AppleInsider › Forums › Mobile › iPad › Microsoft unveils Windows 8 tablet effort with Samsung prototype
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Microsoft unveils Windows 8 tablet effort with Samsung prototype - Page 2

post #41 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackthemac View Post

Even without the fan (pauses to keep face straight)

I'll do it for you:

Quote:
Originally Posted by jackthemac View Post

Can anyone explain why MS completely fail to understand design aesthetics on every level ?

<insert balmer joke here>

... at night.

Reply

... at night.

Reply
post #42 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ranReloaded View Post

I understand that the whole "Intel tablet with a fan" is a temporary thing until the actual product releases, but since you are already showing an admittedly half as-... er, "alpha" version of the software, why don't go the full monty and give away prototype tablets with an actual (albeit not optimal) ARM CPU? Even if they don't perform as well as the (ultimately) shipping product, as a developer I would be more interested in testing Windows on the yet-uncharted ARM territory.

I think it's as simple as ARM not being ready. They demo ARM devices in the keynote but most of the actual Windows 8 demonstrations are done on Intel hardware.
Reply
Reply
post #43 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post

I understand an Apple site needs to spin this to give Apple a positive look, and in regards to Samsung, this is just getting shameless. But OTOH, having been running this developer preview (admittedly only for a couple hours), I absolutely love it. We'll see after a couple weeks when the new OS smell wears off, but it is faster than Win7 was on the same machine. I've installed iTunes, Flash, Office 2010, Java, Chrome, and Eclipse (Java dev tool), and everything has been running flawlessly. For a "pre-beta", I am absolutely floored. I can't believe I'm saying this, but so far so good Microsoft!

The really cool thing is that devices can do double duty, and the same OS works on a variety of devices.

You can have a tablet computer to walk around with, and when you plug it into the base station, you have full keyboard/mouse control. Windows 8 will run every app that can run on Win7, so there is no need to use dumbed-down tablet applets when you are at your desk.

I'm looking forward to tablets that are real computers, capable of everything a regular PC is capable of.

I envision the base station having a massive external drive connected to it, so you've got all your data right there when you use the computer interface, with an easy and efficient way to drag and drop data onto the smaller local SSD for when you are out and about. You could even put the big programs on the external drive, using full-blown Office in the dock, and a pared-down tablet version when you are disconnected.

Not only that, but the WinTabs will allow a variety of inputs: Touchscreen with either finger or stylus, mouse, trackpad, Wacomm tablet, bluetooth or wired or USB keyboard. Outputs too: use the built-in small screen, use a good sized monitor, or use HDMI for your honking huge TV.

I hope that it works as well as envisioned. If so, it will mature the tablet paradigm into a variety of full-featured uses and devices.

I really like the idea of a tablet as a real computer instead of a limited-use appliance.
Reply
Reply
post #44 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by benanderson89 View Post

I'm not a registered dev and i'm downloading it right now. No log in, no forms to fill out, just a download button and you're ready to go.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516

IMO you're wasting your time unless you are a developer.

The dev pre-releases are just that. They have just about everything useful stripped out.

No mail, no calendar, no people hub, no Xbox Live, no Windows Store etc etc etc

It's also pretty much impossible to get a sense of the "killer" tablet features like side-by-side apps and "app contracts" without having a bunch of different applications installed.
Reply
Reply
post #45 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:48am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

The thing that bugs me is the mis-use of schizophrenia by so many when they really mean a split personality.

Reply
Reply
post #46 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bwinski View Post

Microshaft revenue from ALL it's products is now about $60 billion a year... Flat... And Apple's is $ 500 billion... Up 62% from last year....

Yeah. I'm much more interested in how much money vendors make, rather than what their products can do for me.

Not.
Reply
Reply
post #47 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:48am
It's looking fairly okay, even in its pre-Beta state. Looks responsive although touch could do with some tweaking. That more or less says it though - it's going to be a two horse race between Apple and Microsoft. I imagine Android won't be able to compete on a large scale, especially now it's being forked to holy hell. I foresee their tablet presence relegated to a few, niche devices e.g. Amazon, B&N and Gamestop. A revamped Windows Media Centre and the addition of Xbox Live should be a good OS for a HTPC.

