Thats not the point.... the point is that the PC is not going away, instead PC's are being supplemented by tablets.
MS is right... its simple, tell me what "PC" stands for.... now tell me what a tablet is... or are tablets not personal?
Well, it's been *accepted* that "PC" specifically refers to a "personal computer running Windows", not Linux, not Mac OS, but Windows. Yes, it also stands for the more generic phrase "Personal Computer", but that's not what we're talking about here.
When speaking of "Personal Computers", yes tablets are more personal than boxy-desktop or laptop computers ever were, so it's an ironic situation. But you need to look at the meaning behind both Steve Jobs' statement and Steve Ballmer's statement. Both were referring to "Windows PCs", not just personal computers in general. The PC era is dying.
When Apple says "Post PC" they mean that people's stuff no longer lives on their computer. The cloud has replaced the PC as the storage medium. The tool to access that data can be a phone, tablet or a traditional computer. It really doesn't matter. The tool no longer dominates the discussion.
I love how they go through the keynote and read all the words they want their product to be from the autocue and then when it comes to using the product:
[VIDEO]
They talk about the the pen ignoring your palm and during the demo, as the guy tries to write on the screen, it zooms all over the place.
Oh but they went to all the lengths of testing the closing sound of the stand in an anechoic chamber so the user would at least know when they get so pissed off with it and shut the whole thing down, they have a really solid product that will stand up to a rage-induced wall collision.
Microsoft has been in this industry for decades, why do they still ignore the fundamentals?
If you can't demo a product without saying a single word and not convince someone to buy it, your product isn't good enough. Apple is often seen as a marketing company with little substance but it's the exact opposite. The people at Apple have the confidence to stand behind their product and their marketing isn't masking the truth, at worst it exaggerates it. The marketing from PC manufacturers is a lie and a very blatant lie.
The Windows 8 RT model will supposedly start at $600 to compete with the $400 iPad. The x86 model is supposed to cost in the region of $1000. An 11" Air costs $1000 so a 10.6" x86 tablet at $1000 isn't as bad as it sounds at first as it should run normal software but I think it will be hard to convince people to part with $1000 for a tablet form factor.
This x86 tablet is obviously the PC+ and they are arguing over semantics with Post-PC vs PC+. The iPad is such a dramatic shift away from what we know as a PC experience that it is much more of a transition than an enhancement.
Microsoft is trying to converge both into one device and I generally like that idea. I think what they did with the keyboard cover is great and much better than Apple's keyboard dock, which you can't really take with you easily. It doesn't add up to a compelling product though and that's not so much in the concept but their implementation of it.
Jobs was absolutely correct; MS is wrong. The post-PC world is mobile, always connected to the internet, instant on, no app management, and simple enough for a child or grandparent to understand. It is not another form factor for a desktop or a laptop. It's a different mindset. Most of the major tethers of the PC era are gone, as in the mainframe era before it.
Mobile has overtaken PC's as the larger market. The reality now is *not* that we are in a PC+ environment where PC's are supplemented by mobile, we are in a *mobile* environment that is supplemented by PC's.
The number of people I see doing most of their computing on their phones and iPads in business is stunning. They drop to their PCs for some part of the day, but that part is getting smaller and smaller.
MS is at real risk of implosion in the next year. If Surface fails, and Win 8 is received like Vista, they will be crushed in the stock market. A friend of mine who is a lifelong windows user did a test with his teenaged children on Windows 8. They couldn't figure out how to do some very basic stuff. They all hated it. I never would have seen this coming. He has traded his Windows Phone (stylus) for an iPhone, picked up an iPad, but still uses PC's for doing 3D animation. Dell gives him $5k laptops for free because he is that good, and now he hates Windows 8 passionately. Very, very bad sign for MS.
I love how they go through the keynote and read all the words they want their product to be from the autocue and then when it comes to using the product:
They talk about the the pen ignoring your palm and during the demo, as the guy tries to write on the screen, it zooms all over the place.
