dukrem
New member
The desktop will not go. As has been said above it is necessary for many users/corporations for productivity applications. I don't think most people understand just how much of Microsoft's profit comes from these customers. Microsoft is not Apple, they will not tell their customer base what they should like. They will not expect their entire customer base to move to an inferior less productive interface. Sure, they will provide it and continue to enhance it for their touch-screen customers, and as part of their plan to unify the ecosystem, but the desktop will certainly remain.
I also think the statement about windows blue unifying the app ecosystem so that you can use the same apps on all platforms is slightly misinterpreted. It doesn't mean they are going to force mouse and keyboard users into a less productive interface, it means they are going to make every app accessible to every customer, no matter what the form factor or platform. I think the more likely outcome from this objective is that we see metro apps being able to be run on the desktop in windowed mode alongside classic desktop apps.
That said I definitely see a place for RT, especially on touch devices like tablets, and maybe even phones in the future. In fact I own a surface RT, and I'm glad I bought it over an x86 tablet due to the battery life and the fact that I really don't want to be trying to use desktop apps on it. I can see RT tablets improving a lot quicker than x86 tablets, the SOC Microsoft used in the surface is fairly old, there are huge speed and battery life improvements to be had on RT just by using a new processor.
I think due to the rapid improvements we are seeing in ARM processors, RT devices could soon become competitive with x86 in terms of raw power. We may even see the desktop becoming more open and flexible on RT in the future. Imagine being able to get to work, dock your RT tablet to a big screen, mouse and keyboard, and be able to open all your productivity software in a desktop environment.
Yes, there is a general transition to touch in the market, but Microsoft's core consumers will never be able to completely transition away from the desktop. Also despite sales of touch devices going up and traditional hardware sales going down, most consumers that buy touch devices still have their traditional desktop that they use for certain things. The fact that sales have dropped is mainly due to the point we have reached where hardware is very fast and software is getting more efficient, resulting in less frequent need to upgrade.
I also think the statement about windows blue unifying the app ecosystem so that you can use the same apps on all platforms is slightly misinterpreted. It doesn't mean they are going to force mouse and keyboard users into a less productive interface, it means they are going to make every app accessible to every customer, no matter what the form factor or platform. I think the more likely outcome from this objective is that we see metro apps being able to be run on the desktop in windowed mode alongside classic desktop apps.
That said I definitely see a place for RT, especially on touch devices like tablets, and maybe even phones in the future. In fact I own a surface RT, and I'm glad I bought it over an x86 tablet due to the battery life and the fact that I really don't want to be trying to use desktop apps on it. I can see RT tablets improving a lot quicker than x86 tablets, the SOC Microsoft used in the surface is fairly old, there are huge speed and battery life improvements to be had on RT just by using a new processor.
I think due to the rapid improvements we are seeing in ARM processors, RT devices could soon become competitive with x86 in terms of raw power. We may even see the desktop becoming more open and flexible on RT in the future. Imagine being able to get to work, dock your RT tablet to a big screen, mouse and keyboard, and be able to open all your productivity software in a desktop environment.
Yes, there is a general transition to touch in the market, but Microsoft's core consumers will never be able to completely transition away from the desktop. Also despite sales of touch devices going up and traditional hardware sales going down, most consumers that buy touch devices still have their traditional desktop that they use for certain things. The fact that sales have dropped is mainly due to the point we have reached where hardware is very fast and software is getting more efficient, resulting in less frequent need to upgrade.