The only thing now is to see if Microsoft can release Windows 8 before the iPad becomes a full fledged PC replacement (which is more about the apps than the OS imo). Microsoft will be competing against the iPad 3 and iOS 6 come mid to late '12. Once it takes it's $50 fee, I doubt the OEMs will be able to compete price-wise and spec-wise with the third gen iPad. Compromises will be made - just look how hard they're finding it with Android, which is more or less free. In addition to this, I'm not sure business users will find Metro that appealing (it will be pervasive even in the 'classic' UI).

Slow execution embodies Microsoft these days. Their stuff is getting better, but to think Apple beat them to the whole '3 screens and a cloud' thing (which Balmer was going on about for how many years?) must hurt. Plus the fans are looking pretty pre-post-PC.
Reply
Reply
post #48 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dhinged View Post

This looks like a great idea for a tablet or a tablet-as-a-pc-replacement but a stand-alone desktop? Terrible. The interface was not designed for a mouse and will be more difficult to use with a mouse.

You will be able to switch to a regular Windows desktop when docked. Apps too - choose between the full-featured interface or the dumbed-down tablet interface when you use the device for different purposes.
Reply
Reply
post #49 of 206
9/14/11 at 4:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post

You will be able to switch to a regular Windows desktop when docked. Apps too - choose between the full-featured interface or the dumbed-down tablet interface when you use the device for different purposes.

Leaving aside the question of why anyone would ever wish to use a 'regular Windows desktop ' in the first place, can't you see that the idea of a tablet is not to replicate the function of a desktop machine ?

As ever Microsoft have got it wrong by trying to shoehorn too many facilities/gimmicks into the box, and please every member of the focus group.

A cursor and a mouse on a touchscreen interface ? Do I need to say any more ?
Macs. Then: IIc. IIsi. IIfx. Color Classic. LCII. LCIII. Beige G3 266. G4 450. Now: i7 iMac. 24-inch iMac 2.8GHz. MBP 2GHz. G5 2GHz. iPad 32GB wifi
Tunes: 32GB iPhone 4G. 32GB iPhone 3GS. 32GB...
Reply
Macs. Then: IIc. IIsi. IIfx. Color Classic. LCII. LCIII. Beige G3 266. G4 450. Now: i7 iMac. 24-inch iMac 2.8GHz. MBP 2GHz. G5 2GHz. iPad 32GB wifi
Tunes: 32GB iPhone 4G. 32GB iPhone 3GS. 32GB...
Reply
post #50 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post

Other companies, like MS and Samsung, demo products that still look like crap because they are desperate for attention. Which of course backfires.



Hmmmm.......Windows outsells OSX by about 15:1, and Samsung sells more phones than anyone.

How do you figure that equals backfiring? Seems like they are doing some things right.
Reply
Reply
post #51 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post

Hmmmm.......Windows outsells OSX by about 15:1, and Samsung sells more phones than anyone.

How do you figure that equals backfiring? Seems like they are doing some things right.

Yes but large numbers don't equal large profits. That's why Apple make hugely more on each machine running OSX than MS do flogging a copy of Windows.
Macs. Then: IIc. IIsi. IIfx. Color Classic. LCII. LCIII. Beige G3 266. G4 450. Now: i7 iMac. 24-inch iMac 2.8GHz. MBP 2GHz. G5 2GHz. iPad 32GB wifi
Tunes: 32GB iPhone 4G. 32GB iPhone 3GS. 32GB...
Reply
Macs. Then: IIc. IIsi. IIfx. Color Classic. LCII. LCIII. Beige G3 266. G4 450. Now: i7 iMac. 24-inch iMac 2.8GHz. MBP 2GHz. G5 2GHz. iPad 32GB wifi
Tunes: 32GB iPhone 4G. 32GB iPhone 3GS. 32GB...
Reply
post #52 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macrosheep View Post


The iPad is doing well because the mass market wants a simple appliance ...

I can't possibly imagine Grandma or some other non-technical person wanting to use this thing.