Oh but they went to all the lengths of testing the closing sound of the stand in an anechoic chamber so the user would at least know when they get so pissed off with it and shut the whole thing down, they have a really solid product that will stand up to a rage-induced wall collision.
Microsoft has been in this industry for decades, why do they still ignore the fundamentals?
It is unfinished product and it will be until there is CTL+ALT+DEL buttons!! Every Windows machine needs CTL ALT DEL!
OK this is Lenovo's laptop/tablet hybrid. Honestly who would ever use this as a tablet? It looks heavy, bulky and uncomfortable to hold as the back is the keyboard.
To me this has fail written all over it. I just can't imagine myself on a bus/plane or at the park/beach reading a book with one of these things.
I love how they go through the keynote and read all the words they want their product to be from the autocue and then when it comes to using the product:
[VIDEO]
They talk about the the pen ignoring your palm and during the demo, as the guy tries to write on the screen, it zooms all over the place.
Oh but they went to all the lengths of testing the closing sound of the stand in an anechoic chamber so the user would at least know when they get so pissed off with it and shut the whole thing down, they have a really solid product that will stand up to a rage-induced wall collision.
Microsoft has been in this industry for decades, why do they still ignore the fundamentals?
If you can't demo a product without saying a single word and not convince someone to buy it, your product isn't good enough. Apple is often seen as a marketing company with little substance but it's the exact opposite. The people at Apple have the confidence to stand behind their product and their marketing isn't masking the truth, at worst it exaggerates it. The marketing from PC manufacturers is a lie and a very blatant lie.
The Windows 8 RT model will supposedly start at $600 to compete with the $400 iPad. The x86 model is supposed to cost in the region of $1000. An 11" Air costs $1000 so a 10.6" x86 tablet at $1000 isn't as bad as it sounds at first as it should run normal software but I think it will be hard to convince people to part with $1000 for a tablet form factor.
This x86 tablet is obviously the PC+ and they are arguing over semantics with Post-PC vs PC+. The iPad is such a dramatic shift away from what we know as a PC experience that it is much more of a transition than an enhancement.
Microsoft is trying to converge both into one device and I generally like that idea. I think what they did with the keyboard cover is great and much better than Apple's keyboard dock, which you can't really take with you easily. It doesn't add up to a compelling product though and that's not so much in the concept but their implementation of it.
The keyboard cover looks cool but I'm reserving judgement until someone actually uses it and tells us what it's like to type on. But for me using a hardware keyboard with a tablet seems weird. I guess I'd rather use a laptop then. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple looked into something like the touch cover but decided against it in the end To me the touch cover comes off as a bit gimmicky and I don't think Apple is into gimmicky.
I do like Microsoft's incorporation of a PC based processor into their Surface which will run PC software and have usable USB ports. In my business, this is a better and more useful direction for a tablet, showing that the iPad is really just for games and internet access and not work. I see a place for both.
Mike you are stuck in the past what is your business? The only thing preventing an iPad from accomplishing any of those "useful" tasks that you "need" are developers who have written the software and manufacturers who have made the devices that communicate via WiFi and Bluetooth instead of USB. There is nothing but a desire to hold onto old tech that is holding an iPad back from the "serious" computing that any other $600 PC can do.
Oh and here's another Lenovo lt that the Apple haters swear up and down looks nothing like a Mac.
Why is it so hard for people to admit that a lot of PC laptops/Ultrabooks take their design cues from the MacBook Pro/Air these days? It's so obvious. And has nothing to do with whether Apple invented something or not (i.e. wedge shape, chicklit keyboard), it's about the finished product, all th design components put together.
Really? I hear this a lot and yet, no one has remarked on how wonderful their Tablet PCs are? I can't quite figure out why that is?
Why don't you just get a netbook? Not sure what advantages having a device like the Surface will be?
People don't seem to understand, that Windows is Windows... form factor isn't going to help make the experience any better or different. Microsoft knows this. They've tried several times; Tablet PC, UMPC, and Netbooks... While netbooks were successful for a moment, none of these devices made using Windows a joy... That is to say, these form factors are not great for desktop based operating systems for one simple reason, the screen is too small to be practical for productivity using a window based OS.
