Can you give a few examples of the lost functionality?
In XP, I had my my most-used apps set up with one-key shortcuts in the Start Menu. Windows Key + X would launch Excel, Windows Key + W would launch Word, etc. In Windows 7 it begins to search for apps.
I am responsible for editing training documents. I would store these documents in different folders, based on their status. In Windows 7, the Copy To and Move To functions were removed. There is also no way to go UP a level in the directory structure.
In XP, I had my my most-used apps set up with one-key shortcuts in the Start Menu. Windows Key + X would launch Excel, Windows Key + W would launch Word, etc. In Windows 7 it begins to search for apps.
I am responsible for editing training documents. I would store these documents in different folders, based on their status. In Windows 7, the Copy To and Move To functions were removed. There is also no way to go UP a level in the directory structure.
Gotcha. I never used the Windows Key except WK+M to minimize all open windows.
The "no way to go UP in a directory" bugs me too. I always thought I just didn't know how, or whatever, but I'll take your word for it that the functionality is just simply missing.
I once bought a Windows Annoyances book when I used XP, which had a bunch of ways to fix the annoying shit in Windows. There may be one of Win7, and it might address some of the things you dislike.
One workaround for you would be to put the often-used apps into the task bar. Then you could launch them with one click. However, there is not room for 26 icons there, so if you used all the letters of the alphabet, that would not be a complete solution. Currently, I have 9 icons there for the programs I use most, and it works OK for me. Less used programs reside in the Start Menu, and are available in two clicks. Lesser used programs are in the morass at the bottom - the shitty "All Programs" section.
The PC industry's problem is the failure to recognize that the "kit" era is over. When I look at most PCs, I don't see a modern computer. I see the 1975 Altair 8800: you can expand and customize it however you like, but that's not what people want. They never did. Most people want to take their technology for granted and let it blend into the background of their lives--like television or telephone. Only enthusiasts like to tinker with things. For this reason, new processors and new operating systems do very little to draw the attention of the non-enthusiast.
Apple products, in my opinion, tend to be more appliance-like and less prone to be tinkered with. And what new features excite users the most? Not software. When there’s a new iPad or iPhone in the pipeline, what most people get excited over is what it will look like—what kind of form it will take. The same is true in the auto industry. Most car owners have no idea how many horsepower their engine develops. All they know is their car looks great in black.
Name ONE business anywhere in the world that has replaced all their laptops with iPads. I bet you can't.
Maybe not....but I do know a bunch of individuals that replaced their laptop with an iPad. Many people get iPad's to complement their laptop/desktop as an iPad is A LOT easier to use on the go for the simple things people want to do like Facebook, web browsing, Twitter, reading, games, email, messaging, the list is endless. The iPad is changing how people do things and it will be a number of years for it all the shake out. We are witnessing a new era of computer use and mobile computing is playing a major part of that.
These are truly fun times we are living it and it has been a long time since a major change in how computing is done has come along. Apple produced the device and the people are figuring out what to do with it. That mirrors Steve Jobs closing words in the initial iPad launch presentation.
A bit wrong there bucko. Not entirely because there is a bit of internal Apple cannibalization, but there is A LOT of external PC laptop/netbook sales lost to the iPad.
What happend to netbooks? They were going to rule the low cost computing world? Well iPad happened to them, doing the specific task better. Now that market is all but dead.
Why is Apple's market share and numbers of laptops sold going up much faster than market growth rates while the PC industries are flat to barely growing? Apple laptops are flying off shelves and delivery trucks. Yeah, a little cannibalization of a beast growing at an unprecedented rate, for a new market segment castrating a significant part of the old market.
People talk about consumers and office workers as if they are two different types of people. Most consumers are office workers or college students who use computers. At home they may only buy a new computer every 10 years, but at work they still need a computer every couple years. Even though they may have an iPad they probably need a computer at home too for the kids to do their homework. Although you can use an iPad without a computer it works better if you sync it up. Depends on how much media content you have, but the point is, I see most iPad owners as still needing a computer. Many are choosing Mac at home even if they use Windows at work.
