Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

Post by jasonkolb » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 2:17 AM UTC

aik wrote: post #180

Samuel_Michon wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pen+touch+type seems like a great idea. It is something no other manufacturer has tried to do. Apple Newton MessagePad, 1993. It had a stylus, handwriting recognition, you could use it with just your fingertips, and you could connect an external keyboard. http://www.flickr.com/photos/atow/4314242537/ That was almost twenty years a go. Newton was a very expensive experiment for Apple, and they have learned the hard wa…

And it failed. I think the point is that it's nothing that anyone has tried recently, as the technology just hasn't been good enough. We're in a completely different world than the one in 1993. The question now is whether the technology today is good enough to be usable. No one else has tried it recently, meaning common understanding is that even today it's too complicated/not good enough. Until now.

Post by stcredzero » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 2:17 AM UTC

snowwrestler wrote: post #261

aik wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it failed. I think the point is that it's nothing that anyone has tried recently, as the technology just hasn't been good enough. We're in a completely different world than the one in 1993. The question now is whether the technology today is good enough to be usable. No one else has tried it recently, meaning common understanding is that even today it's too complicated/not good enough. Until now.

Computerized handwriting recognition will never be good enough because even people have trouble recognizing handwriting--even their own. And once the recognition fails, you're left with computer text that needs to be corrected. How? With a keyboard. So most people just gravitate toward using the keyboard in the first place. A stylus is better for drawing (see: Wacom) but most people don't draw.

Post by untog » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 2:18 AM UTC

rst wrote: post #307

untog wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but it's too late to bring out something that's almost as good as an iPad, but without the momentum or ecosystem Are you suggesting that Windows doesn't have an ecosystem?

Desktop Windows does, but stock windows apps generally don't work well in tablet mode without adaptation. Metro (in the form of Windows Phone 7) is lagging. Windows 8 seems to be something like the two of them running on the same kernel, but unless there are apps on both "sides" that synergize well, the whole may be less than the sum of its parts.

Post by hcurtiss » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 2:19 AM UTC

snowwrestler wrote: post #261

aik wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it failed. I think the point is that it's nothing that anyone has tried recently, as the technology just hasn't been good enough. We're in a completely different world than the one in 1993. The question now is whether the technology today is good enough to be usable. No one else has tried it recently, meaning common understanding is that even today it's too complicated/not good enough. Until now.

Computerized handwriting recognition will never be good enough because even people have trouble recognizing handwriting--even their own. And once the recognition fails, you're left with computer text that needs to be corrected. How? With a keyboard. So most people just gravitate toward using the keyboard in the first place. A stylus is better for drawing (see: Wacom) but most people don't draw.

Post by stcredzero » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 2:22 AM UTC

mey wrote: post #80

While a horrible launch approach (no price, no availability, no info on cpu or ram) I will be keeping my eye on this, and looking for a chance to test drive in a brick/mortar. This could become an amazing travel device, but not holding my breath.