The iPad didn't become popular only because of its form, it sells well because of its easy to use.
What I like about the Surface Pro is that all my music production software and graphics apps will work on it. NONE of them will work on an iPad. I could care less about the bells and whistles and fancy streamers hanging off the handlebars of an iPad if it doesn't do what I need it to do.
The mistake Microsoft is making is trying to compete with Apple in the iOS space. Forget that, leave it to Apple. Microsoft needs to focus on the professional market. The rest will follow when they realize how much more they can do with a fully functional tablet. Those that don't need it can keep their iPads.
What I like about the Surface Pro is that all my music production software and graphics apps will work on it. NONE of them will work on an iPad. I could care less about the bells and whistles and fancy streamers hanging off the handlebars of an iPad if it doesn't do what I need it to do.
Is the reason those apps don't work inherent to the iPad's form factor or because the developers haven't written the software for it yet? I'm inclined to lean towards the latter. I foresee more production Apps showing up over time on iOS when people finally start figuring out how to implement the advanced features for a simple UI.
Thats not the point.... the point is that the PC is not going away, instead PC's are being supplemented by tablets.
MS is right... its simple, tell me what "PC" stands for.... now tell me what a tablet is... or are tablets not personal?
What "PC" stands for is not the point -- it's just a name that happened to stick at the time. Of course tablets are personal -- more personal than "PC"s. Or do you think "PostModern" people aren't really modern with a small 'm', but kind of primitive? (well, now that I mention it, ....hmmm? )
The idea behind the name "personal computer" might have been to denote that one person sat at it, at a desk, to operate it, if not to own it. But they haven't really reached penetration levels of one per person; they are usually shared, such as between members of a household. PostPC devices will however easily reach penetration of one per person for much of the world, if not more than one per person (I have both an iPod touch and an iPad, while I share my Mac with my family). They are more personal because of the way you create, publish, carry and share your own data where ever you go, repurposing it in ever more unique ways.
No, the PC is not going away; but I would contend that, actually, PostPC devices will be supplemented by PCs. A subtle difference, but a difference nevertheless, and one that symbolizes the "PostPC" era. For many young people, this is already a reality. This is the difference that is lost on MS. It thinks it can automatically catch up and recapture this divide just by slapping the word "Windows" on everything; thereby denying there is any such notion as "PostPC", or negating it if it catches hold.
However, MS tacitly begins to acknowledge the notion when it creates Metro and mumbles, that OK, maybe, just maybe there are people who would go for some kind of ultra portable device which kinda sorta resembles a tablet if we get to add a built-in keyboard, a stylus and call it Surface for Windows RT. Only, that scares them because they know they can't compete with Apple in the touch/ARM sphere and have to push everyone toward the "full" Windows experience which is declining in sales precisely because of this PostPC phenomenon no one wants to acknowledge. Vicious circle, or what?
So, Apple is right. And, no, it's not simple. Because, for one thing, if everything's really a PC after all, then the iPad really, really does need to be counted in computer sales by any and every reckoning, and not just in order to logically anticipate business opportunities for computer companies who are bent on denying it to their own detriment. So, as Gruber said, "MS is caught between a rock and a hardware".
Has Ballmer commented on whether a tablet is a PC or not? If not I can see that coming once they sell a few ... that will be the moment Apple can give in and agree ... then post the Apple sales data for 'PCs' (Macs + iPads).
in the Oriface announcement preso they called thr ARM/RT version a tablet... But called the Intel version a PC... Consistently!
Microsoft is great at compromising. Compromising leads to watered down end products. Case in point: Microsoft's entire history. Until MS decides to take risks, REAL risks, and quit compromising they will always be second tier. Even when they were on top it was with a second tier, inferior product.
No surprises here.
If putting Ballmer in charge and leaving him there for 10+ years isn't a real risk, I don't know what is.
