Where Microsoft can win: Tablets.

[nube_android]

Right now in the tablet market there is room for tons of growth for Microsoft. Android is only selling on cheapo china tablets (and kindle fires, but neither benefit Google) and Apple is selling to premium and home use. (Rightfully so, they have worked for it.-Admit it.) But there is a huge opportunity for Microsoft. Where? As a decent alternative to iPad, for home and enterprise, with integration of office and Xbox along with likely more apps than Android and eventually iPad too. But the best part? It's a happy medium. Not as wild and crazy as Android with security risks and little to no ecosystem, but not as locked in and locked down as Apple. That is why I am betting that Microsoft will do well in tablets, which should spill over to phones. rly::wink::grin:

 

[Kevin Rush]

Why the wink and grin? Are you joking? What you propose, does sound feasible to me, but I'm not expert in the topic.

 

[Cleavitt76]

I agree that MS has lots of potential in the tablet sector. I also think that MS is in a unique position with Windows 8 and the hybrid tablets that are not possible on other platforms. Surface Pro, Lenovo Yoga, and the HP Envy are all good examples of devices that are possible only in the MS ecosystem. This is very appealing for some people (like myself who is typing this from my Surface Pro). One of the things that kept me from buying a tablet up until now is every time I used an iPad or Android tablet it felt too limited and I got bored with it quickly. I don't feel this way with my Surface Pro. As a matter of fact it's become my most used device at home and I still haven't used it to it's full potential.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Interesting perspective. I really think the mobile space will seep through for MS as well, once the tablet space has been claimed. If you think about it, if we can snap phone apps to the side (so they basically run like they would on the HTX 8X, perhaps with a capacitive back button too), then this could really be driven forward.

 

[AngryNil]

RT means the app ecosystem is poor and 8 means there are security issues. I don't think Microsoft has such a clear cut advantage as you're making it out to be. Better interface and Office, but even then, Office is supposed to be going cross-mobile platform soon.

 

[abel920]

Right now in the tablet market there is room for tons of growth for Microsoft. Android is only selling on cheapo china tablets (and kindle fires, but neither benefit Google) and Apple is selling to premium and home use. (Rightfully so, they have worked for it.-Admit it.) But there is a huge opportunity for Microsoft. Where? As a decent alternative to iPad, for home and enterprise, with integration of office and Xbox along with likely more apps than Android and eventually iPad too. But the best part? It's a happy medium. Not as wild and crazy as Android with security risks and little to no ecosystem, but not as locked in and locked down as Apple. That is why I am betting that Microsoft will do well in tablets, which should spill over to phones. rly::wink::grin:

Microsoft always win their fights.

​

People are laughing at Microsoft now, I mean Xbox was a seen as a failure at the beginning, but look where it is now. Same with Vista, and all the other products they continued to support.

 

[Coreldan]

RT means the app ecosystem is poor and 8 means there are security issues. I don't think Microsoft has such a clear cut advantage as you're making it out to be. Better interface and Office, but even then, Office is supposed to be going cross-mobile platform soon.

Somewhat this. Although I dont use this negatively that often, but it's why I often say I prefer Win RT over full Win 8 tablets. Tablets always have very limited resources. Win 8 is most likely heavier as it is, but being a full Windows 8 it means it'll pretty much need a firewall and antivirus, something that clogs up devices with low resources.

That said, I have no real use for most apps personally and I realize I'm far from the average customer, but I really hope that in 2 years from here MS will continue to have these hybrid tablets out that have the same orgasmic build quality as the Surface. I really just want a Surface with upgraded HW in years to come. It's just 100% perfect for me.

 

[robinleck]

I bought an Asus Vivotab Smart tablet like 2weeks ago. Without the slightest doubt, I can vouch that a full-fledged Windows 8 in a tablet form factor is the best thing Microsoft has come up with in a long time. I have been waiting for an ideal mobile notebook-like device to replace my 8+yo HP WinXP laptop and I must say my wait was over about 2weeks ago when I acquired the Vivotab Smart tablet.
I have played with my friends? iPad & android tablet, I can tell you neither can compare to the TABLET that I am holding in my hands right now to write this post. Microsoft & Windows 8 Rocks My World baby

 

[abel920]

I bought an Asus Vivotab Smart tablet like 2weeks ago. Without the slightest doubt, I can vouch that a full-fledged Windows 8 in a tablet form factor is the best thing Microsoft has come up with in a long time. I have been waiting for an ideal mobile notebook-like device to replace my 8+yo HP WinXP laptop and I must say my wait was over about 2weeks ago when I acquired the Vivotab Smart tablet.
I have played with my friends’ iPad & android tablet, I can tell you neither can compare to the TABLET that I am holding in my hands right now to write this post. Microsoft & Windows 8 Rocks My World baby ��

I hhhhaateeee you (hate is a strong word but..) You got the Smart! =( I got the RT, and I regret not getting the Smart instead. But then again they're both awesome, so YAY to you!!

I am glad you love your Smart, because ASUS makes the best tablets out there (Transformer, Nexus 7, and Vivo)

 

[derek533]

Some of us already know this who have RT's? :wink:

The RT really is the perfect go between a netbook (yuck), and full laptop and much more so than the iPad ever will be with all the RT's baked in functionality. It really is a great device and the haters are just either blinded by stupid fanboyism, or just plain ignorance and not willing to give one a go.