Wow. How times have changed. Apple used to be the brand for the tech-savvy rebel. Now it is the choice of the mass-market and the grandparents?

Some people think different from the mass market. Is Apple abandoning them? Sheep used to buy Microsoft. Now is Apple the brand for the sheep and the lemmings?

Dunno...
Reply
Reply
post #53 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:11am
I wouldn't assume that Microsoft's enterprise business makes their tablet offerings an easy sell. It didn't work for RIM or HP, two enterprise giants.
Reply
Reply
post #54 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by d-range View Post

We understand that much, thanks. Point is that no-one wants active cooling on a tablet, and no-one knows how Windows 8 will run on slower hardware.

Actually, the facts are different. Windows 8 runs faster than Windows 7 on weak hardware, according to many reviews. And Windows 7 runs just fine in yesterday's netbooks, which are sans-fans.

Somehow, I think that there will be a wide variety of choices in the Win8 tablet/notebook/desktop market.

I like the idea of choice. Grandma might get confused, but The Rest of Us welcome it.
Reply
Reply
post #55 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackthemac View Post

Leaving aside the question of why anyone would ever wish to use a 'regular Windows desktop ' in the first place, can't you see that the idea of a tablet is not to replicate the function of a desktop machine ?

As ever Microsoft have got it wrong by trying to shoehorn too many facilities/gimmicks into the box, and please every member of the focus group.

A cursor and a mouse on a touchscreen interface ? Do I need to say any more ?

Yes. Tell me why it is a problem to be able to use full featured software, like Photoshop when you are docked, and dumbed-down applets when you are not.

It would be great to have a cheap appliance to surf the 'web. But nothing is yet available.

It would also be great to have a single device that is both a full-on tablet and a full-on computer, depending on where and how you are using it. It looks like that is on the horizon.
Reply
Reply
post #56 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:29am
Just watched the video and all I have to say is.....
Woooaaahhhhh there buddy!!!
Press down on that screen any harder and you might just break it.
Reply
Reply
post #57 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post

Had to Cmd-Ctrl-D on snafus, & wasn't surprised to read:

"noun
a confused or chaotic state; a mess : an enormous amount of my time was devoted to untangling snafus.
adjective
in utter confusion or chaos : our refrigeration plant is snafu."

How the heck does Sinofsky mean: "there are going to be more of them"? Meaning it is a pre-beta, I presume? A pre-beta. Wow. Reminds me of GMv2. MS hasn't changed a bit.

"SNAFU" is a World War II US Army acronym. It stands for: "Situation Normal: All F-ed Up".

So yes, Microsoft is saying their product is SNAFU. Who needs Apple fanboys?
I have seen the future, and it's my mac mini server. I love that little guy...
Reply
I have seen the future, and it's my mac mini server. I love that little guy...
Reply
post #58 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robodude View Post

The only thing now is to see if Microsoft can release Windows 8 before the iPad becomes a full fledged PC replacement (which is more about the apps than the OS imo).

My brain has been doing back-flips over this one recently!

A lot of people (I was one) see it as a foregone conclusion that the iPad will become a full fledged PC replacement... but I'm just not that sure anymore.

Windows 8 isn't quite what people see as "PC", but there are a bunch of features that set it apart from "media tablets". Stuff like the information rich and "alive" start screen, user profiles, side-by-side applications, app contracts and the ability to join Windows domains and of course the "classic desktop" app.

As I think of the iPad adding this kind of functionality I can't help but wonder if they would completely alienate their core market.

There also has to be some kind of performance penalty from adding in this kind of functionality, regardless of the promises delivered by Microsoft.

Just look at the hatred directed toward Microsoft in this thread for including a "class Windows desktop" app on their tablet OS. I can't imagine these same people wouldn't be completely pissed off by an "OSX app" being included on the next iPad.

Could it be possible that there are actually two separate markets here? i.e. those looking for a completely appliance-like "media tablet", and others looking for something a little bit "media tablet" but a little bit PC as well?
Reply
Reply
post #59 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:38am
I'll pick one up when they drop the price down to $100.
Reply
Reply
post #60 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post

My brain has been doing back-flips over this one recently!

