is Microsoft "dressing like" apple?

[Maximusgeneralis]

I have been followed the release of the Surface Laptop and the accompanying Windows 10 S with a lot of interest. Here in Nigeria, where I live, the choice of what laptop to acquire for informed users is coloured by the perception that people have had drummed into them that Apple product (and in particular the Mac Pro) is the way to go if you are hip and you are in line with current trends. The versatility of windows has been the factor that has enabled it to remain competitive. While I agree with the opinion expressed by a comment above that the only way to build the windows store is to build a solid user base for it, I think it is going to be an uphill struggle for the Surface laptop to compete with Apple in this regard. For one, the entrenched Windows 10 Users will not easily jump ship to the limited store on offer with the Surface laptop and the Apple Mac and Air users are usually too immersed in that ecosystem to contemplate switching over to the more limited offer on the Windows 10 S store.
This is a niche product that might cost Redmond more funds to pursue and support.

 

[tgp]

I have more faith in apple as a innovator right now, than Samsung or google. Google seems to have an AI focused direction that I think could pay off big in the smarthome business. But I know apple has some neat tricks up its sleeve in AI, and it has its secret AR project.

I have faith in Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft as innovators, but in different areas. They have all had their times in the past, and I believe they will all continue to push the envelope in their own ways.

I'm pegging that VR will be large entertainment markets, and that consumers will have more spending preference for capability than mobility.

I am kind of lumping VR and AR together here, but this is exactly why I don't expect Microsoft to be on top when the VR/AR market shakes out. Microsoft is focusing on business, and not doing much for the consumer market. While there is certainly room for VR/AR in the business field, I believe it will be secondary to the consumer market, somewhat how smartphones are today. While there is good logic to be made to use BlackBerry and even WM in business, iPhones and Androids dominate. Business users are first and foremost consumers.

I guess from this perspective, I think nothing like a consumer, and more like the businesses themselves.

Yup, it all makes sense why you think like you do! :grin:

 

[Drael646464]

I am kind of lumping VR and AR together here, but this is exactly why I don't expect Microsoft to be on top when the VR/AR market shakes out. Microsoft is focusing on business, and not doing much for the consumer market. While there is certainly room for VR/AR in the business field, I believe it will be secondary to the consumer market, somewhat how smartphones are today. While there is good logic to be made to use BlackBerry and even WM in business, iPhones and Androids dominate. Business users are first and foremost consumers.

Well AR is too expensive currently for consumers, at least in the developer model. I think MSFT is still baking the consumer version. I've seen proto's that have more of a glasses FF - still works in progress.

Although I agree the VR market has huge consumer potential, I don't think MS are neglecting that. They are all in on consumer VR with project scorpio, which will come bundled with mixed reality headsets and controllers which have no set up. There is at least one company making a AAA game for it, in VR - which in VR land is a first. So far its all little indie stuff, like the early days of 3d movies.

Same with VR on desktop IMO, although they have yet to have the products to really push either much.

Of course we've yet to see that release, but on paper they have a much stronger offering than anything else there right now. Still the tech is nascent, its early days.

Cords need to go wireless, the display technology improved to remove the nausea, gloves to replace controllers, and the headset made lighter and more comfortable. No setup, decent specs and lower entry point is a good start though.

Whomever is in the VR field though, unlike AR, which benefits from portability a lot, needs a static set-up for high end profits. Whether its playstation, apple or Microsoft. Mobile phones and all in ones will be peripheral to that core profit IMO. there's less point in mobility when you can't see your surroundings, and the immersion payoffs for powerful gpu trump those tiny payoffs by a large margin, as with big screen tvs/theatre versus mobile viewing.

I don't see consumer bleed occurring quite the say for say, a software for performing surgery virtually or designing jet engines as it does mobile phones, as I think it will be awhile before users take that home with them, and use it for their own consumption preferentially. In that respect at best its more like a laptop than a mobile phone. The consumer market will no doubt be huge though.

There's also little doubt in my mind there will be many players, before it is eventually reduced to two or three in each VR and AR.

 

[matt7709]

But how should MS start becoming cool if not by creating great looking products? I totally understand their case of creating Showcase products.

 

[Jeffery Holderness]

I hope not. Apple is trash.

 

[formalcomparison]

I also feel like its silly comparing the price of a macbook to a surface. the resale value of a mac is so much higher than a PC. as soon as you buy a PC it loses so much value - its not the same for a mac. Macs also generally tend to last longer than PCs. In my opinion, a swank PC should still always sell for cheaper than a macbook - theres no comparison.

Well but when it comes about buying an expensive new laptop you always need to look at the price. Apple's products tend not to lose value mostly due to their name. Either iPhone and MacBook sometimes show some problems after few time ( look at the battery life or the problem with the ignition key of the IPhone 5 ( at least in Italy )) but they remain elite devices and so they do not lose value on the market. There are computers , like The surface or some dell , that can be easily compare with MacBooks.

 

[SamiBchennati]

I always admired the way that apple did it (make their software an place it on their hardware). That was what I did not really like about Microsoft, they used to only do software. But when they started to produce Lumia phones and Surface computers I started to prefer this company over others. I still don't use a Microsoft branded computer (except for my Lumia 650 phone) because they are expensive. I think they should do less powerful computers that cost approximately 350$. But other than that they are doing an amazing job.