 

[rhodri22]

RT really isn't the perfect gap...

It needs to decide whether it's fully tablet or hybrid because where it is ATM is useless to consumers. The desktop makes it quite jarring to use, but it would lack the functionality without it. MS needs to go fully metro or give up on the concept at this point.

 

[derek533]

Useless? Have you even used one at all other than just a quick demo? It's anything but useless. That's the beauty of it as it can create content just as easy as it can consume it. All the while doing so as with a tablet form factor.

I'm sorry, I just fail to see how RT is useless. The fact of the matter is that having both a desktop and start screen makes it all that much better a device. Not the opposite. Nothing jarring at all about using the desktop especially if you're using the touch or typecover's integrated trackpad. Even with just using touch, it's more than manageable.

 

[rhodri22]

First, I do own a Surface RT and use it daily.

And I also said "where it is ATM is useless to consumers", and I do think that it is. I agree with you that with the covers the desktop is a more manageable experience, to covers only really work when stationary on a (excuse the pun) surface. Therefore it might as well be a laptop. Without the covers and on the move, the desktop is a horrible experience of small icons. Having the desktop there is a step back, because with the exception of Office, the only time you go to the desktop is to fix something in the more advanced control panel or do something that could be ported over to a metro app, like File Explorer.

In an OS that was designed to only ever be used by devices with touchscreens, why is there a real need for the desktop. Take Remote Desktop as an example, there's a metro app and the old desktop version. The metro version does all the stuff that the desktop version does for the average consumer, yet keeps the user in the metro RT space rather than the desktop RT space. With time I'm hoping that MS will move more stuff over, like Office, into the metro space, and then there will be no need for the desktop anymore.

 

[KingCrimson]

Where all Windows tablets fail are in 3 areas - crappy form factor(16:9 instead of 4:3), unintuitive UI that hides all the commands and lack of apps. Fix all of those and you have a true competitor to the iPads.

 

[Talldog]

Where all Windows tablets fail are in 3 areas - crappy form factor(16:9 instead of 4:3), unintuitive UI that hides all the commands and lack of apps. Fix all of those and you have a true competitor to the iPads.

I owned the first 3 generations of iPads and they couldn't hold a candle to my Surface Pro, and content creation has little to do with it. It's all about performance, compatibility and connect-ability. Browser performance (my primary use for my iPads) is orders of magnitude better on my SP. And because it's a laptop in a tablet's body, I can connect and manage my Kindle reader and my Harmony remote, as well as run Visual Studio and Minecraft. My laptop hasn't seen the light of day since I got the SP and will be given away soon. I've already given away my iPad3 and my wife's iPad2 (she also loves her SP) to my brother-in-law's family. It's primary competitive advantages, which IMO are weight and battery life, are nowhere near enough.

Not to mention that the whole SP/MS/Gmail thing was what brought us to the Verizon Lumia 822 and WP8 which we both like more than the Samsung Android phones we came from.

 

[abel920]

I owned the first 3 generations of iPads and they couldn't hold a candle to my Surface Pro, and content creation has little to do with it. It's all about performance, compatibility and connect-ability. Browser performance (my primary use for my iPads) is orders of magnitude better on my SP. And because it's a laptop in a tablet's body, I can connect and manage my Kindle reader and my Harmony remote, as well as run Visual Studio and Minecraft. My laptop hasn't seen the light of day since I got the SP and will be given away soon. I've already given away my iPad3 and my wife's iPad2 (she also loves her SP) to my brother-in-law's family. It's primary competitive advantages, which IMO are weight and battery life, are nowhere near enough.

Not to mention that the whole SP/MS/Gmail thing was what brought us to the Verizon Lumia 822 and WP8 which we both like more than the Samsung Android phones we came from.

Have fun print documents off iPads, I heard it's real fun

The only non-Windows product I have is Nexus 7, and it's Android - but I only got it because it was on a hot sale, and I was able to get it for $80 off, and it's ASUS.

Other than that this Nexus 7 cannot hold a candle to my ASUS RT. The only advantage my Nexus 7 have is live wallpapers (yes, I love my aquarium wallpaper, the fishes are swimming around, I hope WP and Windows Blue have this feature in the future updates).

 

[theefman]

Where all Windows tablets fail are in 3 areas - crappy form factor(16:9 instead of 4:3), unintuitive UI that hides all the commands and lack of apps. Fix all of those and you have a true competitor to the iPads.

The 16:9 aspect ratio is going to be an advantage when you can dock two apps side by side split 50/50. Going to make Windows 8 much more productive with the Modern apps.

 

[Coreldan]

I way rather have my Surface as 16:9 than 4:3.

 

[Laura Knotek]

16:9 is the standard aspect ratio for HDTV.

 

[aniym]

The 16:9 aspect ratio is going to be an advantage when you can dock two apps side by side split 50/50. Going to make Windows 8 much more productive with the Modern apps.

That isn't really something that would be compromised by 4:3...in landscape, there are advantages to having the extra vertical space available for an app to use. On a 10.6 inch device (or whatever a 4:3 device uses) 50:50 snap view could work.

I personally hope that the new 50:50 snap feature allows OEMS to exercise some flexibility in the form factor. Tablets are not intrinsically meant to be used in any one orientation and the narrow design of 16:9 makes it portrait use unpleasant for me.