Microsoft, HP introduce touchscreen 'slate PC' at CES

1246713

Comments

  • Reply 61 of 243
    icyfogicyfog Posts: 338member
    If you need to install Silverlight then it's not worth watching.
  • Reply 62 of 243
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vercordio View Post


    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zindako View Post


    So is it official that Courier is truly Vaporware?



    I actually wouldn't count on that, just yet. The fact that it wasn't announced last night does not mean it never will be. ...



    I don't think you get the whole definition of "vapourware."



    This most definitely means that the Courier is indeed 100% vapourware.



    Even if they demoed Courier at the event on some kind of alpha or beta hardware/software basis, that would still indicate that it's not an actual releasable product. They announced it as a (near) future product, but it's basically just a pre-alpha concept video. This is almost the very definition of "vapourware"
  • Reply 63 of 243
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    not like Bill Gates didn't demo a tablet back in 2001



    So it took around nine years for this? MS might not want to be touting how long they have had "tablet" on their minds and in their R&D department... It was bad enough with the length of time for Longhorn, Vista, Windows 7 and what features were first touted versus what actually became reality.



    Kind of like going from Courier to the HP Slate... MS is doing it all over again!
  • Reply 64 of 243
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Here's Ballmer's dillema. He has to sit back and wait for somebody else to build the hardware, basically using Windows 7. Somebody else has to "innovate" the hardware. It's a catch 22 and real innovation can't happen. Could MS build the hardware themsleves? Of course, but then they would alienate and piss off their "partners" like HP for instance. So they sit there looking at each other, waiting for the other to do something. Do we finally begin to understand why Apple likes to build the whole enchilada, control the eco-system, and lock us in to their universe? Do we now understand why Apple is recogonized as a real innovator?



    You have to respect Microsoft for the success they've had in the past but this keynote was really sad to watch. Apple's influence and presence was all over the place. It was palpable. It was embarassing.



    Like someone else posted earlier, I hope they keep Ballmer around long enough to utterly destroy the company Gates built.
  • Reply 65 of 243
    imatimat Posts: 208member
    The more these things happen and the better I understand Jobs and his obsession for secrecy. If Apple wasn't as secret in product development as it is then they would basically do R&D for the whole of the Silicon Valley.



    Sad day today. The biggest company on earth didn't announce anything significant or ready for sale right now, further proving that only one company is doing some serious R&D in user interfaces and devices.
  • Reply 66 of 243
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    This comment pretty much summed it up:



    cameljockey says:

    Thu Jan 07 06:24:00 PST 2010

    Anything involving windows or Microsoft is poison. This company is for losers only.









    I stand corrected!



    Why do you always sound pathetic, bitter and angry? This tablet isn't even made my Microsoft, its hardware made by HP. Its hard to even take you serious on macrumors seeing most of your posts are simply cut and paste from one forum to another. You have way too much free time on your hands.
  • Reply 67 of 243
    zindakozindako Posts: 468member
    Its safe to say, microsoft is on its way out in just a few short years at this pace, Apple will continue to shake up industries and innovate, eventually taking huge carvings of tech industry to grow and swallow up the inept microsoft. That presentation was quite awful and those windows junkies salivating at the courier video should feel that sharp pain in their heart right about now looking at those slate pc's.



    It is quite sad indeed for Ballmer to even come on stage with zero products to show, only to chant and remind us of how supposedly good windows 7 is.
  • Reply 68 of 243
    zindakozindako Posts: 468member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    Why do you always sound pathetic, bitter and angry? This tablet isn't even made my Microsoft, its hardware made by HP. Its hard to even take you serious on macrumors seeing most of your posts are simply cut and paste from one forum to another. You have way too much free time on your hands.



    So if this slate pc was made by HP and not microsoft, where is the courier? I suppose M$ is waiting on the Apple product to hit the streets first so they can get started copying it?
  • Reply 69 of 243
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    If you guys all want some fun head over to PCWorld's blog, link below. The PC fanboys are defending Ballmer's screw up and claiming the Apple Tablet is vaporware, it is hilarious. I have never trolled before but could not resist stoking the fire there. It's a good and well balanced article actually.



    http://www.pcworld.com/article/18617...pointment.html



    OMG. Here are some of the comments.



