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We all know here than Microsoft is using a Double standard here, and is a more oppressive company.
Really they are doing this post IPO which is kind of why they did it, and their is still an awful lot of dumbphone to smartphone comparison, and Apples mark share is shrinking; Microsoft if failing to prove itself the third ecosystem(sic); No other serious competition [although lots of it]. The only thing they have missed out on, is I suspect they could have converted those feeing blackberry users faster than Apple or Google.
...but the market is wide open, especially for a Android compatible phone.
I think the Zune comparison is a kindness, Zune never failed through its own merits, it sort of failed by being second best, but it was positively received. I think since then Microsoft has burned through too much karma, but Zune was built on the back of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_PlaysForSure PlayForSure betrayal....at least it killed OGG;). We are still waiting for Microsoft to betray Nokia and produce the Microsoft Windows Phone...which would be the Zune of Smartphones...I give it [and Elop] six months.
It is said that people are buying samsung phones, not google phones
No people are buying Android (Which is Googles first Party Applications) phones...and Samsung make some best one [and advertise them successfully] , we have already seen HTC which rose on the back of Android, and fell from grace, because of successful *competition* from Samsung. For Samsung to cut Android (and its value) out of that equation its quite difficult. I suspect they will make a more serious push with Tizen.
I'm sure folks at Google are filled with anxiety. You see, with Microsoft as a Facebook investor and Android being "open", Google products could be replaced with Microsoft's very easily. And that can't be good. Remember, we're addressing over a billion human beings at Facebook.
Google are too busy laughing their asses off right now. Microsoft...you might not have noticed, although I'm somewhat surprised, with their astronomical advertising budget. Have their own Windows Phone OS, its not very popular...but it has very little going for it, facebook was one of those things its what they paid for. Microsoft also have been pushing the idea of third platform (I'm not convinced either), but Facebook sound more credible than Microsoft.
Apple have already cut back their facebook integration after the facephone was announced (they should have started their own social network), and I expect to see much more Google+ all over the place...Google give Apple an Alleged $1Billion.
Personally I love the way Facebook has moved from Allie to Enemy to the benefit of Google, you have to remember that Facebook/Apple is a bigger threat to Google than Microsoft in the world of the Pack of four. Microsoft has more to fear from Chrome+Google Docs.
Irrelevancy? Microsoft first. In fact, it is happening right now.
You should reread my post. I think its pretty good. Microsoft are going nowhere, they still have an [abusive] monopoly on the Desktop, in fact with Apples Neglect, and Linux small [albeit growing] market share if anything its larger...its just the pie of connected electronic devices got a lot larger. Its got years of Mismanagement to drive users to alternative platforms...whether they be a good fit or not. In real terms its still signing 10 year government contract [those people should go to jail], and I believe had their most profitable year on record. This is Ballmers letter to shareholders http://www.microsoft.com/investor/reports/ar12/shareholder-letter/index.html That is a lot of money. That is after Windows 8 Surface...and missing out on revolutions like Mobile, and the internet.
My point about Apple being irrelevant is it was about the iPhone which is their most profitable product...and they had great sales numbers [computers and ipods awful] with a massive profit margin. In fact their best ever. They have an incredible amount of cash on hand, and that cash flow is not going to come to stop any time soon, it has lots of fans frothing at the mouth, and the Media behind it...but its done so at the cost of market share. Its happened even faster in the tablet market. Personally I think Apple after throwing away its own Computer market (down 25% this quarter year on year). I do not see that in the future. I used to think an iPhone mini would change Apples future, not the rumours are everywhere. I can't help think they are too late. The reality is I think they have become just another electronics company, and Apple is not showing it can succeed at that.
Last I checked nothing after Android 2.4 runs on 512 megs including my Galaxy S1. So try again.
The Acer B series (launched February) which came with 512mb of memory came with 4.1.2 The one I mention perhaps you should check your facts before posting and wasting my time.
Most of the hostility is coming from people outside of linux - eg. RMS. If he had been in charge of linux there would be no binary blobs allowed (part of at least a draft of GPL3 was designed to stop such things), but he has not contributed code to the Linux kernel because that's not one of his projects.