I don't think it's necessary to replace computers every two years. Every four seems extravagant for most users. I've heard of one company replacing computers because the manufacturer support for the machines run out at three or four years, but I don't know what to make of that. It's not like a computer quits working a month after the four years is up. Seems like an IT dept should be able to manage that.
Name ONE business anywhere in the world that has replaced all their laptops with iPads. I bet you can't.
All of their laptops? Well, now you're stretching. No one said they would be replacing ALL their laptops. But a number of companies have replaced a large number, even a majority. That would be SAP, Halliburton, Department of Tobacco and Firearms, Bank of America, and lots of others.
Considering how long it took for laptops to be considered a real business tool (over ten years), the rush to use iPads has been an amazing thing.
You, and others can pretend to yourselves that it isn't happening, but it surely is. That's why Microsoft is so desperate to get into this business, successfully, something they haven't been able to yet.
No you can't. But that's because they cannot figure out how to reduce manufacturing costs enough. Ultrabook manufacturers are content with razor thin margins, but not loss of $200 per unit sold. Lowering prices is a choice that cannot take until they get manufacturing costs down somehow. Quite literally Tim Cook priced them out of their own market, before it even existed.
You sure can't tell from the pricing of the "Utrabooks" that they're worried.
Sure they're worried. First the tried to force Intel to drop the price of the cpu's and chipsets aimed at Ultrabooks by half, but Intel refused. But they relented by creati g a $300 million fund to help those manufacturers do R&D for their products. Then, even though Intel spec'ed metal cases, they found they cost too much, or weren't able to get them made because Apple had most of the manufacturing tied up. Still, even with cheaper case materials, they couldn't get the prices down with computers that were similarly spec'ed to Apple's.
Then there is the price of materials in general, where appe gets better pricing because of volume pricing, such ad NAND for flash memory and SSD's. They even have to pay more for screens than Apple does.
So right now, they're screwed. Ultrabook sales are poor right now. It's being said that in order for these manufacturers to do well with them, they have to price a similarly spec'ed machine at $200 less. That's not happening so far.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26
Can you give a few examples of the lost functionality?
In XP, I had my my most-used apps set up with one-key shortcuts in the Start Menu. Windows Key + X would launch Excel, Windows Key + W would launch Word, etc. In Windows 7 it begins to search for apps.
I am responsible for editing training documents. I would store these documents in different folders, based on their status. In Windows 7, the Copy To and Move To functions were removed. There is also no way to go UP a level in the directory structure.
Bah, said laptop. Tablet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galley
In XP, I had my my most-used apps set up with one-key shortcuts in the Start Menu. Windows Key + X would launch Excel, Windows Key + W would launch Word, etc. In Windows 7 it begins to search for apps.
I am responsible for editing training documents. I would store these documents in different folders, based on their status. In Windows 7, the Copy To and Move To functions were removed. There is also no way to go UP a level in the directory structure.
Gotcha. I never used the Windows Key except WK+M to minimize all open windows.
The "no way to go UP in a directory" bugs me too. I always thought I just didn't know how, or whatever, but I'll take your word for it that the functionality is just simply missing.
I once bought a Windows Annoyances book when I used XP, which had a bunch of ways to fix the annoying shit in Windows. There may be one of Win7, and it might address some of the things you dislike.
One workaround for you would be to put the often-used apps into the task bar. Then you could launch them with one click. However, there is not room for 26 icons there, so if you used all the letters of the alphabet, that would not be a complete solution. Currently, I have 9 icons there for the programs I use most, and it works OK for me. Less used programs reside in the Start Menu, and are available in two clicks. Lesser used programs are in the morass at the bottom - the shitty "All Programs" section.
Here's the Windows 7 Annoyances book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596157622/ref=nosim/view0-20
The PC industry's problem is the failure to recognize that the "kit" era is over. When I look at most PCs, I don't see a modern computer. I see the 1975 Altair 8800: you can expand and customize it however you like, but that's not what people want. They never did. Most people want to take their technology for granted and let it blend into the background of their lives--like television or telephone. Only enthusiasts like to tinker with things. For this reason, new processors and new operating systems do very little to draw the attention of the non-enthusiast.
