I don't see Continuum as game changer, what is the practical use of Continuum?

[Yazen]

This is the way a lot of people will eventually carry around their computers. At home, you could have a dock that is connected to a traditional sized keyboard and mouse. Then you could have a small, fold-able cover that goes with you similar to a Surface type cover inability, but able to be folded up and put in the pocket. for people constantly on the go who don't want to carry around a laptop, or who can't afford one, this will be huge. For business executives, they go have their phone as their primary PC and take everything with them, wherever they go. They could even sell a very thin, lightweight laptop that is merely the display, keyboard/touchpad, and battery that you can slide the phone into (similar but more compact than the Motorola one shown above).

Yes, Motorola did try this with Android, but it didn't fail because of the concept...it failed because 1) underpowered phone compared to where it needs to be and 2) Android. Android is just NOT a replacement for full Windows. This is full Windows available on your phone, minus the Desktop. But with all the core MS apps going Universal, and many other long time biggies like Adobe making Universal apps as well (and the ability for VS to recompile Win32 and .Net apps to Universal apps) everything you use on your desktop (for the majority at least) will be available to use on your phone. So why carry a full laptop around or get desktop PC's for your employees, when you can just by them a phone with dock, monitor, keyboard, and mouse?

Asking this question 10 years from now will probably seem like a "what the heck was I thinking?" kind of question. The phone as your primary PC will be common in 10 years. It already is in less developed countries.

1. Could it be that people prefer the experience over polymorphism? Asus PadFone never really took off either.

2a. WinRT apps (Universal Apps) are not even full Windows on the desktop OS. WinRT is an extended subset of Win32 on Intel devices. Moreover, a budget Intel N2920 based device crunches numbers 10 times as fast as a S801. Mobile devices are optimized for mobile computing, and are very fast at it.

2b. The only reason why Continuum is feasible is the fact that the world is changing the way it computes. Mobile is rapidly becoming the future of computing.

Continuum is pretty cool, but I do not see it revolutionizing anyone whose work does not require mobile computing.

 

[Gamely Lounges]

Re: I don't see "Continuum" as game changer

I see this as a really cool feature. Phones are becoming very powerful computing devices. I foresee a point in the not too distant future when the phone will be powerful enough to do most of the things most people want. Surely there will come a time soon when almost everything you need to do (computationally) will be possible using your little pocketable computer. Phoning. Video conferencing. Office docs. Presentations. Streaming, gaming and entertainment. Some people, like developers and artists, may need real high power computing devices. But most people do not have those high requirements. So at this time the majority of people would have their requirements meet by this single small device. It is only logical that we be able to dock our device to the appropriate peripherals such as mouse, keyboard, mobile, etc.

To me it is crystal clear that this is coming soon in the future. I hope MS can lead the industry and get us there. Continuum is the awkward teenage phase. It may not work perfectly. But I think it is going to start us down the right path.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Re: I don't see "Continuum" as game changer

-who gonna use their mobile device to connect to external monitor+ keyboard+ mouse
just to use the app in big screen.

Someone who doesn't want to have a PC tying up space, eating electricity, interfering with the decorating, etc. I have numerous PCs at home and will definitely be eliminating at least one when and if I have a phone that supports Continuum.

whats is the practical use of continuum? every one has laptop/desktop/tablets/2in1.

I hope you don't come to the same end that Marie Antoinette did when she expressed that philosophy.

There are people who don't have those or who would rather spend the money on something else, maybe even bread.

It might not be for a lot of people but then again, maybe it will. I recall people saying why should I get a smart phone? I already have a flip phone and a Palm Pilot?

But be careful that you don't become "that" person who says something isn't important if its just for a few (who "coincidentally" don't include you). I'm just guessing but suspect you don't like it when your carrier tells you it won't be selling the WP you want or some developer won't port an app because not enough people want it.

 

[Harrie-S]

Re: I don't see "Continuum" as game changer

Someone who doesn't want to have a PC tying up space, eating electricity, interfering with the decorating, etc. I have numerous PCs at home and will definitely be eliminating at least one when and if I have a phone that supports Continuum.

I hope you don't come to the same end that Marie Antoinette did when she expressed that philosophy.

There are people who don't have those or who would rather spend the money on something else, maybe even bread.

It might not be for a lot of people but then again, maybe it will. I recall people saying why should I get a smart phone? I already have a flip phone and a Palm Pilot?

But be careful that you don't become "that" person who says something isn't important if its just for a few (who "coincidentally" don't include you). I'm just guessing but suspect you don't like it when your carrier tells you it won't be selling the WP you want or some developer won't port an app because not enough people want it.

I agree with you apart from
"There are people who don't have those or who would rather spend the money (on something else), maybe even bread."

People who have to spend there money on bread also don't have money to buy a "Continuum" phone because this will not be a low end phone.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Re: I don't see "Continuum" as game changer

I agree with you apart from
"There are people who don't have those or who would rather spend the money (on something else), maybe even bread."

People who have to spend there money on bread also don't have money to buy a "Continuum" phone because this will not be a low end phone.