A lot of people (I was one) see it as a foregone conclusion that the iPad will become a full fledged PC replacement... but I'm just not that sure anymore.

Windows 8 isn't quite what people see as "PC", but there are a bunch of features that set it apart from "media tablets". Stuff like the information rich and "alive" start screen, user profiles, side-by-side applications, app contracts and the ability to join Windows domains and of course the "classic desktop" app.

As I think of the iPad adding this kind of functionality I can't help but wonder if they would completely alienate their core market.

There also has to be some kind of performance penalty from adding in this kind of functionality, regardless of the promises delivered by Microsoft.

Just look at the hatred directed toward Microsoft in this thread for including a "class Windows desktop" app on their tablet OS. I can't imagine these same people wouldn't be completely pissed off by an "OSX app" being included on the next iPad.

Could it be possible that there are actually two separate markets here? i.e. those looking for a completely appliance-like "media tablet", and others looking for something a little bit "media tablet" but a little bit PC as well?

I'm sure there are two markets and there may be overlap although Microsoft may be going about this the wrong way by having the overly complex Windows underneath the simplified interface. They'll need to work hard to make sure the Metro side is intuitive, otherwise Grandma, etc. will revert back to classic Windows and by SOL just like they are now.

I wasn't thinking of features such as the ones you mentioned - in regards to profiles, I believe the iPad is a PC in the truest sense. 3 profiles on 16GB isn't practical right now. My missing features are the fact I can't use apps side by side, multi-tasking is a bit unintuitive too (gestures will help) and "typing and browsing" is not a good experience. Holes in apps include the fact that there's no passwording system on a per-app basis (for bank accounts) and not Apple's fault, but uploading to sites such as Facebook and Tumblr just aren't convenient (I'm talking photos). I think these are things that a "media tablet" should be able to do, and not even crossing into real productive stuff yet!
Reply
Reply
post #61 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


It would be great to have a cheap appliance to surf the 'web. But nothing is yet available.

I get the feeling you have not used an iPod Touch or an iPad.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post

It would also be great to have a single device that is both a full-on tablet and a full-on computer, depending on where and how you are using it. It looks like that is on the horizon.

Yes, but Apple wisely see that you can't do both in a touch screen tablet. And judging by the device MS/Samsung are unwisely showing off, neither can they.

If you want a 'full on' portable desktop experience, get a MacBook Air.
If you want a tablet, get an iPad.

Simples !
Macs. Then: IIc. IIsi. IIfx. Color Classic. LCII. LCIII. Beige G3 266. G4 450. Now: i7 iMac. 24-inch iMac 2.8GHz. MBP 2GHz. G5 2GHz. iPad 32GB wifi
Tunes: 32GB iPhone 4G. 32GB iPhone 3GS. 32GB...
Reply
Macs. Then: IIc. IIsi. IIfx. Color Classic. LCII. LCIII. Beige G3 266. G4 450. Now: i7 iMac. 24-inch iMac 2.8GHz. MBP 2GHz. G5 2GHz. iPad 32GB wifi
Tunes: 32GB iPhone 4G. 32GB iPhone 3GS. 32GB...
Reply
post #62 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post

A lot of people (I was one) see it as a foregone conclusion that the iPad will become a full fledged PC replacement...

Not unless it can multitask. Not unless you can load the software of your choice onto it, rather than being restricted to a single vendor who refuses to stock entire categories. Not until it has mouse or trackpad functionality.

It will continue to be what Apple allows it to be. An accessory device.
Reply
Reply
post #63 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:51am
To those wondering why that Microsoft gave out an Intel based tablet at BUILD: The conference is primarily aimed at developers. It makes sense to give them a machine that can be used as a tablet and like a desktop. Windows on ARM, IIRC, will only be for tablets and will only support the tablet interface. They were just giving out a machine that can be used for developing for many different form factors.