Apple products, in my opinion, tend to be more appliance-like and less prone to be tinkered with. And what new features excite users the most? Not software. When there’s a new iPad or iPhone in the pipeline, what most people get excited over is what it will look like—what kind of form it will take. The same is true in the auto industry. Most car owners have no idea how many horsepower their engine develops. All they know is their car looks great in black.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galley
....There is also no way to go UP a level in the directory structure.
Yes there is. Just click on the name of the parent folder in the address bar...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun, UK
Name ONE business anywhere in the world that has replaced all their laptops with iPads. I bet you can't.
Maybe not....but I do know a bunch of individuals that replaced their laptop with an iPad. Many people get iPad's to complement their laptop/desktop as an iPad is A LOT easier to use on the go for the simple things people want to do like Facebook, web browsing, Twitter, reading, games, email, messaging, the list is endless. The iPad is changing how people do things and it will be a number of years for it all the shake out. We are witnessing a new era of computer use and mobile computing is playing a major part of that.
These are truly fun times we are living it and it has been a long time since a major change in how computing is done has come along. Apple produced the device and the people are figuring out what to do with it. That mirrors Steve Jobs closing words in the initial iPad launch presentation.
PC makers are correct ...the iPad is delaying purchases of Apple notebooks. What's a PC maker to do?
A bit wrong there bucko. Not entirely because there is a bit of internal Apple cannibalization, but there is A LOT of external PC laptop/netbook sales lost to the iPad.
What happend to netbooks? They were going to rule the low cost computing world? Well iPad happened to them, doing the specific task better. Now that market is all but dead.
Why is Apple's market share and numbers of laptops sold going up much faster than market growth rates while the PC industries are flat to barely growing? Apple laptops are flying off shelves and delivery trucks. Yeah, a little cannibalization of a beast growing at an unprecedented rate, for a new market segment castrating a significant part of the old market.
I don't think it's the case, but if you're not used to it, it can be very hard to get your bearings.
Windows 8 seems to try make it very hard to get to the control panel though.
I don't think it's necessary to replace computers every two years. Every four seems extravagant for most users. I've heard of one company replacing computers because the manufacturer support for the machines run out at three or four years, but I don't know what to make of that. It's not like a computer quits working a month after the four years is up. Seems like an IT dept should be able to manage that.
All of their laptops? Well, now you're stretching. No one said they would be replacing ALL their laptops. But a number of companies have replaced a large number, even a majority. That would be SAP, Halliburton, Department of Tobacco and Firearms, Bank of America, and lots of others.
Considering how long it took for laptops to be considered a real business tool (over ten years), the rush to use iPads has been an amazing thing.
You, and others can pretend to yourselves that it isn't happening, but it surely is. That's why Microsoft is so desperate to get into this business, successfully, something they haven't been able to yet.
Actually, not so much app,e notebooks, those sales are strong. It's the faltering sales of Windows machines that PC makers are so concerned about.
For the first time, including the recession, Microsoft has seen sales of Windows drop.
You sure can't tell from the pricing of the "Utrabooks" that they're worried.
No you can't. But that's because they cannot figure out how to reduce manufacturing costs enough. Ultrabook manufacturers are content with razor thin margins, but not loss of $200 per unit sold. Lowering prices is a choice that cannot take until they get manufacturing costs down somehow. Quite literally Tim Cook priced them out of their own market, before it even existed.
Sure they're worried. First the tried to force Intel to drop the price of the cpu's and chipsets aimed at Ultrabooks by half, but Intel refused. But they relented by creati g a $300 million fund to help those manufacturers do R&D for their products. Then, even though Intel spec'ed metal cases, they found they cost too much, or weren't able to get them made because Apple had most of the manufacturing tied up. Still, even with cheaper case materials, they couldn't get the prices down with computers that were similarly spec'ed to Apple's.
Then there is the price of materials in general, where appe gets better pricing because of volume pricing, such ad NAND for flash memory and SSD's. They even have to pay more for screens than Apple does.
So right now, they're screwed. Ultrabook sales are poor right now. It's being said that in order for these manufacturers to do well with them, they have to price a similarly spec'ed machine at $200 less. That's not happening so far.