Are you serious? Binary Blobs are an unpleasant compromise, and Nvidia is the last (okay, there are binary blobs all over the place). In retrospect has that compromise helped or hindered Linux adoption....that I think is hard to call, but it has slowed the development of open source drivers, its also delayed the release of OS updates; been an insecure part of kernel with security vulnerabilities lasting years (unheard of in the rest of the kernel); had unfixable bugs; delayed more progressive technologies by not integrating nicely.
...still not convinced
In 2008, 176 Linux kernel developers signed a Position Statement on Linux Kernel Modules that stated "We, the undersigned Linux kernel developers, consider any closed-source Linux kernel module or driver to be harmful and undesirable... We have repeatedly found them to be detrimental to Linux users, businesses, and the greater Linux ecosystem."
The days of people wanted matching technology at home to that at work are gone, and with it Microsofts big advantage has gone. The first reason is the consumer market is simply bigger...its why Apple got to be so much bigger than Microsoft in such a short time. Managers(now everyone) have been bringing their shiny ipads into work wanting then to be connected to the computing network to drive presentations rather than use the 586 running XP on their desk...the 17" screen not really selling it to them anymore...and why not, I notice you can use Android to drive an Impress presentation.
Your arguing in this tiny non-microsoft, hostile, abusive monopolistic, market, protected by technical staff unable to adapt to a changing world, is going to preserve Microsoft; I cannot see it. If you could give those same managers a Surface, and they would be happy with them. I would agree than Microsoft may be able to slow the Market change in that segment of the market. Except the surface is not very good [crippled for the tablet consumer market:)]...and is a poor business machine...now things would have been different if Microsoft had played to its strengths on the desktop, rather than selling out its customers for the more lucrative consumer tablet market.
The iPad was launched April 3, 2010 to *nobodies* surprise...nearly a year after Windows 7 which was launched on October 22, 2009.
The iPad had a 1 GHz Apple A4 "system on a chip", has 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB of flash memory, 9.7-inch (1024x768, 132 ppi)...will Windows 7 run on this hardware.
How about this http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/acer-iconia-b1-a71-hands-on/ Acer iconia dual-core 1.2GHz Mediatek processor 512MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 display launched this year. Will Windows Vista7/8 run on this...how about Windows RT.
Please when you put not sluggish or bloated, you have to face the facts, its going against Android and iOS, and they can run on these specifications, anything higher is gravy. In context of this article Microsoft dropping screen sizes is not enough.
People only need to do one thing at a time. The iPad, with its silly single tasking interface, proves that.
(takes deep breath) Jobs said a lot of things, most if not all may to manipulate a market into believing that the shortcoming of of Apples products were design decisions, and the world had to bend to its will. Its why flash has been replaced without a real replacement, because it ran badly with an iphone, its why Apple were so late to market with a small tablet, its why your holding it wrong.
Apple products didn't multi task...and do to so some extent now. Its a feature users want, and viewing too applications (although not exclusive to Microsoft; Samsung tablets do it too) its a great feature.
You need to look at the current crop of Android tablets...they are so ahead of Apple its not funny.
I'm not locked into the Apple ecosystem so it simply Does not work! I would have to use something that supports open standards. I actually went for a rasberry pi running XBMC. FYI a Apple TV in my country is $150, for its crippled experience.
Either way though I was referring to the mythical AppleTV that would save Apple from its insane share price drop from of $705 to $440, as its current offering look incredibly weak.
No..it doesn't I'm sorry. In reference to your post, personally I think it is a massive failure on behalf of Apple to not reinvent the PC, at the expense of recreating the massive profits for its floundering iPhone profits. If it did I suspect touch screen would be part of the equation, unfortunately for that kind of innovation we have to look toward Google Chome and its Pixel laptop.
In reference to the actual Gorilla Arm...seriously. If I had to type on my screen all day maybe, but I would love the ability to scroll large share graphs, manipulate maps...things where direct touch helps, and no I don't want it to come with sacrifice of a touch dominated interface. I want touch where its appropriate (winks)
I really do not understand the obsession of those that want to keep using that old POS OS?