If Apple got serious and produced a real Office Suite comparable to MS Office (iWork doesn't count) but lean, mean and full of features, Microsoft would be screwed.
If I was a Microsoft investor, I would be seriously concerned. Don't let MS turn into RIM.
I disagree... iWork does count and satisfies the WP and SS needs of most people --- certainly not the accounting department, but most common needs of most people.
We have 5 people in our household -- 2 adults and 3 teens. We. Have a typical mixture of homework, church reports, soccer schedules, investment/tax spreadsheets... We have no Windows or Office software on any of our Macs.
We don't need or want Office -- it is very liberating!
I think MS has already missed its opportunity to bring Office into the post-PCM era.
The mistake Microsoft is making is trying to compete with Apple in the iOS space. Forget that, leave it to Apple. Microsoft needs to focus on the professional market. The rest will follow when they realize how much more they can do with a fully functional tablet. Those that don't need it can keep their iPads.
The mistake that Microsoft and you are making is failing to realize that the opposite has already proven to be the case:
People who were brainwashed for decades into thinking that they had to have the "professional" solution and "full experience" that Windows claimed to offer, have suddenly started to wake up and feel encouraged that this is not in fact the case. They are beginning to feel encouraged and empowered and to actually enjoy computing once again.
Young people and old people and businesses and schools are buying iPads by the truckload, simply because they offer just the right capabilities (and new capabilities) with a whole lot more ease and productivity. Whole skill sets and sets of tasks and jobs to be done are going over to iPad: because iPad can connect to MS Exchange Server, can handle proprietary business apps and data connections, can handle stock taking, can handle survey taking and questionnaires, can handle teaching and learning requirements, can handle media creation and presentation, can handle PoS, can handle medical and legal briefing, can handle management and administration... and can do new things to boot (such as replace pilot charts). And all this with an ease of use and intuitiveness that puts generations of Windows computing to shame.
Another mistake is to think that the rest will follow the professional market. The state of Apple rather implies the opposite. And those that think they need a "fully functional tablet" a la the MS definition (because MS can't get their ARM tablet and touch OS to be functional) can check out the MacBook Air. But you'll begin to see all this when you finally get your Surface Pro for Windows 8, if it ever goes beyond a "reference design".
Thats not the point.... the point is that the PC is not going away, instead PC's are being supplemented by tablets.
MS is right... its simple, tell me what "PC" stands for.... now tell me what a tablet is... or are tablets not personal?
I will actually agree with you. However that's based on this exact moment in time. The fact is that the post-PC era is upon us and just because at this specific moment in time the PCs still look viable as opposed to being the truck they are soon to become doesn't mean that we're not in the new era. You just have to see that it is coming. Look at the trends. It's clear that tablets - I mean iPads - are the next dominant platform for end user computing.
an ipad has a lot less productivity than a PC currently has. And no, anything that is a desktop that doesn't run iOS/Android/other mobile OSes.That means windows, many versions linux, Mac OS_.
thats currently a pretty backed up fact.... Once a tablet can take over 90%+ of productivity jobs (like powerpoint, word, excel, multi moniters, etc) than i am willing to merge the two together.... Leaving it as Phones and all the other personal devices.\
And for the windows comment, i grew up using Mac OS9/X... i currently use windows 60-70% of time, linux probably 20% and Mac OSX the rest.
also i want to say i have a executive functioning problem which makes it harder for me to get the ideas from my head to writing or speech. This can make it hard for things like this, if you need clarification of what i am trying to say please ask
Your whole premise is based on a definition of "productivity" being PowerPoint, Excel, Word. That's relevant in the PC era, but peoples' computing needs in the post PC era are quite different. Posting to FB and Twitter. Sharing photos and videos. Carrying their media library around. These are the post PC "productivity" behaviors.
The mistake Microsoft is making is trying to compete with Apple in the iOS space. Forget that, leave it to Apple. Microsoft needs to focus on the professional market. The rest will follow when they realize how much more they can do with a fully functional tablet. Those that don't need it can keep their iPads.