    Quote:

    Overhyped tablets? can you say Apple? Apple is overhype epitomized.

    Hey guys, there are already Apple magazines out there, yours is called PC World.

    Forget your roots AND readers?

    _________________________________________



    the specs on the apple tablet are unknown, so why would you even write an article comparing a non-existant product to one that actually exists?

    ________________________________________



    This is a poorly written article as it did not explain why the Tablet was a big disappointment or what was the expectation for the new product. Apple's tablet, from what I read, is only going to be one screen so why bring that up? There where no specs or feature list given at all just a reference to a kindle like product running Windows 7. Windows 7 is a good operating system and if I had one of these tablets I would no doubt put kindle on it and start reading more books. Way to 'IPhone' this one in!

    __________________________________________



    From this article, I fail to understand the writers "disappointment" aside from an apparent bias against Microsoft."...almost as portable as a phone and that's as powerful as a PC running Windows 7..." sounds about as good as any smoke and mirrors product from Apple.

    _________________________________________




    Good find, digitalclips. These people are hysterical. They're accusing people of being Apple fanboys enmasse, and then acting the same way themselves. Can they be this dumb? The HP product looks like tablet with...GASP....multi-touch! It's pointless. It's a color Kindle.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post


    Here's Ballmer's dillema. He has to sit back and wait for somebody else to build the hardware, basically using Windows 7. Somebody else has to "innovate" the hardware. It's a catch 22 and real innovation can't happen. Could MS build the hardware themsleves? Of course, but then they would alienate and piss off their "partners" like HP for instance. So they sit there looking at each other, waiting for the other to do something. Do we finally begin to understand why Apple likes to build the whole enchilada, control the eco-system, and lock us in to their universe? Do we now understand why Apple is recogonized as a real innovator?



    You have to respect Microsoft for the success they've had in the past but this keynote was really sad to watch. Apple's influence and presence was all over the place. It was palpable. It was embarassing.



    Like someone else posted earlier, I hope they keep Ballmer around long enough to utterly destroy the company Gates built.



    I could not agree more. Ballmer's Keynote was absurd and sad in every respect. The man is SO FREAKING BORING. It's actually uncomfortable. Instead of creating excitement, he comes off like a used car salesman. "Come on over here and take a look at this nice little product....she's a real beaut!"



    The problem for Ballmer is that he doesn't understand--no matter how hard he tries---that Apple is not a hardware OR software company. Their products go beyond products. The marriage of hardware, software and real ingenuity turns the product into symbol...a household name..an icon. The iPhone is just a smartphone with a touch screen that can run different Apps....it's more than the sum of its parts. It's an iPhone, and not just because the name says so.



    Apple is all about the experience of the customer. They don't enter markets just to compete with a company. On the other hand, M$ does exactly this. They look at what Apple is doing with the iPod, iPhone, Mac OSX and think..."hey! we can compete with that!" Apple wants to compete, of course. But they do it through focusing on one thing: The customer's experience.



    Let me close with the fact that I don't think Gates was as bad as Ballmer. He had more vision to be sure. He doesn't have what Jobs does, but he's smart enough to know why Apple is Apple. At least he had the honesty to steal ideas!
  • Reply 70 of 243
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    Why do you always sound pathetic, bitter and angry? This tablet isn't even made my Microsoft, its hardware made by HP. Its hard to even take you serious on macrumors seeing most of your posts are simply cut and paste from one forum to another. You have way too much free time on your hands.



    That's the problem. MS whoring its OS out to all takers regardless of the hardware it runs on. MS chose HP (or HP chose MS, whichever, LOL.) And HP produced THAT.



    MS = HP.



    Done.



    I'm not angry, just incredibly amused.
  • Reply 71 of 243
    jasenj1jasenj1 Posts: 923member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iMat View Post


    Sad day today. The biggest company on earth didn't announce anything significant or ready for sale right now, further proving that only one company is doing some serious R&D in user interfaces and devices.



    While Project Natal was not announced or ready for sale (but a sale date was provided), I would say it is serious R&D in user interfaces & devices. And they did show off some decent integration between TVs and handheld devices.



