Good news for Windows tablets -- people are clamoring for them

Anyone here have one?

Good news for Windows tablets --- people are clamoring for them


The iPad and the coming wave of Android tablets seem to have the tablet market sewn up. But there's some surprising good news for Microsoft: A recent survey says that the Windows-based tablets are at the top of consumers' wish lists.
The New York Times' Gadgetwise blog says that a recent survey by Forrester on the tablet marketplace found that the most requested tablet operating system is Windows. The Times reports:

According to Forrester's survey of more than 3,800 people, the N0. 1 operating system people want on a tablet is Windows. And why not? Windows still enjoys a dominant position in the PC market, and since people are used to it, they want it --- or some version of it --- on tablet devices.

That's certainly very good news for Microsoft, and shows that there's a pent-up demand for Windows-based tablets.


But there's bad news for Microsoft as well. The current and next generation of Windows-based tablets simply aren't ready for prime time. They're based on Windows 7, which wasn't built for tablets, and so the devices simply can't stand up to the iPad or Android tablets like the Motorola Xoom. So even though people might want Windows tablets today, when they look at what's on offer, they likely won't buy.
It's looking as if Windows 8 --- supposedly designed with tablets in mind --- won't be out until the late summer of 2012.

pparks1 said:

I had one at work for awhile, it was from China and ran Windows 7. Unfortunately, the screen got cracked and the touch part of it quit working. You had to connect a keyboard and a mouse to use it.

Did you like using it before the screen got cracked?

If Win7 is optimized for use with touchscreens (it is) and mobile phones (ditto) then why would it not run as well on slates? A demo I saw recently looked impressive, even better performance than with desktop.

Hi there
I'm sceptical of this sort of stuff.

I HATE touch screens anyway and if you ever have to prepare a presentation or create a VERY COMPLEX spreadsheet without using a decent keyboard then you'll instantly realize the limitations in tablet devices -- apart from the fact that greasy and messy fingers can really make the screen not very pleasant to read.


I suspect these devices will appeal to people who can't live without their Iphones or the nearest non apple equivalents but who also want a slightly larger display.

If you travel a lot you still can't beat a FULLY featured NETBOOK which actually costs a lot less than these tablets.

For example the EXCELLENT ACER ONE INSPIRE series. You can up the memory to 2GB and change the HDD for either a fast 320 / 500 GB GB 7200 RPM drive or an SSD which really boosts performance too.

cheers
jimbo

I don't like or use touchscreen technology either. To me it is a "dirty" technology (not very productive and esp. hard to keep clean.)

jimbo45 said:

I HATE touch screens anyway and if you ever have to prepare a presentation or create a VERY COMPLEX spreadsheet without using a decent keyboard then you'll instantly realize the limitations in tablet devices -- apart from the fact that greasy and messy fingers can really make the screen not very pleasant to read.