You fail to realize that the world has changed. People don't look to their corporate IT anymore for technology. They already buy better technology for themselves. The consumerisation of IT has been in full swing for some years now. Microsoft is increasingly irrelevant as a purchasing decision in the consumer space, and corporate IT will adapt. Just will take them awhile. Why do you think you still see Blackberries? You won't in 3 years. MS will get more time, but in 10 years the landscape doesn't look to favor them.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicolbolas
Thats not the point.... the point is that the PC is not going away, instead PC's are being supplemented by tablets.
MS is right... its simple, tell me what "PC" stands for.... now tell me what a tablet is... or are tablets not personal?
Well, it's been *accepted* that "PC" specifically refers to a "personal computer running Windows", not Linux, not Mac OS, but Windows. Yes, it also stands for the more generic phrase "Personal Computer", but that's not what we're talking about here.
When speaking of "Personal Computers", yes tablets are more personal than boxy-desktop or laptop computers ever were, so it's an ironic situation. But you need to look at the meaning behind both Steve Jobs' statement and Steve Ballmer's statement. Both were referring to "Windows PCs", not just personal computers in general. The PC era is dying.
When Apple says "Post PC" they mean that people's stuff no longer lives on their computer. The cloud has replaced the PC as the storage medium. The tool to access that data can be a phone, tablet or a traditional computer. It really doesn't matter. The tool no longer dominates the discussion.
[VIDEO]
They talk about the the pen ignoring your palm and during the demo, as the guy tries to write on the screen, it zooms all over the place.
Oh but they went to all the lengths of testing the closing sound of the stand in an anechoic chamber so the user would at least know when they get so pissed off with it and shut the whole thing down, they have a really solid product that will stand up to a rage-induced wall collision.
Microsoft has been in this industry for decades, why do they still ignore the fundamentals?
If you can't demo a product without saying a single word and not convince someone to buy it, your product isn't good enough. Apple is often seen as a marketing company with little substance but it's the exact opposite. The people at Apple have the confidence to stand behind their product and their marketing isn't masking the truth, at worst it exaggerates it. The marketing from PC manufacturers is a lie and a very blatant lie.
The Windows 8 RT model will supposedly start at $600 to compete with the $400 iPad. The x86 model is supposed to cost in the region of $1000. An 11" Air costs $1000 so a 10.6" x86 tablet at $1000 isn't as bad as it sounds at first as it should run normal software but I think it will be hard to convince people to part with $1000 for a tablet form factor.
This x86 tablet is obviously the PC+ and they are arguing over semantics with Post-PC vs PC+. The iPad is such a dramatic shift away from what we know as a PC experience that it is much more of a transition than an enhancement.
Microsoft is trying to converge both into one device and I generally like that idea. I think what they did with the keyboard cover is great and much better than Apple's keyboard dock, which you can't really take with you easily. It doesn't add up to a compelling product though and that's not so much in the concept but their implementation of it.
Mobile has overtaken PC's as the larger market. The reality now is *not* that we are in a PC+ environment where PC's are supplemented by mobile, we are in a *mobile* environment that is supplemented by PC's.
The number of people I see doing most of their computing on their phones and iPads in business is stunning. They drop to their PCs for some part of the day, but that part is getting smaller and smaller.
MS is at real risk of implosion in the next year. If Surface fails, and Win 8 is received like Vista, they will be crushed in the stock market. A friend of mine who is a lifelong windows user did a test with his teenaged children on Windows 8. They couldn't figure out how to do some very basic stuff. They all hated it. I never would have seen this coming. He has traded his Windows Phone (stylus) for an iPhone, picked up an iPad, but still uses PC's for doing 3D animation. Dell gives him $5k laptops for free because he is that good, and now he hates Windows 8 passionately. Very, very bad sign for MS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin
I love how they go through the keynote and read all the words they want their product to be from the autocue and then when it comes to using the product:
They talk about the the pen ignoring your palm and during the demo, as the guy tries to write on the screen, it zooms all over the place.
