New Microsoft Tablets Will Take Aim at the iPad

I just do not get Microsoft. The place is full of smart people so how come the company acts so dumb.

The ipad love it or loathe it works because it's not trying to be all things to all people. It has limitations, sure, but within those it does some things very well indeed (and in fact I would be utterly lost without mine - or rather I would be unhappy to take the step back into the past that not having it would represent).

Microsoft seem to be interested in the world of work (although judging by my recent (enforced) use of Word, making more work seems to be their goal with that product) so why not take the same approach - a new device , a new niche and come up with something? it might just be a slicker netbook with a trimmed down OS or it might be something else. A physical interface for the Office suite perhaps - Spreadsheets are not great on the ipad, for example, so there must be a way of making them nice to physically interact with that is not the tablet/slate kind of way. (or actually why not do cheap research by porting things like office to the ipad and seeing if you can make them really work in that form factor or if something else is needed?)

They say that people want something like this - work oriented - and then they give them an "everything but the kitchen sink" style monstrosity that is not one thing or the other.

This works for Google because android has other selling points but Microsoft can't just throw everything at it and hope something sticks. They need to pick something and think about it.

I cannot understand why Microsoft keeps on trying to play catch-up with Google and Apple. They have a tough fight ahead if that is to remain their approach (even with all of their resources).

There are a few brights spots for them - Kinect looks amazing - but their obsession with doing everything that Apple and Google are doing may hurt them in the long run.

(I am not concerned whether MS succeeds or not - I haven't used an MS product in years - but I am astounded that a company filled with so many clever and creative folk is loath to innovate on its own terms.)

MS should probably be more concerned about Android given the low price points of Android devices. Can Microsoft develop a hardware product that a tablet maker couldn't instantly turn into an Android device? Given the choice, will the average consumer want or need anything in the Windows world anymore? Can Windows match the performance and battery life of the more mobile/instant-on optimized Android OS?

It's never been so easy to imagine a world without Windows (at least on the consumer side).

Two problems: Windows 7 was not engineered for tablet usability like iOS was. Third party OEM's can produce cheaper hardware (the PC effect) but generally can not produce higher quality devices than single party controlled ecosystem (iPhone v Android/WP7).

This does not bode well for Microsoft. But competition is always good for the consumer.

"It also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing.”

one of the things that apple has done consistently well is know what _not_ to include on their hardware.

I don't think MS tablets will take off until they take an approach similar to what they did for Windows Phone 7 and force a very specific set of design limitations on their partners.

So, why cancel the courier then?

Ahahahahahahahahaha.