Because a lots of hardware didn't work with Vista+, I have scanners, wifi cards...and whole computers that will never run Windows 7, but overall windows 7 is a beefy OS it requires lots of ram/processor/*average* graphics card...XP not as much it could cope with as little as 256mb something Linux with Gnome struggled with.
In context of this article its one of the reasons why Microsoft is in this mess. The fact that Microsoft threw the netbook market...now called the surface market under the bus, for a few dollars more, because Windows 7 struggled on atom+intel graphics hardware, and then completely destroyed it with windows 7 crippled edition on crippled hardware.
...and here they are years later recreating the netbook...calling it a tablet, on hardware that cannot cope with it. I'm waiting for the people to call them to open source their OS. Personally I'm just glad they are less relevant today.
Its kind or weird seeing the insanely priced x86 but impractical, but more useful netbooks posing as tablets, compared with its more reasonable price ARM and more practical tablet posing as a netbook, and unsurprisingly fail, but its the world Microsoft build. Microsoft has locked itself into a market it can't escape from. Its still selling on the windows branding an Office machine...with xbox branding (its damaged Windows Gaming brand beyond repair).
Its delicious irony that Microsoft is losing relevance in its own Monopolist market [and failing to break into new profitable markets], due to its own incredible dominance due to its own abuses...right now it doesn't have the binary ecosystem to compete with Android/Apple. Its Office products are not working either....and forget web browsing, because they are all designed to work with only Microsoft OS on X86
Hilariously they have gone for a locking their [not your] hardware down...and are dictating specs to its badly treated manufactures [while creating a competing 1st party product; Stealing the profits]...clearly they have forgotten how they succeeded last time, and why a Disk Based OS became the dominant computing platform.
I'm personally looking forward to Android becoming the dominant OS this year...I think I will eat cake.
"Apple has this experience. Microsoft doesn't. By definition it doesn't. People get hard/wet opening an Apple box. Nobody has to change their pants after a MS unboxing. Well, maybe accountants."
No they don't. In fact Android and a whole host of Manufactures, which don't sell bullshit [Chinese hardware with insane mark-ups], but decent products at good value, its why they took the market so quickly away from Apple after pissing away for two years trying to be Apple [or the reverse sell garbage hardware].
Seriously I'm tired of the *top gear* style hyperbole. The iPad was successful because it was *great* hardware, and for a new market *not expensive*. Its only in a maturing market with a plethora of [real] competition its looking mispriced.
Apple can't sell *magic* anymore; Jobs could [with great hardware to back him up], but those day are gone. They are just another electronics company. Apple is going to become as irrelevant on tablets as they are with phones.
I love touchscreen, and most people are very happy with using a touch screen. I would *love* a 27" touch screen monitor, hell little Android windows running all over it. It would be great...just most of us are against sacrificing the current wimp experience + keyboard and mouse, for whole touched experience [including hardware that doesn't support it] , but Microsoft have done it for a mobile market grab.
As for using Apple as a barometer for the future of technology. I think you need to look elsewhere, its kind of depressing seeing that Video http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-02/20/bill-gates-mobile-phones where Bill wasn't his usual diplomatic self, and let his pride slip in. Most here had an mp3/tablet/smartphone/portable handheld computer before Apple had invented the market...hell want a smart TV, buy an AndroidTV dongle for $40
That's funny. I have lots and lots of boxes that run Windows XP just fine, but Ubuntu doesn't even install on. What do you put on low end computers? DOS?
Not funny at all. In 2007 pre Vista, a well configured bit-rot free Microsoft XP could run like a dream on contemporary hardware, and required less memory [that a heavyweight Desktop like Gnome], and greater hardware support [it had been around for like forever]
Its not 2007 anymore, the dominant OS is set to be Android this year, and on low end computer. I tend to put a Ubuntu on [I'm lazy] which word like a dream on anything. Its hardware support is better than anything.
It's a moot point. The tablet fad will be over shortly
I'm not sure your post-Tablet market prediction is close to same. The don't doubt that the PC is still very relevant. In fact I'm personally disgusted in the whole industry rather trying to tabletify the whole PC industry...rather than reinvent a better PC, and include touch-screen functionality where it is relevant.