Oh but they went to all the lengths of testing the closing sound of the stand in an anechoic chamber so the user would at least know when they get so pissed off with it and shut the whole thing down, they have a really solid product that will stand up to a rage-induced wall collision.
Microsoft has been in this industry for decades, why do they still ignore the fundamentals?
It is unfinished product and it will be until there is CTL+ALT+DEL buttons!! Every Windows machine needs CTL ALT DEL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by freediverx
and we'll actually see who was right/wrong, AGAIN.
yeah, good point.
To me this has fail written all over it. I just can't imagine myself on a bus/plane or at the park/beach reading a book with one of these things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Fix
I do like Microsoft's incorporation of a PC based processor into their Surface which will run PC software and have usable USB ports. In my business, this is a better and more useful direction for a tablet, showing that the iPad is really just for games and internet access and not work. I see a place for both.
Mike you are stuck in the past what is your business? The only thing preventing an iPad from accomplishing any of those "useful" tasks that you "need" are developers who have written the software and manufacturers who have made the devices that communicate via WiFi and Bluetooth instead of USB. There is nothing but a desire to hold onto old tech that is holding an iPad back from the "serious" computing that any other $600 PC can do.
Why is it so hard for people to admit that a lot of PC laptops/Ultrabooks take their design cues from the MacBook Pro/Air these days? It's so obvious. And has nothing to do with whether Apple invented something or not (i.e. wedge shape, chicklit keyboard), it's about the finished product, all th design components put together.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjtomlin
Really? I hear this a lot and yet, no one has remarked on how wonderful their Tablet PCs are? I can't quite figure out why that is?
Why don't you just get a netbook? Not sure what advantages having a device like the Surface will be?
People don't seem to understand, that Windows is Windows... form factor isn't going to help make the experience any better or different. Microsoft knows this. They've tried several times; Tablet PC, UMPC, and Netbooks... While netbooks were successful for a moment, none of these devices made using Windows a joy... That is to say, these form factors are not great for desktop based operating systems for one simple reason, the screen is too small to be practical for productivity using a window based OS.
The iPad didn't become popular only because of its form, it sells well because of its easy to use.
What I like about the Surface Pro is that all my music production software and graphics apps will work on it. NONE of them will work on an iPad. I could care less about the bells and whistles and fancy streamers hanging off the handlebars of an iPad if it doesn't do what I need it to do.
The mistake Microsoft is making is trying to compete with Apple in the iOS space. Forget that, leave it to Apple. Microsoft needs to focus on the professional market. The rest will follow when they realize how much more they can do with a fully functional tablet. Those that don't need it can keep their iPads.
Is the reason those apps don't work inherent to the iPad's form factor or because the developers haven't written the software for it yet? I'm inclined to lean towards the latter. I foresee more production Apps showing up over time on iOS when people finally start figuring out how to implement the advanced features for a simple UI.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicolbolas
Thats not the point.... the point is that the PC is not going away, instead PC's are being supplemented by tablets.
MS is right... its simple, tell me what "PC" stands for.... now tell me what a tablet is... or are tablets not personal?
What "PC" stands for is not the point -- it's just a name that happened to stick at the time. Of course tablets are personal -- more personal than "PC"s. Or do you think "PostModern" people aren't really modern with a small 'm', but kind of primitive? (well, now that I mention it, ....hmmm?
The idea behind the name "personal computer" might have been to denote that one person sat at it, at a desk, to operate it, if not to own it. But they haven't really reached penetration levels of one per person; they are usually shared, such as between members of a household. PostPC devices will however easily reach penetration of one per person for much of the world, if not more than one per person (I have both an iPod touch and an iPad, while I share my Mac with my family). They are more personal because of the way you create, publish, carry and share your own data where ever you go, repurposing it in ever more unique ways.