    Has anyone seen MS's in car offerings? Do they have any UI innovations?



    MS may not be innovating in the same space as Apple. But they are innovating. Their innovations just get overwhelmed by the mundane stuff they're doing and some prominent screw ups (Vista).



    - Jasen.
  • Reply 72 of 243
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    I think this picture shows something else too which is how hideously *bad* MS is at designing anything.



    Here we have a device for reading books, but it has a frame, around a frame, around a frame, around a frame, around a book. Simply by means of the crappy architecture of the GUI, it loses about 40-50% of the screen real estate to the UI and the controls.



    If you have an electronic book, the ideal is to have the book itself appear edge to edge. Some frames are unavoidable (the device itself, the borders of the screen), but this GUI is just ridiculous and unnecessary.



    This is just Windows' desktop on a small device running full screen apps. Big deal.



    Try clicking the tiny "x" on the stupid yellow balloons that appear on a Windows task bar every few minutes with your big fat finger on that thing. It won't work. Try adjusting the volume on the task bar volume slider, and see it FAIL. It's hard enough adjusting the iPhone's software volume control which is literally twice the size.



    You *will* need a capacitive stylus to operate this thing.



    I was about to say that. I hate how large portion of the display is eaten by the device frame, Windows frames... etc. This was my criticism to the early Kindle as well. Too much UI space wasted.
  • Reply 73 of 243
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    I don't think you get the whole definition of "vapourware."



    This most definitely means that the Courier is indeed 100% vapourware.



    Even if they demoed Courier at the event on some kind of alpha or beta hardware/software basis, that would still indicate that it's not an actual releasable product. They announced it as a (near) future product, but it's basically just a pre-alpha concept video. This is almost the very definition of "vapourware"



    They never announced the courier. A presentation of the concept was leaked. I don't think a product can be vaporware without an announcement. We know that Microsoft has thought about concepts like the courier, but they have never promised or even suggested that it will ever hit the market.



    My take: A Microsoft project leaked in its early stages of development to gauge consumer support for such a device, but not vaporware.
  • Reply 74 of 243
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    I think both positive and negative responses are much ado about absolutely nothing. You can't really compare Apple and Microsoft because Apple produces OS and hardware and Microsoft (except for the Zune) produces only OS.



    So what can Microsoft really do as they're at the mercy of the hardware producers, like HP, that happen to use their OS. I think the difference between this presentation and whatever Apple comes up with will be similar to the difference between simply displaying an e-Book on a tablet and the Sports Illustrated prototype demo. The problem is that Ballmer probably doesn't understand that difference -- he probably simply screamed, "we're going to CES. I'm giving the keynote. Give me something I can show."



    There is lack of innovation across the industry. We can easily see this as virtually every phone company and now the tablet and slate companies are producing product that at least on the outside, look like an iPhone. If they don't even have enough creativity to design an alternative to Apple's look on the outside, how can we expect them to innovate the UI and/or development tools? I think this demo says more (negative) about HP than it does about Microsoft.



    I don't think anyone would argue that Jobs, Ive and team have a certain design aesthetic. At the very least, they are totally aware that it's necessary to have that design aesthetic in both hardware and software design. Does Mr. Ballmer have a design aesthetic (aside from the fashion faux pas of a very large man wearing a red sweater)?



    I do agree with the Microsoft defenders in one regard: it's unfair to compare an existing product to one that doesn't yet exist.



    The fact is that if Apple releases a ground-breaking but very expensive new product and other manufacturers release a much less expensive product that does more than the Kindle and others readers like it (but presumably less than what the Apple does), they both will win - they'll be room in the marketplace for both.



    In my case I have a Mac laptop and an iPhone. If I started travelling extensively again, I'd probably want an e-Book reader, but I don't think I want a $1000 device no matter what it does. But of course, I don't really know yet what new ground Apple is going to break.
  • Reply 75 of 243
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zindako View Post


    So if this slate pc was made by HP and not microsoft, where is the courier? I suppose M$ is waiting on the Apple product to hit the streets first so they can get started copying it?