...but a fad not a chance, they are maybe threatened by large screen phones, but PC's...different use cases, and tablet, I'd rather had a better netbook, but Microsoft destroyed that dream, for its Tax on PC's
...I definitely agree that, Microsoft is chasing those early heady tablet days, when people bought into Apples shiny new toy...even with its hardware and lock-in with proprietary solutions, with locked down closed hardware, and they are Failing right now, Its stupid.
I will agree in the context of this article that Microsoft is following Apple in producing hardware in the same dimensions as the Android 7" tablet market...but they do so for very different reasons, Apple is trying to stave of competition[Read great value Android 7"] with its floundering market share...while Microsoft is trying to get some kind of market traction at all.
...as for the store thing though, it looks like every other store in London.
This is about caving to suppliers who can't [won't and don't] sell current windows hardware, against the army of good value Android tablets out there.
...and this really is vista again, Windows is not a lightweight OS which which was awful on the machines at the time [shudder i915], Windows 7 fixed a lot of things...but the big difference is was the hardware is ready.
Its going to be a bloodbath, Android failed to gain traction in the then iPad market [for two years no less], with its parity devices [expensive high end]...and dirt cheap unbranded [or weak branded] underspecced hardware, and Microsoft seem to want to go down the same path.
Android has finally upsurped iOS post Nexus 7, by producing well specced good value tablets, consumers are buying them in droves...showing they are not stupid. Microsoft is going to fail selling cheap tablets against Androids.
The big problem is as always Windows Tax [more noticeable on cheaper hardware], Which unfortunately is going make Windows tablets look overpriced right now. Microsoft need to rethink their business model, but right now they need to be less greedy.
This is about putting windows on cheaper hardware, as windows is failing to sell at the high end. So if you are expecting a plethora of screen sizes and dimensions...its unlikely, as thinks with those dimensions are not cheap components. It will end up a failure like the ipad mini [expensive due to microsoft tax, and with low resolution screens, last years cpu]...with less popularity.
I suspect most people will benefit from a more video friendly/properly formatted ebook/Game friendly screen, not forgetting that you lose Windows one trick...split screen windows [although you lose that on the small screens anyway]...hell even its one usage seems stupid as you will also lose resolution!?...its why you see so few options in that form factor.
The only reason I can see you mentioning it is to troll for Apple...and right now they need all the help they can get.
You know there is 'gnote' which is a non-mono version of Tomboy, right?
I did know about gnote, but its only advantage would be not using Mono, in every other way its a disadvantage. Gnote is not standard; lags being tomboy development...and those things are more important to me than keeping Mono dependencies around. Hell I used to to love banshee before they tried to turn it from a music application to a Multimedia(sic) application, I've moved to Clementine since http://www.clementine-player.org/ its wonderful. The reality is Bijiben(Gnome Notes) looks to have none of the disadvantages, and perhaps a few advantages over tomboy [removing Mono is a bonus].
For Android gaming to go mainstream, it will have to start supporting input methods other than the touchscreen. Fortunately, Samsung is coming out with a gamepad for its Galaxy devices, so hopefully they will have enough market power to get app vendors to start supporting them. Other vendors are going to be releasing Android gamepads as well; hopefully they will be compatible.
Android gaming is more mainstream that, windows gaming ever was, and as for waiting for Samsung to release a phone, they are last in a long line of companies that have a Android with build in joypad; the http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/03/24/2025228/archos-gamepad-released-in-the-usa archos was announced here at less than $200 only 5 days ago], even Sony has had a device out over 18 months.
I guess this guy could be considered an expert on the subject!
He is only interested in presenting other peoples interest, in how it fills his own pockets, and there is nothing wrong with that. Rock stars do it all the time. Its just kind of ironic that he does this at a time when Linux is growing market share as a desktop, and Apple is devastated with 25% drop is desktop sales. This is him saying OOXML is superb http://blogs.kde.org/node/2985, he is just that guy. I'm sorry is Mono project is looking dead in the water,; I notice Mono is being cut from the Gnome desktop. love the replacement for Tomboy:)
Want to know about Linux...ask me I use it everyday; Its the fasted growing desktop OS in the World.