I agree it won't be on low end phones.... at first. But neither were a lot of other things that have trickled down over time. Plus you may be forgetting the millions who receive 10-15 free smartphones under the lifeline program. I can see trading most or all of them in for a single high end phone. I wouldn't even be surprised if the govt offered that as an option! LoL

 

[fatclue_98]

There is no "practical" use for Continuum. Someone mentioned that phones will evolve to the point of replacing low to mid range laptops. Never. The computing power of even the most basic laptop trumps the most powerful phones today. Basically, if you're in an office setting all day, there's really no need for this feature. However, if you have to move around to different parts of the building, town or region, then this feature will become your best friend. BlackBerry already has a similar function in Blend and it's my favorite part of BB OS10. It's not until you use it that you understand how impactful it can be.

 

[Gamely Lounges]

Someone mentioned that phones will evolve to the point of replacing low to mid range laptops. Never. [snip] BlackBerry already has a similar function in Blend and it's my favorite part of BB OS10. It's not until you use it that you understand how impactful it can be.

I'm confused. On the one hand you seem to say this type of feature is useless. Then you say BB Blend is similar and its your favorite part of BB. That sounds like a direct contradiction.

You say phones will *never* evolve to the point of replacing low to midrange laptops? Um ... I wish we had a way to place bets. I would love to put my money against yours on that point. The Surface2 is already doing duty as a low end laptop. In a couple years phones will be able to do this, too.

 

[fatclue_98]

I'm confused. On the one hand you seem to say this type of feature is useless. Then you say BB Blend is similar and its your favorite part of BB. That sounds like a direct contradiction.

You say phones will *never* evolve to the point of replacing low to midrange laptops? Um ... I wish we had a way to place bets. I would love to put my money against yours on that point. The Surface2 is already doing duty as a low end laptop. In a couple years phones will be able to do this, too.

I never mentioned "useless". I said it was an impractical feature because most users would not find any benefit to this. The fact that I use a BlackBerry should make it evident that I'm not the typical user. As for the second part of your confusion, the Surface 2 is decidedly NOT a phone. I've yet to see or even read about any phone on the horizon capable of running a desktop OS. I think there will be telephony on PCs before x86 capability hits phones.

 

[x I'm tc]

Re: I don't see "Continuum" as game changer

It is preparing us for an ARMless future. Intel is making some pretty decent phone chipsets, these days. I see the Lumia 950 as running Intel. Then continuum becomes an amazing feature, because your PC is your phone. This would Change. My. Life.

 

[Johnny Tremaine]

Re: I don't see "Continuum" as game changer

I agree it won't be on low end phones.... at first. But neither were a lot of other things that have trickled down over time. Plus you may be forgetting the millions who receive 10-15 free smartphones under the lifeline program. I can see trading most or all of them in for a single high end phone. I wouldn't even be surprised if the govt offered that as an option! LoL

So, you're saying in about a decade? Sure.
But, hey, the NY Jets could be a Super Bowl championship quality team in about a decade as well.

We may even have holograms!

 

[nasellok]

REMOTE DESKTOP...........RDP through your phone, run anything on larger screen..........as LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G, 6G, etc.....internet connections are getting faster, and faster, and I think that's a very compelling thing to have for mobile work force. If you could establish VPN, and use remote applications from your companies server (think AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc - things that are x86 intel only), in addition to native universal applications............or for anyone that has a full PC at home, they should make remote apps easier to use in W10, that way you can seamlessly use any software at home, or in the office, all controlled through your phone.

I think this is an extreme case though.......Id say only about 25% of people out there even need full PC software anymore, as more and more things are handled through a browser, and through mobile applications, if you don't need that software, and it runs smoothly, there would be no reason to buy PC's anymore - which we are already seeing today with tablets. Throw a badazz 6" Surface Phone with Continuum on it, and 75% of people out there could use it as their primary PC with a monitor, their phablet, and their phone......add in surface pen support, and you get your notepad as well.

 

[ntice_521]

When I can run desktop apps on my Windows Phone (with or without external keyboard/mouse/display), that will be something.

You can buy an x86 phone with Android, but not Windows Phone. Isn't that funny?

 

[TheCudder]

I think Continuum will be very useful in Enterprises. I don't see it as a consumer feature. However, Microsoft has a huge presence in Enterprise, so even if we as consumers don't use it, it will still be a game changer.

Sent from my Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

This thread should have ended here honestly. For now, this is more of an Enterprise focused feature. "Hot Stations" or "Hot Desks" are common in enterprise computing environments, here where I work will deploy 2 monitors, a keyboard, a mouse & a docking station --- there desks are staged for traveling users and users who made be in a different building away from their usual desk (for a meeting, conference, etc), but they have their laptop and need to dock & go to get something done. IE. A customer travels from their New York branch to the Los Angeles branch and needs to review a presentation, charts or a spreadsheet before going into a meeting (basically, anything that's not practical to do on a phone sized device). Sit at one of these desks, whip out your phone and get right at it.

See how useful this is now?