Regarding the quality of Windows 8 so far: It feels like a pre-beta to me. A lot seems missing. Performance is phenomenal, but a lot of things feel incomplete.

iPad 16 GB(1st gen), iPod touch 8 GB (4th gen), iPod shuffle (2nd gen), iPod shuffle (4th gen)

Reply

iPad 16 GB(1st gen), iPod touch 8 GB (4th gen), iPod shuffle (2nd gen), iPod shuffle (4th gen)

Reply
post #64 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackthemac View Post

I get the feeling you have not used an iPod Touch or an iPad. . .

Or for the price of an iPod Touch you can get a Nook Color, which I'm finding is more capable than I expected. I even watched this past weekends FSU game on it live over wifi via ESPN3.

melior diabolus quem scies

"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012

Reply

melior diabolus quem scies

"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012

Reply
post #65 of 206
9/14/11 at 5:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post

Windows 8 runs faster than Windows 7 on weak hardware, according to many reviews.

Memory requirements have dropped significantly. You can also see the CPU pretty much flat-lined.

IMO Microsoft's biggest issue is disk space. The dev preview sucks up 7GB without all applications included (by comparison the iPad is 2GB with apps).

The extra apps might push it up to 8GB for a standard installation. If it stays at that level it pretty much rules out 16GB Windows 8 tablets.

In monetary terms it probably adds $20 or so to the price of every Windows 8 tablet.


Reply
Reply
post #66 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:01am
There are two opposite paradigms, and depending on which one you're from, you'll either love or hate Windows 8 for tablet.

Speaking as a Mac user since the 512K Mac, and being a Mac evangelist for all of that time -- I actually am enthusiastic about Windows 8 for tablet.

Here's why.

Apple has said that it aims for simplicity in its iPad, and that iPad is more for content-consumption than content creation.

Therefore, if you're mostly a content-consumer -- a few emails, Facebook, photos, surfing the web -- then iPad is perfect for you, and your comments reflect that.

For me, I am a content creator. I'm a writer, and I also run a business via internet. Most of the time I use my Mac for content creation. So I'm not tempted to get an iPad. My iPhone fulfils my mobile needs.

There's not enough info for me to evaluate Windows 8 - but what I see makes me very interested. I'm the person who would have loved a fully blown OSX in a tablet format that I could work on the run, because that's my lifestyle.

I can fully understand the teenie-bopper crowd who only use their computers for fun stuff -- but I don't think the teenie bopper crowd can understand that there is a whole different part of society out there that actually use their mobile gear for serious business and work - particularly content creation. (iPads are great in business for content consumption, as well).

As a Mac users for decades, I am willing to see where Windows 8 goes. If it turns out to be good, I might wait for a year for Win 8 to stabilize, and then try running OSX and Win8 in parallel. All my data is cross-platform, in Dropbox, IMAP so I am not locked into one OS.
Reply
Reply
post #67 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:13am
Windows 8 is trying to be both an iPad and a laptop, but does both of those things worse than either of them.
Mavericks will be a free download. Trust me.
Reply
Mavericks will be a free download. Trust me.
Reply
post #68 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by island hermit View Post

I'm not a big MS fan by any means but I'd put my money on this 50 to 1 horse. I've said it a few times before... Google doesn't have to worry about Apple... it has to worry about MS. jmho

I'm not a betting man but there is a chance MS scrap this project before it is finalized, It wouldn't be the first time with such radical concepts from MS, especially with their pre beta strategy. What a contrast from the confidence Apple show whereby their products are totally secret until the public unveiling. It's as if this way MS can try out concepts and feel the reaction out without loosing face if they cancel the project. It is also a way of keeping die hard MS investors happy for the medium term.
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
post #69 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4miler View Post

There are two opposite paradigms, and depending on which one you're from, you'll either love or hate Windows 8 for tablet.

Speaking as a Mac user since the 512K Mac, and being a Mac evangelist for all of that time -- I actually am enthusiastic about Windows 8 for tablet.

Here's why.

Apple has said that it aims for simplicity in its iPad, and that iPad is more for content-consumption than content creation.

Therefore, if you're mostly a content-consumer -- a few emails, Facebook, photos, surfing the web -- then iPad is perfect for you, and your comments reflect that.