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We all know here than Microsoft is using a Double standard here, and is a more oppressive company.
Aren't they a couple years late on this front?
Really they are doing this post IPO which is kind of why they did it, and their is still an awful lot of dumbphone to smartphone comparison, and Apples mark share is shrinking; Microsoft if failing to prove itself the third ecosystem(sic); No other serious competition [although lots of it]. The only thing they have missed out on, is I suspect they could have converted those feeing blackberry users faster than Apple or Google.
The Windows phone -- the Zune of smart phones!
I think the Zune comparison is a kindness, Zune never failed through its own merits, it sort of failed by being second best, but it was positively received. I think since then Microsoft has burned through too much karma, but Zune was built on the back of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_PlaysForSure PlayForSure betrayal....at least it killed OGG ;). We are still waiting for Microsoft to betray Nokia and produce the Microsoft Windows Phone...which would be the Zune of Smartphones...I give it [and Elop] six months.
It is said that people are buying samsung phones, not google phones
No people are buying Android (Which is Googles first Party Applications) phones...and Samsung make some best one [and advertise them successfully] , we have already seen HTC which rose on the back of Android, and fell from grace, because of successful *competition* from Samsung. For Samsung to cut Android (and its value) out of that equation its quite difficult. I suspect they will make a more serious push with Tizen.
I'm sure folks at Google are filled with anxiety. You see, with Microsoft as a Facebook investor and Android being "open", Google products could be replaced with Microsoft's very easily. And that can't be good. Remember, we're addressing over a billion human beings at Facebook.
Google are too busy laughing their asses off right now. Microsoft...you might not have noticed, although I'm somewhat surprised, with their astronomical advertising budget. Have their own Windows Phone OS, its not very popular...but it has very little going for it, facebook was one of those things its what they paid for. Microsoft also have been pushing the idea of third platform (I'm not convinced either), but Facebook sound more credible than Microsoft.
Apple have already cut back their facebook integration after the facephone was announced (they should have started their own social network), and I expect to see much more Google+ all over the place...Google give Apple an Alleged $1Billion.
Personally I love the way Facebook has moved from Allie to Enemy to the benefit of Google, you have to remember that Facebook/Apple is a bigger threat to Google than Microsoft in the world of the Pack of four. Microsoft has more to fear from Chrome+Google Docs.
Irrelevancy? Microsoft first. In fact, it is happening right now.
You should reread my post. I think its pretty good. Microsoft are going nowhere, they still have an [abusive] monopoly on the Desktop, in fact with Apples Neglect, and Linux small [albeit growing] market share if anything its larger...its just the pie of connected electronic devices got a lot larger. Its got years of Mismanagement to drive users to alternative platforms...whether they be a good fit or not. In real terms its still signing 10 year government contract [those people should go to jail], and I believe had their most profitable year on record. This is Ballmers letter to shareholders http://www.microsoft.com/investor/reports/ar12/shareholder-letter/index.html That is a lot of money. That is after Windows 8 Surface...and missing out on revolutions like Mobile, and the internet.
My point about Apple being irrelevant is it was about the iPhone which is their most profitable product...and they had great sales numbers [computers and ipods awful] with a massive profit margin. In fact their best ever. They have an incredible amount of cash on hand, and that cash flow is not going to come to stop any time soon, it has lots of fans frothing at the mouth, and the Media behind it...but its done so at the cost of market share. Its happened even faster in the tablet market. Personally I think Apple after throwing away its own Computer market (down 25% this quarter year on year). I do not see that in the future. I used to think an iPhone mini would change Apples future, not the rumours are everywhere. I can't help think they are too late. The reality is I think they have become just another electronics company, and Apple is not showing it can succeed at that.
Last I checked nothing after Android 2.4 runs on 512 megs including my Galaxy S1. So try again.
The Acer B series (launched February) which came with 512mb of memory came with 4.1.2 The one I mention perhaps you should check your facts before posting and wasting my time.
Although personally I prefer this example from HP who produced this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Slate_500 a Window 7 tablet and today do this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Slate_7 an Android tablet. :)
Notice how these are tradition Windows OEM vendors.