 

[k1s23]

I always admired the way that apple did it (make their software an place it on their hardware). That was what I did not really like about Microsoft, they used to only do software. But when they started to produce Lumia phones and Surface computers I started to prefer this company over others. I still don't use a Microsoft branded computer (except for my Lumia 650 phone) because they are expensive. I think they should do less powerful computers that cost approximately 350$. But other than that they are doing an amazing job.

hey there. i feel like microsoft is creating high standards on purpose. theyre trying to set a standard for each device for other OEMs to follow. im glad they are in the hardware game. with google running android on their pixel phones and other devices, it was probably inevitable for microsoft to do the same kind of thing for the computer market.

 

[k1s23]

I hope not. Apple is trash.

hello. i wouldnt say they are "trash" because they do make really good and really good looking products. there are other companies that dont come close to what apple makes in quality. the high price for the devices because its just apple making mac computers is what sucks.

 

[benbg55]

MS doing gorgeous devices very expensive but it's a reference for OEMs partners. No need to but the highest product when a MS partner does pretty much the same but with a different brand.
So yeah, Microsoft is doing like Apple with a unique product line (ie Surface) but it's not exclusive cause of OEMs.

 

[k1s23]

MS doing gorgeous devices very expensive but it's a reference for OEMs partners. No need to but the highest product when a MS partner does pretty much the same but with a different brand.
So yeah, Microsoft is doing like Apple with a unique product line (ie Surface) but it's not exclusive cause of OEMs.

hey benbg55, youre right. thats the difference between apple and microsoft. apple has a monopoly for mac and only they can sell that os, whereas microsoft makes the os for its products AND other companies' products. seems like they purposefully set higher prices to be undercut by other companies.

 

[Surapathi_121-0]

I don't support Apple very much and I disagree this post. Microsoft is trying to make everything on its own kind.

 

[G_Pankaj]

No, Microsoft is not dressing like Apple. In fact, the surface line is all about innovation and creation.Microsoft does not need to dress like Apple.Microsoft has always had innovative ideas.

 

[k1s23]

No, Microsoft is not dressing like Apple. In fact, the surface line is all about innovation and creation.Microsoft does not need to dress like Apple.Microsoft has always had innovative ideas.

hey there. the surface line is out of the box for thinking. its also quite interesting to think about the surface pro line. who wouldve guessed a tablet running a full desktop/laptop os with a keyboard and pen support would be a huge hit?

 

[formalcomparison]

I don't support Apple very much and I disagree this post. Microsoft is trying to make everything on its own kind.

Microsoft does the majority of his devices with great innovations and ideas , like the surface line , but sometimes , like in all other companies , if developers see that an innovation from another company sells well on the market, they follow the flow of that idea. Windows 10 s follows the line of the Apple's OS , it works only with the store , is easier and safer. However, that does not to have a bad thing because it gives us the possibility to have an OS of that kind remaining with Microsoft

 

[k1s23]

Microsoft does the majority of his devices with great innovations and ideas , like the surface line , but sometimes , like in all other companies , if developers see that an innovation from another company sells well on the market, they follow the flow of that idea. Windows 10 s follows the line of the Apple's OS , it works only with the store , is easier and safer. However, that does not to have a bad thing because it gives us the possibility to have an OS of that kind remaining with Microsoft

hey there. apples OS is slightly different, because there is only one version of mac os but within the system settings app, adjustments can be made to open an app not from the store. this is opposed to windows 10 s completely blocking any kind of .exe app with the only way to open these files being a mandatory update to windows 10 pro. still, apple tried to push store apps and now microsoft is doing the same.

 

[formalcomparison]

hey there. apples OS is slightly different, because there is only one version of mac os but within the system settings app, adjustments can be made to open an app not from the store. this is opposed to windows 10 s completely blocking any kind of .exe app with the only way to open these files being a mandatory update to windows 10 pro. still, apple tried to push store apps and now microsoft is doing the same.

Hi. Yes in apple OS with the right app you can open many apps that usually Apple doesn't allow to open but this apps started to be created by creators after Mac OS was created. Maybe there will be some apps of that tipe also in the windows store someday

 

[k1s23]

Hi. Yes in apple OS with the right app you can open many apps that usually Apple doesn't allow to open but this apps started to be created by creators after Mac OS was created. Maybe there will be some apps of that tipe also in the windows store someday

thanks for your reply. i think i understand what youre saying: apple allows its users to open different apps not from the app store, and possibly microsoft will allow the same thing in the future with windows 10 s? unless they get heavy backlash from windows 10 s being so limiting to what a user can download, id say probably not. theyre kinda forcing the limited windows 10 environment on its users for their own protection. theres too many careless people that download things before thinking or not even thinking about what the app is, and thats one of the ways that computers get infected.

 

[Jayesh Sharma]

MacBook users won't switch that easy just like we people won't give up WP. A more neutral audience, however, will probably go after Surface because it's beautiful, has amazing software support and also because there's no other appealing option out there.

 

[k1s23]

MacBook users won't switch that easy

jayesh thats totally not true for me. i have a macbook pro and im tired of paying a lot for a computer. id much rather get a windows pc which will then leave me with spending money for something else or to save. competition within OEMs is what drives prices down, and since apple has a monopoly on mac os their costs are much higher. the only real benefit i see to having a mac is being able to dual boot windows or linux.