Windows 7 tablet vs. iPad | Hacker News Reader

Windows 7 tablet vs. iPad

52tiger.net

18 pointsniyazpk14 comments

Not surprising at all that the windows pad is twice as thick and has a clunky interface that is not suitable for fingers. They have something called corporate strategy in Microsoft which means that every new product must carry all the mistakes of all previous Microsoft products on its back.

But one big question I have which is not answered by the video, is can this windows pad play flash natively and thus can it play all Internet video natively? If it can it would be a big improvement. I own an ipad and while I am very happy with it, it is just not very good for video. It does not feature most video sites i like and even for youtube it does not feature most videos i want to see (which are accessible on my computer).

While this seems already doomed, I do hope it has some success, because if it does it may open the possibility of Linux pads to come.

> While this seems already doomed, I do hope it has some > success, because if it does it may open the possibility > of Linux pads to come.

There are android pads (archos and al) available, and they've been available for quite a while. I don't see how windows could help linux; actually it's the other way around (remember the netbook debacle).

Another thing: Outlook costs $140 by itself while iOS Mail and iCal are free. The rest of Office is an additional $150. iWork on iOS costs $30 if you buy all three apps.

In general Windows apps cost more, are a pain to install, and aren't designed for touch. For a Win7 tablet to compete it will need an App Store that has a section exclusively for touch apps.

My personal guess is that Microsoft will 're-boot' the whole tablet idea and approach it in much the same way that Apple is approaching it.

A dedicated OS written from the ground up for mobile devices and with a focused ecosystem.

I wouldnt be surprised if we start hearing news of a new MS Pad based on a Zune like or xBox like dashboard interface.

A dedicated OS written from the ground up for mobile devices and with a focused ecosystem.

iOS and Mac OS X are both based on Darwin. The primary difference from a development POV is UIKit instead of AppKit -- UI stuff, not core, kernel stuff.

I'm afraid i'm not a developer so i'm not able to fully understand what you mean, but to further expand i dont necessarily mean the OS has to be re-written in terms of development, it can just be re-written in terms of the UI, or the rules, or the user experience, if that makes sense?

I guess im using the word 'written' out of context.

That makes perfect sense. And I would agree with that. But, a different UI paradigm doesn't necessarily mean rewriting the entire OS. But, I suppose that I'm nitpicking here.

Don't forget that multitasking is completely different, filesystem IO is sandboxed, etc.

The sandboxing and codsigning stuff exists in Mac OS X as well. `man sandbox-exec` and `man codesign`. The latter is being pushed for use in Mac OS X by Apple as well; to provide easier keychain authentication for applications, for example.

As for multitasking? Spawning proesses is handled by launchd/Darwin/that part of the OS. Thats shared between Mac OS X and iOS. Just a different UI, similar(ish) to command tab, though.

Windows 7 was not designed for touch. We have known this for years. I don't see why this blogger would expect anything different. Wait for a tablet running software designed for touch, and then compare. Yes, Win7 is the best MS has out there right now to compare to, but I still argue that this is apples to oranges.

See, who said bolting on touch ability to a desktop OS wouldn't work!

The new Zune! ;-)

Amen. Has the zune been sold out of US? I never actually saw even one.

Can we just scrap the whole Windows brand for real?

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