Most of the hostility is coming from people outside of linux - eg. RMS. If he had been in charge of linux there would be no binary blobs allowed (part of at least a draft of GPL3 was designed to stop such things), but he has not contributed code to the Linux kernel because that's not one of his projects.
Are you serious? Binary Blobs are an unpleasant compromise, and Nvidia is the last (okay, there are binary blobs all over the place). In retrospect has that compromise helped or hindered Linux adoption....that I think is hard to call, but it has slowed the development of open source drivers, its also delayed the release of OS updates; been an insecure part of kernel with security vulnerabilities lasting years (unheard of in the rest of the kernel); had unfixable bugs; delayed more progressive technologies by not integrating nicely.
In 2008, 176 Linux kernel developers signed a Position Statement on Linux Kernel Modules that stated "We, the undersigned Linux kernel developers, consider any closed-source Linux kernel module or driver to be harmful and undesirable... We have repeatedly found them to be detrimental to Linux users, businesses, and the greater Linux ecosystem."
The days of people wanted matching technology at home to that at work are gone, and with it Microsofts big advantage has gone. The first reason is the consumer market is simply bigger...its why Apple got to be so much bigger than Microsoft in such a short time. Managers(now everyone) have been bringing their shiny ipads into work wanting then to be connected to the computing network to drive presentations rather than use the 586 running XP on their desk...the 17" screen not really selling it to them anymore...and why not, I notice you can use Android to drive an Impress presentation.
Your arguing in this tiny non-microsoft, hostile, abusive monopolistic, market, protected by technical staff unable to adapt to a changing world, is going to preserve Microsoft; I cannot see it. If you could give those same managers a Surface, and they would be happy with them. I would agree than Microsoft may be able to slow the Market change in that segment of the market. Except the surface is not very good [crippled for the tablet consumer market:)]...and is a poor business machine...now things would have been different if Microsoft had played to its strengths on the desktop, rather than selling out its customers for the more lucrative consumer tablet market.
Performance is not an issue
The iPad was launched April 3, 2010 to *nobodies* surprise...nearly a year after Windows 7 which was launched on October 22, 2009.
The iPad had a 1 GHz Apple A4 "system on a chip", has 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB of flash memory, 9.7-inch (1024x768, 132 ppi)...will Windows 7 run on this hardware.
How about this http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/acer-iconia-b1-a71-hands-on/ Acer iconia dual-core 1.2GHz Mediatek processor 512MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 display launched this year. Will Windows Vista7/8 run on this...how about Windows RT.
Please when you put not sluggish or bloated, you have to face the facts, its going against Android and iOS, and they can run on these specifications, anything higher is gravy. In context of this article Microsoft dropping screen sizes is not enough.
People only need to do one thing at a time. The iPad, with its silly single tasking interface, proves that.
(takes deep breath) Jobs said a lot of things, most if not all may to manipulate a market into believing that the shortcoming of of Apples products were design decisions, and the world had to bend to its will. Its why flash has been replaced without a real replacement, because it ran badly with an iphone, its why Apple were so late to market with a small tablet, its why your holding it wrong.
Apple products didn't multi task...and do to so some extent now. Its a feature users want, and viewing too applications (although not exclusive to Microsoft; Samsung tablets do it too) its a great feature.
You need to look at the current crop of Android tablets...they are so ahead of Apple its not funny.
Buy an Apple TV dongle for $99
I'm not locked into the Apple ecosystem so it simply Does not work! I would have to use something that supports open standards. I actually went for a rasberry pi running XBMC. FYI a Apple TV in my country is $150, for its crippled experience.
Either way though I was referring to the mythical AppleTV that would save Apple from its insane share price drop from of $705 to $440, as its current offering look incredibly weak.
a touch screen results in gorilla arm
No..it doesn't I'm sorry. In reference to your post, personally I think it is a massive failure on behalf of Apple to not reinvent the PC, at the expense of recreating the massive profits for its floundering iPhone profits. If it did I suspect touch screen would be part of the equation, unfortunately for that kind of innovation we have to look toward Google Chome and its Pixel laptop.
