How Windows 8 Tablets Could Seriously Challenge the iPad

[palandri]

http://news.yahoo.com/windows-8-tablets-could-seriously-challenge-ipad-193009946.html

 

[paradiseware.com]

Uhm, is there supposed to be a link in your post?

 

[palandri]

Uhm, is there supposed to be a link in your post?

LOL, There is now. I put the title in the link.

 

[petersun21]

I have an ipad1. Played ipad2 a couple of times. Compared to windows 8 cp, ios is boring. The race will come down to good apps.

Sent from my PI39100 using Board Express

 

[ALborntoride]

I've had a ipad 1 & 2 and currently have a Kindle fire. All of them are cool devices in their own way but for someone who just wants to read and watch a tv show while in the bathroom or bedroom the fire works for me. I was going to get a ipad3 but just can't justify the $500+ price tag. Th screen looks good but it just doesn't have the spark that grabbed my attention. So i've decided to wait on MC and their tablets. For MC to do well, apps and marketing is needed. MC is not going to be able to compete with number of apps that Apple has but if they can come out with a good selection that is designed for Metro and good and not just ports this will be an attention grabber for them. And marketing is needed badly. To many of my friends are Isheep and fandroids because of the direction of salemen. MC needs to really push Metro for the tablet to succeed. I can't wait.

 

[doublebullout]

Microsoft has an opportunity to grab the "anything but Apple" herd market because the state of Android tablets not named "Kindle Fire" is still such a complete mess. (The Playbook and Touchpad aren't even in this discussion.) But Microsoft has to do 2 things IMO:

(1) Make a compelling product. This should be obvious, but I am concerned that a lot of tech fans seem to think that the "anything but Apple" market is huge. It isn't. If Windows 8 on a tablet doesn't provide a user experience on par with what the iPad (or even the Kindle Fire) offers, Microsoft will not be successful. iOS may be boring to some, but that's not enough on its own to grab significant market share. Windows 8 has to be as great on a tablet as iOS is on the iPad, period. Based on Microsoft's track record at such things, this is by no means a fait accompli.

(2) The introduction needs to be a big event, like Apple's product keynotes are. Critics here constantly whine about "iSheep" and "Apple marketing." But big splashy keynotes and media frenzy have a lot to do with this. Dog and pony shows work. Microsoft better start copying what Apple does well if it wants consumers to know why they should buy their products.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Reflexx]

Another thing to keep in mind is the Windows budget.

If Metro tablets were separate from Windows, it would have had a limited budget to work with when it comes to marketing, development, and support. Even if that budget was pretty generous, it would be nowhere near the amount of money that is dedicated to promoting and supporting Windows.

 

[Pronk]

The last section sums up pretty much what I think:

Again, almost. There's one thing that could hold it back: consumers rejecting Metro. You see, Windows 8 lets any user turn off Metro and just use the traditional desktop. If enough of them do, many developers may simply choose not to create Metro apps. After all, if most of your customers are just switching to the old Windows environment anyway, why bother?
That would let the air out of the expanding Windows 8 tablet balloon pretty quickly, and that's even before we consider the wild cards of potential device fragmentation, how Windows will work on ARM devices and whether or not consumers will even accept a tablet as their main computing device.
Microsoft needs to get Metro 100% right if Windows 8 tablets are going to have any hope. If users like Metro, then the developers will follow, and a real ecosystem will emerge. If not, the iPad will probably be the only tablet worth talking about for a long, long time.

Microsoft have to get this absolutely spot on.

 

[doublebullout]

The question of whether consumers will accept a tablet as their main computing device is not a "wild card." The success of the iPad has shown that many consumers are perfectly willing to do exactly that. The sooner Microsoft realizes that, the better.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[bpgui]

The question of whether consumers will accept a tablet as their main computing device is not a "wild card." The success of the iPad has shown that many consumers are perfectly willing to do exactly that. The sooner Microsoft realizes that, the better.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That is exactly what I am hoping for... tablet that can double as my main computing device. I want one that can run all the programs on my normal computer, but the portability of a tablet. A detachable keyboard (lime the Transformer) would be perfect.

 

[threed61]

I've found very little I can't do with my tablet. I turn on the desktop only 2-3 times a week.
After using the Win 8 preview, lets hope MS is working on favorites and folders. It will suck to go through dozens or hundreds of tiles to get to something.

 

[Hoekie]

Did anyone commenting here use W8 on a tablet?