No, the PC is not going away; but I would contend that, actually, PostPC devices will be supplemented by PCs. A subtle difference, but a difference nevertheless, and one that symbolizes the "PostPC" era. For many young people, this is already a reality. This is the difference that is lost on MS. It thinks it can automatically catch up and recapture this divide just by slapping the word "Windows" on everything; thereby denying there is any such notion as "PostPC", or negating it if it catches hold.
However, MS tacitly begins to acknowledge the notion when it creates Metro and mumbles, that OK, maybe, just maybe there are people who would go for some kind of ultra portable device which kinda sorta resembles a tablet if we get to add a built-in keyboard, a stylus and call it Surface for Windows RT. Only, that scares them because they know they can't compete with Apple in the touch/ARM sphere and have to push everyone toward the "full" Windows experience which is declining in sales precisely because of this PostPC phenomenon no one wants to acknowledge. Vicious circle, or what?
So, Apple is right. And, no, it's not simple. Because, for one thing, if everything's really a PC after all, then the iPad really, really does need to be counted in computer sales by any and every reckoning, and not just in order to logically anticipate business opportunities for computer companies who are bent on denying it to their own detriment. So, as Gruber said, "MS is caught between a rock and a hardware".
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Has Ballmer commented on whether a tablet is a PC or not? If not I can see that coming once they sell a few ... that will be the moment Apple can give in and agree ... then post the Apple sales data for 'PCs' (Macs + iPads).
in the Oriface announcement preso they called thr ARM/RT version a tablet... But called the Intel version a PC... Consistently!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enigmamatic
Microsoft is great at compromising. Compromising leads to watered down end products. Case in point: Microsoft's entire history. Until MS decides to take risks, REAL risks, and quit compromising they will always be second tier. Even when they were on top it was with a second tier, inferior product.
No surprises here.
If putting Ballmer in charge and leaving him there for 10+ years isn't a real risk, I don't know what is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GadgetCanada
If Apple got serious and produced a real Office Suite comparable to MS Office (iWork doesn't count) but lean, mean and full of features, Microsoft would be screwed.
If I was a Microsoft investor, I would be seriously concerned. Don't let MS turn into RIM.
I disagree... iWork does count and satisfies the WP and SS needs of most people --- certainly not the accounting department, but most common needs of most people.
We have 5 people in our household -- 2 adults and 3 teens. We. Have a typical mixture of homework, church reports, soccer schedules, investment/tax spreadsheets... We have no Windows or Office software on any of our Macs.
We don't need or want Office -- it is very liberating!
I think MS has already missed its opportunity to bring Office into the post-PCM era.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Fix
The mistake Microsoft is making is trying to compete with Apple in the iOS space. Forget that, leave it to Apple. Microsoft needs to focus on the professional market. The rest will follow when they realize how much more they can do with a fully functional tablet. Those that don't need it can keep their iPads.
The mistake that Microsoft and you are making is failing to realize that the opposite has already proven to be the case:
People who were brainwashed for decades into thinking that they had to have the "professional" solution and "full experience" that Windows claimed to offer, have suddenly started to wake up and feel encouraged that this is not in fact the case. They are beginning to feel encouraged and empowered and to actually enjoy computing once again.
Young people and old people and businesses and schools are buying iPads by the truckload, simply because they offer just the right capabilities (and new capabilities) with a whole lot more ease and productivity. Whole skill sets and sets of tasks and jobs to be done are going over to iPad: because iPad can connect to MS Exchange Server, can handle proprietary business apps and data connections, can handle stock taking, can handle survey taking and questionnaires, can handle teaching and learning requirements, can handle media creation and presentation, can handle PoS, can handle medical and legal briefing, can handle management and administration... and can do new things to boot (such as replace pilot charts). And all this with an ease of use and intuitiveness that puts generations of Windows computing to shame.
Another mistake is to think that the rest will follow the professional market. The state of Apple rather implies the opposite. And those that think they need a "fully functional tablet" a la the MS definition (because MS can't get their ARM tablet and touch OS to be functional) can check out the MacBook Air. But you'll begin to see all this when you finally get your Surface Pro for Windows 8, if it ever goes beyond a "reference design".