In reference to the actual Gorilla Arm...seriously. If I had to type on my screen all day maybe, but I would love the ability to scroll large share graphs, manipulate maps...things where direct touch helps, and no I don't want it to come with sacrifice of a touch dominated interface. I want touch where its appropriate (winks)
I really do not understand the obsession of those that want to keep using that old POS OS?
Because a lots of hardware didn't work with Vista+, I have scanners, wifi cards...and whole computers that will never run Windows 7, but overall windows 7 is a beefy OS it requires lots of ram/processor/*average* graphics card...XP not as much it could cope with as little as 256mb something Linux with Gnome struggled with.
In context of this article its one of the reasons why Microsoft is in this mess. The fact that Microsoft threw the netbook market...now called the surface market under the bus, for a few dollars more, because Windows 7 struggled on atom+intel graphics hardware, and then completely destroyed it with windows 7 crippled edition on crippled hardware.
Why can't or won't Microsoft do the same?
Its kind or weird seeing the insanely priced x86 but impractical, but more useful netbooks posing as tablets, compared with its more reasonable price ARM and more practical tablet posing as a netbook, and unsurprisingly fail, but its the world Microsoft build. Microsoft has locked itself into a market it can't escape from. Its still selling on the windows branding an Office machine...with xbox branding (its damaged Windows Gaming brand beyond repair).
Its delicious irony that Microsoft is losing relevance in its own Monopolist market [and failing to break into new profitable markets], due to its own incredible dominance due to its own abuses...right now it doesn't have the binary ecosystem to compete with Android/Apple. Its Office products are not working either....and forget web browsing, because they are all designed to work with only Microsoft OS on X86
Hilariously they have gone for a locking their [not your] hardware down...and are dictating specs to its badly treated manufactures [while creating a competing 1st party product; Stealing the profits]...clearly they have forgotten how they succeeded last time, and why a Disk Based OS became the dominant computing platform.
I'm personally looking forward to Android becoming the dominant OS this year...I think I will eat cake.
"Apple has this experience. Microsoft doesn't. By definition it doesn't. People get hard/wet opening an Apple box. Nobody has to change their pants after a MS unboxing. Well, maybe accountants."
No they don't. In fact Android and a whole host of Manufactures, which don't sell bullshit [Chinese hardware with insane mark-ups], but decent products at good value, its why they took the market so quickly away from Apple after pissing away for two years trying to be Apple [or the reverse sell garbage hardware].
Seriously I'm tired of the *top gear* style hyperbole. The iPad was successful because it was *great* hardware, and for a new market *not expensive*. Its only in a maturing market with a plethora of [real] competition its looking mispriced.
Apple can't sell *magic* anymore; Jobs could [with great hardware to back him up], but those day are gone. They are just another electronics company. Apple is going to become as irrelevant on tablets as they are with phones.
by 2015 EVERYTHING will have a touch screen.
I love touchscreen, and most people are very happy with using a touch screen. I would *love* a 27" touch screen monitor, hell little Android windows running all over it. It would be great...just most of us are against sacrificing the current wimp experience + keyboard and mouse, for whole touched experience [including hardware that doesn't support it] , but Microsoft have done it for a mobile market grab.
As for using Apple as a barometer for the future of technology. I think you need to look elsewhere, its kind of depressing seeing that Video http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-02/20/bill-gates-mobile-phones where Bill wasn't his usual diplomatic self, and let his pride slip in. Most here had an mp3/tablet/smartphone/portable handheld computer before Apple had invented the market...hell want a smart TV, buy an AndroidTV dongle for $40
That's funny. I have lots and lots of boxes that run Windows XP just fine, but Ubuntu doesn't even install on. What do you put on low end computers? DOS?
Not funny at all. In 2007 pre Vista, a well configured bit-rot free Microsoft XP could run like a dream on contemporary hardware, and required less memory [that a heavyweight Desktop like Gnome], and greater hardware support [it had been around for like forever]
Its not 2007 anymore, the dominant OS is set to be Android this year, and on low end computer. I tend to put a Ubuntu on [I'm lazy] which word like a dream on anything. Its hardware support is better than anything.
It's a moot point. The tablet fad will be over shortly
I'm not sure your post-Tablet market prediction is close to same. The don't doubt that the PC is still very relevant. In fact I'm personally disgusted in the whole industry rather trying to tabletify the whole PC industry...rather than reinvent a better PC, and include touch-screen functionality where it is relevant.
