Does W'dows need more padding to fend off Apple's iPad?

[JMH]

As the author of a blog that’s “All About Microsoft,” I watched yesterday’s Apple iPad unveiling with interest — as many Microsoft employees, partners and customers did, given that Apple is Microsoft’s only viable competitor in the PC operating space.

Most interesting to me, after all the Twitter and live blogging dust settled, were the various calls for Microsoft’s response. I read a few blog posts and tweets claiming Apple’s move really boxed in Microsoft and its partners. More than a few Tweeters called for Microsoft to rush out its rumored next-generation slate, codenamed Courier, to blunt the iPad’s impact. And then there was Nick Carr’s “The PC Officially Died Today.” (An odd way to look at things, given that the iPad is being billed as an addition to Apple’s PC line-up, not a replacement for Macs.)

Source -
Does Windows need more padding to fend off Apple's iPad? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

 

[pparks1]

Personally, most of the guys that I work with are all scratching their heads trying to figure out what segment of the market is really going to be all that excited about the iPad. As far as the personal computer being dead....Hardly. Not from the iPad. It's not a tablet computer....it's a large iPhone running a phone based operating system.

 

[Lee]

Not really sure if this will take off, however, it appears that quite a few manufactures are stepping up to the plate. So, someone somewhere must have done a marketing test to see if this type of device would be welcomed by the computing public. If a stylist is included it could be an excellent tool for college students, and if the right applications are offered it would be great in meeting rooms throughout the business communities, and law firms.

They really are gong to be useful regardless of all the bad talk from the geek community.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
there are literally ZILLIONS of people like me who travel a lot and NEED a computer -- and with airport security these days LIGHTNESS and MINIMIZING the amount of equipment you have to carry is paramount now.

A modest small 10 inch NETBOOK is MORE than adequate for nearly everything I have to do on the road these days -- especially when I can log on to corporate VPN's or RDP to a home network.

I'm currently in a Hotel Bar in Manchester UK typing this in on a small netbook which is connected via RDP to a Home server -- no probs whatsoever.

I can't see myself getting this type of functionality out of an Ipad.

Cheers -- and enjoying my last Pint of Beer for the night. .

jimbo

 

[pparks1]

But take the geek factor out of the equation......I, cannot see my wife sitting in the lobby of a hotel pulling out her iPad, going to Facebook and then typing up status reports and commenting to her friends on this device. She can pretty much already do that with her iPhone. She isn't going to want to tote it around with her. Perhaps she would use it for the ebook functionality....but with a shorter battery life and a backlit screen...it's not as slick as other ebook readers which are available for less money. And it cannot run more than 1 app at a time, so it's either Safari or music or facebook. You cannot have more than 1 going simultaneously.

I'm very skeptical of this product. I just don't see it doing great like some of the other Apple products.

 

[noobvious]

It's not even a proper Web device if it doesn't support Flash, is it? I would much rather have a netbook.

 

[valtonray]

i like the ipad because it means we are going to get something similar with more functionality at an affordable price. the price is what makes the whole thing exciting, normally you'd expect apple to say at least 1k for the base model, but this thing is affordable, which is gonna put pc makers on their toes.

 

[pparks1]

i like the ipad because it means we are going to get something similar with more functionality at an affordable price. the price is what makes the whole thing exciting, normally you'd expect apple to say at least 1k for the base model, but this thing is affordable, which is gonna put pc makers on their toes.

Considering it's Apple, I'm surprised a bit by the price. But considering what it is...a large iPhone which cannot make phone calls...i'm not convinced it's a great deal. I mean serioiusly, a 32GB model is $599...add in the 3G support that your iPhone would have and it's $130 more. Then tack on the $29.99 monthly unlimited data plan that you are going to want and it's over $1,000 for the first year.

This is for a device with no optical drive, no ability to multitask, no camera built in, no webcam, tied into proprietary Apple stores and formats. It just doesn't seem so cheap and functional to me when I look at all of that.

 

[dmex]

This is for a device with no optical drive, no ability to multitask, no camera built in, no webcam, tied into proprietary Apple stores and formats. It just doesn't seem so cheap and functional to me when I look at all of that.

That sums up the feelings most poeple I know had about it.

I guess this will require 'Jailbreaking' like the previous iPhone/iThoch devices, I'll be interesting to see what the hackers and modders are able todo with it.

 

[valtonray]

all good points which i can't argue. i just don't feel like it's a bad deal for a simple device. it's not a desktop replacement and never will be but that doesn't make it a bad product.

 

[PhreePhly]

i like the ipad because it means we are going to get something similar with more functionality at an affordable price. the price is what makes the whole thing exciting, normally you'd expect apple to say at least 1k for the base model, but this thing is affordable, which is gonna put pc makers on their toes.

But what is it good for? I mean this with all sincerity. It won't be a great web experience if it doesn't support flash, it's not a great eReader with its backlit LCD, I guess it's fine for watching video, but will be limited to only a few formats. The GPS only works if you get the $130 3G add-on. I don't get where this is supposed to fit? It doesn't have handwriting recognition, so using it for notetaking sucks. This is certainly not going to replace tablets in the niche industries, i.e. health and design.

I think this is one of Apples most half baked ideas, worse than AppleTV.

PhreePhly

 

[PhreePhly]

To answer the OP's question, I'm not sure Windows 7 is the right OS for the PAD concept. One thing Apple did well with the iPhone is that they created a touch specific OS. Windows 7 has touch (even multi-touch) well integrated, however, the UI is basically a mouse based UI. What MS needs to do is create a Zune-like interface for a PAD device, but have a NT kernel with the Win32/64 or WPF API that allows standard Windows apps to function.

