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With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

nytimes.com

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Re: With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

#21

Post by grannyg00se »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #14

Is there a fire risk with MS building the cases out of magnesium? Magnesium fires are intense and difficult to put out. I can't imagine MS is going to put out a product that oxidizes violently, so how will they prevent it? Can MgO retain the look (everything I've seen of MgO is a white powder)?

It's alloy, not pure magnesium, so it doesn't ignite at the same temperature. The article states that ignition temp is 650 Celsius which is pretty damn hot (compared to 475 or so for mag ribbon). I bet you'd have a hard time getting it to ignite even if you deliberately tried, because the heat is going to rapidly dissipate across the unit.

Re: With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

#22

Post by gvnonor »

pippy wrote: post #8
recoiledsnake wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you said doesn't make any sense. First of all, Windows 8 or RT is not really a copy of iOS in the sense that Apple scaled iPhone and its software up from the iPhone with only a bump to the resolution. Android is way more a copy of iOS than anything Microsoft out there. Tim Cook called Windows 8 trying to merge a refrigerator and a toaster. Someone at Microsoft countered by saying it was converging a oven and a t…

I was concentrating on their creation process and it's impact on innovation and the technology industry as a whole. Regarding your example, tablet devices Android and iPad have distinct methodologies, Android being open and developer orientated while iPads are consumer focused. The app stores have both positive and negative points, but to software developers it's been a huge opportunity. It's funny you should mention…

Android is open source, but that isn't reason enough to rip off someone else's UI. Atleast Microsoft's innovating and not just copying stuff wholesale(which admittedly it used to do a lot in the past).

Regarding opportunity, the MS store will very likely be the biggest opportunity for software developers in a decade. There are more than 500 million Windows 7 users, and assuming that only 20% of those people upgrade, devs will still have a 100 million strong customer base.

Re: With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

#23

Post by gvnonor »

ams6110 wrote: post #10
WayneDB wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a person and I want anything but an iPad. Personally, I can't wait to be able to run a full OS on a 10" tablet.

I'm sort of wondering, when the trend on the desktop is dual 30" (or more) monitors, how many people will feel like they can do anything "productive" on a 10" tablet, keyboard or no. I can't really imagine doing serious work on a 10" screen. Quick edits, surfing, scanning email and dashing off a quick answer, yeah. But a lot of demand for a "full" OS I'm not sure about.

Depends on the person. For most people, having a 10" screen will suffice, because they use the computer mostly to browse the internet and only occasionally need the full capabilities of a desktop OS, like when they need to write a word document or preparing a presentation.

Re: With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

#24

Post by jmspring »

ams6110 wrote: post #10
WayneDB wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a person and I want anything but an iPad. Personally, I can't wait to be able to run a full OS on a 10" tablet.

I'm sort of wondering, when the trend on the desktop is dual 30" (or more) monitors, how many people will feel like they can do anything "productive" on a 10" tablet, keyboard or no. I can't really imagine doing serious work on a 10" screen. Quick edits, surfing, scanning email and dashing off a quick answer, yeah. But a lot of demand for a "full" OS I'm not sure about.

Most days, I tend to develop on a 30" monitor hooked up to my Mac. That said, when heading to cafes, working on the outdoor patio (like I am now), or traveling, my 11" MacBook Air screen is more sufficient.

To make matters worse (or to prove my point), I'm working on some NodeJS code which I will be deploying to Azure a bit later. So, my setup:

Macbook Air, Windows 7 in Fusion in Unity mode BBEdit on one desktop Powershell and a couple of other Win7 windows on another desktop

This isn't quick edits here.

That said, my iPad is mostly for consuming data because I haven't found a development paradigm that works for me. I think the same will hold for WinRT. What is not clear about Surface Pro is if it will get only the Metro UI or if it will get "desktop" as well, given it is slated to have an Intel processor.

Work can be done on small screens, the question is, does the type of work you do cater to being done on a small screen. For me, the answer is yes on an MBAir, no (currently) on an iPad, unknown on Surface.

Re: With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

#25

Post by gamble »

Surface is already irrelevant, because Microsoft has decided that to placate Windows OEMs it won't be sold in retail stores. It doesn't matter that Microsoft may have scoured the earth for the purest metals with which to craft its case if the average person is never going to encounter one in the real world. Microsoft's real problem that Windows OEMs are incapable of building a decent tablet. Surface does nothing to incentivize OEMs to build better tablets, and crippling the sales campaign ensures it won't marginalize the OEMs either. For their part, the OEMs have already scoffed at Surface and promised to go on with business as usual.

Re: With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

#26

Post by daliusd »

cooldeal wrote: post #5
joejohnson wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I came here to write basically this. Additionally, I think that Microsoft is making a mistake with this Surface tablet. Consumers want a device that will be easy and fun to use, and that has good access to a lot of content. Maybe the iPad will eventually transition into more of a productivity device, but right now consumers (and Apple) don't view the iPad as a PC replacement. Microsoft's approach (one OS for tablets…

>People don't want tablets as MS invisions them. People want iPads. How do you know this? What about corporate users and for company owned devices? >They have produced a product inferior to both an iPad and a laptop, and thus I imagine the Surface will replace neither for most people. It can do more than the iPad because you can type on it much more comfortably and has Office and it's better than a laptop because it'…

Actually I find Surface keyboard a joke. I sometimes use my netbook in positions I don't imagine using Surface in.

Another point: keyboard and Office for iPad is not problem. Here is keyboard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsIJUiTlrGI and here is Pages http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/apps-by-apple/p....

The only thing that is cool in Surface is pen and again its value is questionable. There are multiple pen solutions for iPad if you really need to.

Re: With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps

#27

Post by s_henry_paulson »

gamble wrote: post #25

Surface is already irrelevant, because Microsoft has decided that to placate Windows OEMs it won't be sold in retail stores. It doesn't matter that Microsoft may have scoured the earth for the purest metals with which to craft its case if the average person is never going to encounter one in the real world. Microsoft's real problem that Windows OEMs are incapable of building a decent tablet. Surface does nothing to i…

Irrelevant because it's not sold in retail stores?

Companies don't walk into Best Buy to purchase computers for their employees.

From the time I bought my first Commodore until the present day, I've never purchased a computer anywhere other than online.

While I'm sure there are lots of exceptions, calling it irrelevant because it's not sold in retail stores is a bit of a stretch.

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