MS XEROX APPLE
MS is like Apple from Bizarro-planet. Everything round is even squared. How appropriate.
"I think we copied everything down to the wooden tables and bar at the back. Now, when does the money come flying into our wallets?"
...I definitely agree that, Microsoft is chasing those early heady tablet days, when people bought into Apples shiny new toy...even with its hardware and lock-in with proprietary solutions, with locked down closed hardware, and they are Failing right now, Its stupid.
I will agree in the context of this article that Microsoft is following Apple in producing hardware in the same dimensions as the Android 7" tablet market...but they do so for very different reasons, Apple is trying to stave of competition[Read great value Android 7"] with its floundering market share...while Microsoft is trying to get some kind of market traction at all.
This is about caving to suppliers who can't [won't and don't] sell current windows hardware, against the army of good value Android tablets out there.
Its going to be a bloodbath, Android failed to gain traction in the then iPad market [for two years no less], with its parity devices [expensive high end]...and dirt cheap unbranded [or weak branded] underspecced hardware, and Microsoft seem to want to go down the same path.
Android has finally upsurped iOS post Nexus 7, by producing well specced good value tablets, consumers are buying them in droves...showing they are not stupid. Microsoft is going to fail selling cheap tablets against Androids.
The big problem is as always Windows Tax [more noticeable on cheaper hardware], Which unfortunately is going make Windows tablets look overpriced right now. Microsoft need to rethink their business model, but right now they need to be less greedy.
This is about putting windows on cheaper hardware, as windows is failing to sell at the high end. So if you are expecting a plethora of screen sizes and dimensions...its unlikely, as thinks with those dimensions are not cheap components. It will end up a failure like the ipad mini [expensive due to microsoft tax, and with low resolution screens, last years cpu]...with less popularity.
I suspect most people will benefit from a more video friendly/properly formatted ebook/Game friendly screen, not forgetting that you lose Windows one trick...split screen windows [although you lose that on the small screens anyway]...hell even its one usage seems stupid as you will also lose resolution!?...its why you see so few options in that form factor.
The only reason I can see you mentioning it is to troll for Apple...and right now they need all the help they can get.
You know there is 'gnote' which is a non-mono version of Tomboy, right?
I did know about gnote, but its only advantage would be not using Mono, in every other way its a disadvantage. Gnote is not standard; lags being tomboy development...and those things are more important to me than keeping Mono dependencies around. Hell I used to to love banshee before they tried to turn it from a music application to a Multimedia(sic) application, I've moved to Clementine since http://www.clementine-player.org/ its wonderful. The reality is Bijiben(Gnome Notes) looks to have none of the disadvantages, and perhaps a few advantages over tomboy [removing Mono is a bonus].
For Android gaming to go mainstream, it will have to start supporting input methods other than the touchscreen. Fortunately, Samsung is coming out with a gamepad for its Galaxy devices, so hopefully they will have enough market power to get app vendors to start supporting them. Other vendors are going to be releasing Android gamepads as well; hopefully they will be compatible.
Android gaming is more mainstream that, windows gaming ever was, and as for waiting for Samsung to release a phone, they are last in a long line of companies that have a Android with build in joypad; the http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/03/24/2025228/archos-gamepad-released-in-the-usa archos was announced here at less than $200 only 5 days ago], even Sony has had a device out over 18 months.
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/08/gnome-founder-says-desktop-linux-is-dead
I guess this guy could be considered an expert on the subject!
He is only interested in presenting other peoples interest, in how it fills his own pockets, and there is nothing wrong with that. Rock stars do it all the time. Its just kind of ironic that he does this at a time when Linux is growing market share as a desktop, and Apple is devastated with 25% drop is desktop sales. This is him saying OOXML is superb http://blogs.kde.org/node/2985, he is just that guy. I'm sorry is Mono project is looking dead in the water,; I notice Mono is being cut from the Gnome desktop. love the replacement for Tomboy :)
Want to know about Linux...ask me I use it everyday; Its the fasted growing desktop OS in the World.