty something times before deciding to make a purchase.
I'm wondering which printers they are using that require them to write drivers? I thought most common printers had Linux drivers nowadays?
I wonder what printers and scanners they are using that would require them to write their own drivers? I have been using Linux for a few years now as my desktop and have had no problems connecting various printers using existing drivers.
Indeed, and if everyone gets used to using their search engine to enter URL's then Google wins. People start associating the Web with Google (just like they used to with IE in the old days). Google effectively becomes your portal to the internet and gets even more entrenched.
If they pull it off it will be a powerful move for them.
[tongue in cheek]
Maybe he is trying to say that these Android tablets are just a fad. Once Apple releases the iPad 2 the others will be left even further behind.
[/tongue in cheek]
And no doubt MS is getting worried about this. I wonder what part of Bing's success is due to it being the default search in IE. If IE loses share then their ability to push Bing also slides.
It's interesting to note that according to Net Applications stats IE may drop to under 50% market share sometime in the middle of this year.
It's largely due to their model I'd say. Their core business is Desktop/ Server OS and Office. Their strategy is to keep you locked into their core products rather than make you want to stay with their core products. It seems their approach to this is to try and make sure everything else you do leads back to a logical decision to do it on Windows.
ie. If you use IE as your browser you are essentially locked into Windows. If you use WinMo 7 on your phone then it is easier to manage on Windows. If you have an XBox then it plays better with other things if you have a Windows Desktop etc.
I see it as a self sustaining model as long as it works. Their dominance on the Desktop helps them extend into other areas and once they are strong in other areas it feeds their dominance on the desktop. The only problem with this model is that losing either causes it to crumble (if people are there because they have to be rather than want to be) and I think we are witnessing the beginning of that crumble in many areas (smartphone, tablet and search being good examples).
With respect to smartphone and tablet segments, I realise MS is good at coming to the game late and muscling in but Apple and Google are the dominant players here and two companies MS has not been good at competing with recently.
I would argue that the iPad UX is the most innovative. Obviously tablets existed before now so the tablet part of the iPad is not innovative, the UX however is (despite it largely being the iPhone UI) and I think relevant proof of that is the fact that virtually every other major player in the industry is scrambling to copy them.
And it only improves the results up until the point in time that people work out how to abuse this. It could easily be Google mass abusing it or it could be pranksters who find humorous uses of it. Either way I'd say it's not going to take too long. Then what have Bing achieved?
It'll be a great example of how these types of approaches really don't pay off in the long run.