An interesting take on the tablet eco-system
Read this article today from a Microsoft employee. So, the stance isn't surprising. But what is surprising is that there are a number of points I agree with. I don't think it matters much... but the points are relevant to say the least. My point about the relevance goes hand in hand with my post the other day regarding how the general public perceives Microsoft and how consumers make decisions on spending. From that perspective, Windows RT is still a weak proposition and will unfortunately be likely to trump reality.
Tablets running "full" Windows 8 have enough going for them that people and sometimes look past the typical factors that drive spending. But that isn't what the linked article or this post are about.
I'm not a fan of what WinRT offers. But, I'm also not a fan of what iOS and Android offer. I am a developer and an enthusiast and there are some key omissions from the WinRT set of apps that are keeping me at bay. iOS and Android are actually even further away from tempting than WinRT is. And this is why I find this article compelling.
The Surface RT and Surface 2 ARE both cheaper devices than what Apple offers. There are cheaper Android devices, but not at the same level of quality. Android's biggest failure is actually the same as iOS's. Phones are tablets are more different from a platform perspective than tablets and PC's. With that screen real estate and the accessories I expect something that, even if it doesn't try to act like my laptops and desktops, at least gives me a valid reason for leaving those platforms either completely, or for the most part.
If you own an Android or iOS tablet and you're over the age of 18, you likely NEED to own either a full blown Mac or PC. Chromebooks are being ignored here because they take the lunacy even further and try to ram what should be a tablet OS into a laptop. If you own a Chromebook and are over 18 you likely need yet another laptop or desktop for productivity tasks.
And this is where you start seeing where I'm going with this. Even with the neutered WinRT, a Surface RT or Surface 2 can actually replace the functionality of a laptop or a desktop for a large segment of the population. They have a proper driver architecture and thus the expansion ports can be used to add function and utility to the device. With office, a student could use this as their sole computing device. So could most professionals.
If they would get their acts together and put native development tools in place for at least their own platform on said platform... you might drum up a bit more enthusiasm from me. Ideally, I'd like a situation similar to what Windows and OSX where a single platform is able to develop applications for multiple target frameworks. But, if I could at least use a device to develop apps for that device I would be a much happier camper.
Tablets running "full" Windows 8 have enough going for them that people and sometimes look past the typical factors that drive spending. But that isn't what the linked article or this post are about.
I'm not a fan of what WinRT offers. But, I'm also not a fan of what iOS and Android offer. I am a developer and an enthusiast and there are some key omissions from the WinRT set of apps that are keeping me at bay. iOS and Android are actually even further away from tempting than WinRT is. And this is why I find this article compelling.
The Surface RT and Surface 2 ARE both cheaper devices than what Apple offers. There are cheaper Android devices, but not at the same level of quality. Android's biggest failure is actually the same as iOS's. Phones are tablets are more different from a platform perspective than tablets and PC's. With that screen real estate and the accessories I expect something that, even if it doesn't try to act like my laptops and desktops, at least gives me a valid reason for leaving those platforms either completely, or for the most part.
If you own an Android or iOS tablet and you're over the age of 18, you likely NEED to own either a full blown Mac or PC. Chromebooks are being ignored here because they take the lunacy even further and try to ram what should be a tablet OS into a laptop. If you own a Chromebook and are over 18 you likely need yet another laptop or desktop for productivity tasks.
And this is where you start seeing where I'm going with this. Even with the neutered WinRT, a Surface RT or Surface 2 can actually replace the functionality of a laptop or a desktop for a large segment of the population. They have a proper driver architecture and thus the expansion ports can be used to add function and utility to the device. With office, a student could use this as their sole computing device. So could most professionals.
If they would get their acts together and put native development tools in place for at least their own platform on said platform... you might drum up a bit more enthusiasm from me. Ideally, I'd like a situation similar to what Windows and OSX where a single platform is able to develop applications for multiple target frameworks. But, if I could at least use a device to develop apps for that device I would be a much happier camper.
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