WinMob 7 is supposed to be somewhat like this, but has iPhone OS type limitations. The problem is that for a PAD device to be useful, a more robust OS, like Windows, would be much better. The hardware is available. As Jimbo pointed out, netbooks today handle full fledged Windows 7 quite well, but the PAD will be a touch device, and standard Windows 7 is going to be limiting.

PhreePhly

 

[FuturDreamz]

To answer the OP's question, I'm not sure Windows 7 is the right OS for the PAD concept. One thing Apple did well with the iPhone is that they created a touch specific OS. Windows 7 has touch (even multi-touch) well integrated, however, the UI is basically a mouse based UI. What MS needs to do is create a Zune-like interface for a PAD device, but have a NT kernel with the Win32/64 or WPF API that allows standard Windows apps to function.

WinMob 7 is supposed to be somewhat like this, but has iPhone OS type limitations. The problem is that for a PAD device to be useful, a more robust OS, like Windows, would be much better. The hardware is available. As Jimbo pointed out, netbooks today handle full fledged Windows 7 quite well, but the PAD will be a touch device, and standard Windows 7 is going to be limiting.

PhreePhly

agreed.
cross the Zune software with Microsoft table, and Microsoft would be left with a pretty powerful portable touchscreen OS. As long as it has multitasking.

To be honest, I can see the iPad being useful for when you need more portability than the MacBook Air or it's clones, and people prob...

I lost my train of thought. the only think really wrong with the iPad is the lack of multitasking, which may actually be a plus if you are working on something say typing a document in iWork or drawing a painting in another app and you don't want any distractions. Because it would be useful for say an artist who can use it instead of a sketchpad or by a writer who can write notes on a full keyboard.

 

[Boastree]

I do not think I am alone-when I am at home and sit down I want max power, max visuals, max media, max everything...I can not see taking that machine, putting it in my pocket and walking out with it. Ipad replace pc yeah right get real!

 

[valtonray]

oooo it's crazy to think it could replace a pc, but i could see tablets taking a share of the netbook market.

 

[wardog]

You know what they have done don't you? Steve jobs has been sat there wondering what new technical marvel he can bring to the world when he has spied the large mock-up of the ipod touch sitting in the corner and he has thought "we can sell these and make money out of the apple faithful cause lets face it anyone who buys our products doesn't have a clue what real computing is all about. They just want to play with pictures and go on facebook"

 

[Adamd]

I am waiting for the HP Slate.

I much rater have the same size device run a full OS over a phone OS. Windows 7 I believe will run great on that slate PC and will be able to do so much more.

Will be able to do.

Adobe Flash games/webpages
Do more than one thing at a time
Not be limited to all the BS Apple puts on what you can and can't do on the iphone that will only carry over to the ipad.

Also having a Blackberry, ZuneHD and a laptop when I can't be on my laptop and have to use one of the other devices I get tired of everything not looking 100% like my laptop would show it because it does not have flash. I would not really consider buying another gadget unless it acts or is another PC in a different form like this slate would be. Even this Ipad with OSX loaded on I believe would sell way more and be so much more useful.

I just don't hold much success for this device. Everyone who wanted an Ipod touch already seems to have one. In a sense Apple is asking everyone to just buy a bigger screen version of what they already had bought. Being that a lot of Apple buyers are younger people that don't have a ton of money I don't see this selling well at all. Even if you don't factor in the price like I pointed out I don't believe people want 2 devices that do just about the same thing.

 

[valtonray]

"we can sell these and make money out of the apple faithful cause lets face it anyone who buys our products doesn't have a clue what real computing is all about. "

this is ignorance. apple machines dominate the art industries, and apple does have some powerful computers. not everyone who uses a mac does so out of vanity in many industries it's the standard.

 

[PhreePhly]

"we can sell these and make money out of the apple faithful cause lets face it anyone who buys our products doesn't have a clue what real computing is all about. "

this is ignorance. apple machines dominate the art industries, and apple does have some powerful computers. not everyone who uses a mac does so out of vanity in many industries it's the standard.

While I see where you're coming from, I think wardog has a point. The Apple Fanboism is incredible. Imagine MS coming out with a similiar device. One that is lacking in major standard inputs (USB and SD), one that incorporates a non-multitasking OS. One that does not include handwriting recognition for notetaking.

The reaming MS would take in the tech blog/media world would be astounding. But Apple gets a pass. Even those that point out the major missing components are commenting on how great iPad v.2 is going to be. The same thing happened with the iPhone. The iPhone didn't become good until the 3GS version with iPhone OS 3.1. It had many missing features, the Apple faithful bought them... in droves.

I really hope Asus, MSI, hell even Dell or HP take a look at the form factor, make a deal with MS to expand the Zune interface as a touch layer on top of Windows 7 and make a similiar looking device (with true USB, SD slots and a HDMI/Display port slot) and a widescreen format display, add a real processor and make a Star Trek style PAD that will be a true tablet. Maybe even make a cut down Office version designed with touch in mind ala the iWorks concept from the iPad. Include a stylus option for notetaking and integraed OneNote and this thing would sell like hotcakes at the University. Imagine having a single device that carries all of your notes for every class over the last 4 years in a tablet format. Quick access to ebook Textbooks and annotation capabilities.

PhreePhly

 

[valtonray]

im not an apple fan boy by any means but i dont feel the ipad is a bad product, it's key focus is portability, and the UI. obviously their are flaws, no multi tasking, no usb ports, no handwriting recognition on a tablet are all big ones, but for someone that just wants a small lightweight machine to check email and do some browsing on the goal it's adequate. the new tablets coming out are obviously going to be better for portability than netbooks, and after looking at some of the other upcoming tablets apple's offering is a bit lackluster, although realistically falls into the median capability wise. the ipad obviously isn't made to do everything but the things it does it should be able to handle well.