For me, I am a content creator. I'm a writer, and I also run a business via internet. Most of the time I use my Mac for content creation. So I'm not tempted to get an iPad. My iPhone fulfils my mobile needs.

There's not enough info for me to evaluate Windows 8 - but what I see makes me very interested. I'm the person who would have loved a fully blown OSX in a tablet format that I could work on the run, because that's my lifestyle.

I can fully understand the teenie-bopper crowd who only use their computers for fun stuff -- but I don't think the teenie bopper crowd can understand that there is a whole different part of society out there that actually use their mobile gear for serious business and work - particularly content creation. (iPads are great in business for content consumption, as well).

As a Mac users for decades, I am willing to see where Windows 8 goes. If it turns out to be good, I might wait for a year for Win 8 to stabilize, and then try running OSX and Win8 in parallel. All my data is cross-platform, in Dropbox, IMAP so I am not locked into one OS.

Ironically, a Mac enthusiast is probably more likely to be impressed with this (tablet side) concept than a die hard XP user. The snag is they are not going to switch any more then you and I would for the opposite reasons.
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
post #70 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:21am
As a writer I am surprised you haven't heard of Chapters for the iPad. Whenever I am away from the office eg in a waiting room for dentist or doctor and so on I can slip out my iPad, write a couple of paragraphs, and then go into the appointment or get off the tram and all the text is available as a text file which you can later format how you like.

The more you stick into a Tablet, the more technology, memory, and storage you need. The more power you have, the shorter the battery life. To increase storage and memory and battery life costs money, so the device costs more. That's why it will be hard to displace the iPad - it sits right in the sweet spot of all of these things.

Fifth Decade Blog Not for the delicate - it's all about International Politics, Business, Finance, Technology, Sport and stuff like that.

Reply

Fifth Decade Blog Not for the delicate - it's all about International Politics, Business, Finance, Technology, Sport and stuff like that.

Reply
post #71 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland View Post

Windows 8 is trying to be both an iPad and a laptop, but does both of those things worse than either of them.

I agree and it sounds just like a product design to please a focus group. The opposite approach Apple takes.
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
post #72 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SwissMac2 View Post

As a writer I am surprised you haven't heard of Chapters for the iPad. Whenever I am away from the office eg in a waiting room for dentist or doctor and so on I can slip out my iPad, write a couple of paragraphs, and then go into the appointment or get off the tram and all the text is available as a text file which you can later format how you like.

The more you stick into a Tablet, the more technology, memory, and storage you need. The more power you have, the shorter the battery life. To increase storage and memory and battery life costs money, so the device costs more. That's why it will be hard to displace the iPad - it sits right in the sweet spot of all of these things.

Agreed. The more I use my iPad 2 the more amazed I am at its potential. The battery life is simply astounding compared with my new MBP i7. The break through for me in using the iPad 2 in conjunction with the MBA was the discovery of a small iPad app called GoodReader which is the 'can opener' of all files.
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
Reply
post #73 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robodude View Post

...and not Apple's fault, but uploading to sites such as Facebook and Tumblr just aren't convenient (I'm talking photos).

You need to look at Windows 8 app contracts. I'll try to find a good example for you. It goes way beyond this, but a simple example would be...

Say you have Flickr, Instagram and Tumblr metro apps installed and all these apps support the Windows 8 data sharing contract.

When you open the Instagram app and click on "Load Photo" you are presented with not just the photos that are on your PC, but also the photos from every installed app that support the "photo loading" contract.

From this screen you select a photo from the installed Flickr app which is loaded into Instagram. Once you've edited the photo you can select the "share" icon (this isn't part of the Instagram app but Windows 8 itself) and you are presented with applications that implement the "photo sharing" contract.

From this list you can select Tumblr which launches the Tumblr photo sharing app section side-by-side with Instagram. You enter some details, post the photo and you are returned to the Instagram app.

All of these apps are totally unaware of each other, they simply implement various data contracts that allows Windows 8 to seamlessly mesh them together.

