Why Windows 8 tablets will beat Android
extremetech.com
extremetech.com
Considering Microsoft has pretty clearly failed every previous time in the last decade, the real question should be "what's new in Windows 8 that will change this" and the article has nothing on that. If the article's argument were valid, Windows on tablets and Windows on Phone would already be a dominant force.
The article reads like Windows 8 on tablet is Microsoft's first attempt into this market, not just their latest.
"It murders batteries
Devices in the field must be plugged in whenever possible since the Kinect technology drains juice in a hurry..."
Laptops generally have much larger battery capacity (for example my current laptop has 94Wh while an iPad2 has 25Wh), and if Kinect kills laptop battery, forget about mobile for now.
[1] http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/01/31/013112-tech-kinect-l...
This mindset of "build the OS, the apps will come" is no longer valid anymore, not when competitors like Google, Amazon and Apple are building out destinations and ecosystems, selling consumers on direct apps and tools rather than platforms that promise... especially, in Microsoft's case, when those promises have failed to pan out repeatedly in prior years.
Along comes Apple offering something stylish that consumers want (and are now purchasing in vast numbers), but which will never run "desktop software", as the entire paradigm of mouse+keyboard is thrown on it's edge.
Microsoft is caught in a bind - one one hand, if they ignore the new market, their old one will be dwarfed and their "network effect" will dwindle, draining their monopoly pricing.
On the other hand, they can't jump with both feet into this brave new market because of their pre-existing contracts to enterprise (they could develop two separate versions but that would again, cause them to lose more profits due to the increased operating costs).
And so you have Windows 8, which tries to be both to two separate markets, and yet, neither - at the same time. Highly ambitious considering all of Microsoft previous failed attempts to address tablet and mobile computing.
The article's sole point is that Microsoft is a known brand in desktop and laptop devices. But up to now Windows Phone has been a distant also-ran, and that's a good indication of how Microsoft's brand has failed to carry through in the mobile marketplace.
The XBox 360 Dashboard was recently redesigned with a "Metro" look. The tiles work really well for teasing you with what's behind each one, and there's a high level of convenience provided by their ability to display active content.
Prior to this update, I never spent much time in the XB360 Dashboard. It was "just another menu" I had to make my way through to get to what I really wanted -- my games. With the most recent update, I find it so pleasing that I actually explore it. I think that bodes well for Windows 8 tablets. if they can translate that feeling, I'd want to sit around and use their tablets.