Did anyone commenting here use W8 on a tablet?
I do and Metro on a W8 tablet kicks both iOS and Android's ***.
As there will be ARM and x86 versions, only the W8 ARM tablets have to compete with the ipad and droids. W8 x86 tablets will have no competition. As soon as people realise what a W8 x86 tablet can do (powered low powered AMD Fusion/Intel IvyBridge) a whole new market will open.
It all depends on how short sighted/isheep people will be. A part can be solved by marketing and showing people that current tablets are just big phones.

 

[rags1277]

It is not just about Metro alone. A complete useful, usable hardware design along with Metro would beat iPad. Other existing tablets lacks both hardware and software design currently and just want to stand in front of the Q.

Fingers crossed...

 

[mparker]

Did anyone commenting here use W8 on a tablet?
I do and Metro on a W8 tablet kicks both iOS and Android's ***.

I'm running it on a Lenovo X220t convertible right now, so I can use both as a desktop and tablet. Its more fun to use than my ipad, but that won't matter if it doesn't get the apps in a hurry, and I'm not sure that it will. The availability of winrt on the desktop versions doesn't help as much as this article thinks it will, until the number of ARM tablets gets way up there. It isn't easy to port a desktop app to winrt, you're looking at a complete rewrite, but why rewrite for winrt and get only a few new w8/ARM users (desktop users already have your desktop app after all) when you can rewrite for iOS and get millions of iPad users. If winrt were easier to port to then it might be worth a gamble. But its not.

They also need some compelling hardware, but I suspect Nokia will be the brand on it.

 

[Mahesha999]

Few things will matter. One most important and one which is not very specific to the Tech industry but also somewhat equally applies to other industries is Time to Enter the market - Win 8 should not be too late to get in the Market. This is significant point, provided the fact that iPad 3 already sold 3 million units.

Also, the prize will matter. Cheaper than iPad will surely make people think about it.

More of Metro will be tasty. Though MS provides both tastes of Aero and Metro, the Metro is surely for touch and the success also depends upon to what extent MS succeeds to bring the things in Metro.

Finally, should have enough of apps to start with. This should not be the issue provided the BlueStacks app - Run Android on Windows with BlueStacks :: Android on PC :: Android Player for Windows | BlueStacks[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lpuoD048rmw[/YT]



In long run MS will be the king - my opinion, given the fact that it has got big army of enthusiastic developers and the great dev tools.

 

[threed61]

Did anyone commenting here use W8 on a tablet?
I do and Metro on a W8 tablet kicks both iOS and Android's ***.
As there will be ARM and x86 versions, only the W8 ARM tablets have to compete with the ipad and droids. W8 x86 tablets will have no competition. As soon as people realise what a W8 x86 tablet can do (powered low powered AMD Fusion/Intel IvyBridge) a whole new market will open.
It all depends on how short sighted/isheep people will be. A part can be solved by marketing and showing people that current tablets are just big phones.

I'm using it on an Iconia w500. Not everything is even working yet with W8, so it doesn't yet beat my Android tab, much less the iPad. I think its a nice start, however.

 

[rjbouw]

I'm using it on an Iconia w500. Not everything is even working yet with W8, so it doesn't yet beat my Android tab, much less the iPad. I think its a nice start, however.

@threed61
Thinking of buying a w500.
Can you tell me what doesn't work on the w500?
Thanks.

 

[jabtano]

Few things will matter. One most important and one which is not very specific to the Tech industry but also somewhat equally applies to other industries is Time to Enter the market - Win 8 should not be too late to get in the Market. This is significant point, provided the fact that iPad 3 already sold 3 million units.

Also, the prize will matter. Cheaper than iPad will surely make people think about it.

More of Metro will be tasty. Though MS provides both tastes of Aero and Metro, the Metro is surely for touch and the success also depends upon to what extent MS succeeds to bring the things in Metro.

Finally, should have enough of apps to start with. This should not be the issue provided the BlueStacks app - Run Android on Windows with BlueStacks :: Android on PC :: Android Player for Windows | BlueStacksClick to view quoted video



In long run MS will be the king - my opinion, given the fact that it has got big army of enthusiastic developers and the great dev tools.

Blue stacks is pretty decent and so is win8 on a tablet...

 

[threed61]

@threed61
Thinking of buying a w500.
Can you tell me what doesn't work on the w500?
Thanks.

Tab itself works fine. Windows 8 is a work in progress. Haven't been able to use music, install market updates it claims are there, couple of apps don't always work and I get closed out of apps for no apparent reason.
In spite of how it sounds, I like W8 on the w500. But it's still developing.

 

[threed61]

@threed61
Thinking of buying a w500.
Can you tell me what doesn't work on the w500?
Thanks.

The w500 is a fine tablet to have some fun growing with Windows 8.
If you wait for the official release this fall, there should be a better choice of cheaper, thinner, lighter tabs with better touch and optimized for Win 8.