There is no "practical" use for Continuum. Someone mentioned that phones will evolve to the point of replacing low to mid range laptops. Never. The computing power of even the most basic laptop trumps the most powerful phones today. Basically, if you're in an office setting all day, there's really no need for this feature. However, if you have to move around to different parts of the building, town or region, then this feature will become your best friend. BlackBerry already has a similar function in Blend and it's my favorite part of BB OS10. It's not until you use it that you understand how impactful it can be.

PC sales have dropped not only because of Mac & Chomebooks, but because plenty of people can do everything they need to do on tablets. And most tablets have the same spec's as high-end smart phones. So your claim is not valid. You have to remember that not everyone is a power user who runs AutoCAD, edits photos, processes large video files and so on ---- same for the enterprise. Some people do 90% of their work in just Microsoft Office applications.

 

[Gamely Lounges]

My point was that phones are nearly as powerful as the Surface2. And therefore phones are nearly to the point of being able replace a low end laptop.

I'm sure you are right regarding seeing telephony come to computers (that is basically already there with Skype, facetime, and clients like jabber and cisco soft phone). I am already doing telephony on my computer.

You seem to have drawn a line in the sand that it must be x86 coming to phones, but I don't see that as necessary for a huge number of people. My parents, for instance, don't need to install and run x86 programs. They just need email, browser, and document editing. x86 is irrelevant to them.

Does Continuum have a "practical" use? I think there are limited use cases where it is cool. But for me it is a necessary evolutionary step that we need to take before we get to the major milestone where you, The Average Joe (not you, The Power User), only need to own and carry one computing device that can handle most of your life's computing needs.

 

[fatclue_98]

Does Continuum have a "practical" use? I think there are limited use cases where it is cool. But for me it is a necessary evolutionary step that we need to take before we get to the major milestone where you, The Average Joe (not you, The Power User), only need to own and carry one computing device that can handle most of your life's computing needs.

That's the point I tried to make earlier. Continuum is a game changer for me but it's not practical for the average consumer. We'll see how far mobile computing goes, but remember that even Apple uses Windows PCs to get their own work done. Governments, industry and the like will never go mobile. Their infrastructure won't allow it. Just like BlackBerry will need to be around for their security. John Chen said as much the other day when he referenced the US Army as an essential customer. May not make a boatload of money, but the need has to be filled.

 

[OSean]

The 'average consumer' would die in a situation in which MacGyver would survive. I don't give much weight to the now clich? 'no practical use' arguments.

The purpose of Continuum is not to transport current practices into the future, it is to prepare the platform for future advancements.

Microsoft envisions a future where the screens we compute on will be provided by the places we will be computing. Imagine a public library saving money because they only have to provide a screen and a keyboard.

Microsoft is building a world where people imagine what they will do with the devices they buy instead of a world where the devices determine what you can do.

EDIT:

Maybe I will just add examples as I think of them:

Sitting on an airplane and, instead of the simple fold down food tray, the device folds down into a 13" Monitor and keyboard?

The car doesn't just charge your phone. It becomes a mobile device in a literal sense. It's like Apple CarPlay, only without yet another separate OS. Continuum will sense the information that needs to be displayed based on the device it is displaying to. Windows 10 is also your cars dashboard. The Gogoro would also be a good example.

Eventually, today's Snapdragon 810 will become tomorrows snapdragon 200. By developing and perfecting Continuum now, Microsoft makes it even easier to hold and dominate markets where people can't necessarily afford multiple high end Android and iOS devices. And why would they want too? The low end phone they just bought can plug into any monitor and become at least the equal of a Chromebook. Devices that wear multiple hats will secure the low end and make it more likely those who choose low end Lumias will upgrade to Windows in the future.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

I pretty much agree with others have mentioned about it being the new laptop. Imagine the possibilities? If continuum operates even remotely close to how it's supposed to anyone who owns a Windows laptop or PC for real world work, won't have any reason not to own a Windows phone. That can also be said for owners of an Xbox One.

 

[Motor_Mouth]

This is the funniest thing I ever saw. What's the point of carrying a laptop sized monitor and keyboard and connect your phone just yo use office apps?

What's the point of owning a phone, a tablet and a laptop when one device can be all three? Why pay for 3 CPUs, 3 GPUs and 3 lots of separate storage when you can have everything in one device? This is the future, it's just that phones aren't quite powerful enough right now to make it viable. But if you look where smartphones were 5 years ago and extrapolate that level of improvement 5 years into the future, this kind of thing will be perfectly viable and very desirable, I reckon.

 

[chuckdaly]

I use to own a Motorola Atrix 4G. While I never bought the lapdock, I used one a few times, and the concept is great. When Motorola first displayed it, bloggers went nuts over the idea of such convergence. The problem was the lack of apps and the slow, by today's standards, hardware of the Atrix. One thing people forget is the potential cost savings. No one is gonna get work done on their phone, so people bring along a tablet or laptop. The benefit here is a Laptdock can potentially be less expenisive (Or even free with a carrier subsidized phone) compared with a low end laptop or iPad. Anyone comparing Continuum to the Asus Padphone never looked at what Asus charged for the pair. The original Padphone combo cost as much as a Galaxy phone and Tablet.

 

[hack14u]

I don't own a laptop, so there is another person who will use this.