    Many hardware companies have been making a tablet PC for years. HP, Dell, Asus, Samsung, fujitsu all have some form of a tablet. Apple is one the getting in on this late. We don't even know what the Apple tablet has to offer. It could be great or it could suck.



    Fact is HP has had the #1 selling tablet PC for a while now. This isn't anything new. HP has had the TouchSmart line for a while now. Not sure why everyone is so shocked or all pissed off.
  • Reply 76 of 243
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    That's the problem. MS whoring its OS out to all takers regardless of the hardware it runs on. MS chose HP (or HP chose MS, whichever, LOL.) And HP produced THAT.



    MS = HP.



    Done.



    I'm not angry, just incredibly amused.



    You don't sound amused. We don't even know if Apple is even going to intro a Tablet this month. HP has been making a Tablet PC and the TouchSmart line for years now. This isn't some shocking news they decided to intro another Tablet.



    Funny if OSX is so great why is Apple currently working on "stability issues". So much for it just works righ the first time, something we all know is BS.



    At least MS doesn't have to give away their OS for 29.00.



    You have never seen this Tablet you have never used it because its not on the market yet, you don't have a clue about Windows 7 and you are always talking out your ass about products you don't use. Get a clue.



    People like you are the reason everyone thinks Apple users are assholes.
  • Reply 77 of 243
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    You don't sound amused. We don't even know if Apple is even going to intro a Tablet this month. HP has been making a Tablet PC and the TouchSmart line for years now. This isn't some shocking news they decided to intro another Tablet.



    Funny if OSX is so great why is Apple currently working on "stability issues". So much for it just works righ the first time, something we all know is BS.



    At least MS doesn't have to give away their OS for 29.00.



    You have never seen this Tablet you have never used it because its not on the market yet, you don't have a clue about Windows 7 and you are always talking out your ass about products you don't use. Get a clue.



    People like you are the reason everyone thinks Apple users are assholes.



    C'mon, dude. Don't get upset. Although the ridiculous keynote Microsoft is a great company and you can buy all its software and live happily. Yes, you can. Take a deep breath, calm down and just go to pcworld or wherever your friends are.
  • Reply 78 of 243
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member
    I love Apple Products as much as next guy on this forum, but...



    Let's talk about the hypocracy about this forum's reaction to this HP device. Now, it may not be an apple product, but it's everything you've been dreaming of in the iSlate/MacPad; but, it is using a MS OS. I can assure you that you fanboys/girls out there would be singing a very differnet song if this was what Apple unveiled.



    Sadly, i don't see this new Apple iSlate being anything like this. I've been reading the forums regarding the Apple tablet for about 2 years now. Everyone has thier wish lists out there, and the general consensus is that most of the fanboys/girls want a MBP but in tablet form. Again, i don't see that happening with the new product, but we'll see.



    Granted, Windows has a bad UI and track record...i get that.



    I just wanted to call all of you people out for crapping on a product that is everything you want, except for the OS. I can't wait to hear the fanboy/girl reaction to the new Apple tablet when it doesn't have OSX on it...the wining and all that.



    for shame!
  • Reply 79 of 243
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    Those devices he demo'd all look too heavy and too big. I want something light and ultra-thin that I can easily hold with one hand without getting tired in a hurry.



    If it is a 10" screen then most of what I see better be an active display area. Forget a half inch black border around the display - that's just ugly. Razor thin on the device thickness. Good luck with that M$ since I won't be buying one of those.
  • Reply 80 of 243
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Axolotl View Post


    C'mon, dude. Don't get upset. Although the ridiculous keynote Microsoft is a great company and you can buy all its software and live happily. Yes, you can. Take a deep breath, calm down and just go to pcworld or wherever your friends are.



    I'm perfectly calm. Unlike many here I don't have an emotional reaction to inanimate objects. I use the tool that gets the job done. I don't see the need to bash Google or Microsoft. We already know Ballmer is not fit to run Microsoft. Thats not really news. In fact one of the Top 10 prediction for 2010 is that he would be removed.



    I have said it a million times here, competition breeds innovation. The Nexus One will push Apple to build a better iPhone. The end user (that would be us) is the only one that suffers when there is a lack of competition. Some just don't understand that very simple fact.
Sign In or Register to comment.