Like I said before, it actually goes way beyond this, but I'm sure you get the idea.
Reply
Reply
post #74 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:36am
So this was a developer pre-view of a pre-release product in pre-beta? Okey dokey then!
Reply
Reply
post #75 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by benanderson89 View Post

Oh I didn't know it was free to everyone. I'll have to give it a go tonight.

Here is the problem for apple. If this can replace a desktop, laptop and have good tablet, are people going to want to pay 500 dollars for another device?
Reply
Reply
post #76 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post

You need to look at Windows 8 app contracts. I'll try to find a good example for you. It goes way beyond this, but a simple example would be...

Say you have Flickr, Instagram and Tumblr metro apps installed and all these apps support the Windows 8 data sharing contract.

When you open the Instagram app and click on "Load Photo" you are presented with not just the photos that are on your PC, but also the photos from every installed app that support the "photo loading" contract.

From this screen you select a photo from the installed Flickr app which is loaded into Instagram. Once you've edited the photo you can select the "share" icon (this isn't part of the Instagram app but Windows 8 itself) and you are presented with applications that implement the "photo sharing" contract.

From this list you can select Tumblr which launches the Tumblr photo sharing app section side-by-side with Instagram. You enter some details, post the photo and you are returned to the Instagram app.

All of these apps are totally unaware of each other, they simply implement various data contracts that allows Windows 8 to seamlessly mesh them together.

Like I said before, it actually goes way beyond this, but I'm sure you get the idea.

Sounds good, as does the pane for split screen apps. Contracts are a great idea, but the thing with showing it off so early means it's difficult to imagine it fully realised. That said, looking forward to see what developers do with it. With "old Windows" to fall back on, how can Microsoft get them to develop proper Metro apps?

Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

I'm not a betting man but there is a chance MS scrap this project before it is finalized, It wouldn't be the first time with such radical concepts from MS, especially with their pre beta strategy. What a contrast from the confidence Apple show whereby their products are totally secret until the public unveiling. It's as if this way MS can try out concepts and feel the reaction out without loosing face if they cancel the project. It is also a way of keeping die hard MS investors happy for the medium term.

I wouldn't say it's a confidence thing - just that Microsoft have to cater to a diverse crowd. Which other projects have been scrapped, in line with the pre-Beta strategy? I'm foreseeing plenty of changes but odds of scrappage are quite low.
Reply
Reply
post #77 of 206
9/14/11 at 6:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post

Or for the price of an iPod Touch you can get a Nook Color, which I'm finding is more capable than I expected. I even watched this past weekends FSU game on it live over wifi via ESPN3.


LOL Is that you, DaHarder?
Reply
Reply
post #78 of 206
9/14/11 at 7:04am
So here's what I'm not getting, maybe someone can clarify for me: do the same apps run under both classic Windows 8 and Metro? That is, can I open a file in "Windows" while docked, then take off and continue to work on the same file within a touch friendly interface?
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.
Reply
post #79 of 206
9/14/11 at 7:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by d-range View Post

We understand that much, thanks. Point is that no-one wants active cooling on a tablet, and no-one knows how Windows 8 will run on slower hardware. The fact that Microsoft had Samsung build some kind of tablet prototype with an i5 suggests that running Windows 8 on ARM-based tableat hardware is not going to be fun in its current state.



The funny thing is that a G5 PowerMac is actually very comparable to an xbox 360 in CPU performance (the 360 CPU is a stripped-down Power5 with 3 cores at 3 Ghz, adapted to trade in some general-purpose performance to increase peak floating point and cache performance). Even funnier is that we've all seen the big mess Microsoft ended up in with the first few generations of xbox 360 hardware: loud, unreliable, running too hot. It took them almost 5 years to get it right. If this Samsung 'developer platform' serves as an indication where W8 on tablets, things are not looking so great.

keywords - development platform (ie: not for sale)
Reply
Reply
post #80 of 206
9/14/11 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post

So this was a developer pre-view of a pre-release product in pre-beta? Okey dokey then!

You hit the nail right on the head!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: iPad
  • Microsoft unveils Windows 8 tablet effort with Samsung prototype
AppleInsider › Forums › Mobile › iPad › Microsoft unveils Windows 8 tablet effort with Samsung prototype