I'll wait for the cliff notes version. :wink:
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What is MICROSOFT planning?
- Thread starter flaminio
- Start date
I'll wait for the cliff notes version. :wink:
And some stupid ones as well.
He goes on at length about using touch for a desktop OS, but seems to not realize that the mouse still works same as it ever has. No one is going to touch the screen to select a menu in Word. Even running Word on the Surface RT I use the touchpad mouse to select menus. Same with the Server OS -- no one is going to use the touchscreen; it's just there as part of the package.
He goes on about Google Docs and Google Mail, but there really is no comparison between them and Office and Exchange. Finance and Accounting will be using Excel for many, many years to come -- Google Spreadsheet does not have near the power and feature set. If Office had the collaboration ability of Google Docs, it would not even be a contest. Google Mail is nice and cheap, but does not have near the functionality of Exchange. Plus, they have a ridiculous 25 GB cap on mailbox size -- a problem I run into every day. If I run my own Exchange server I don't worry about this; when the disk fills, I just toss another into it. Even hosted Exchange solutions aren't troubled -- the one I've used gives a total amount of disk space, and how that's divided up is irrelevant.
He brings up the oft cited claim that Microsoft doesn't innovate, but the attempt to bring a unified Windows to phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, and server seems pretty damned innovative to me, even if it fails. Apple would love to integrate MacOS and iOS, and Google would love to put Android on everything. This is the direction of the industry, and Microsoft got there first.
He bemoans running Windows 8 on an older computer, but in the Microsoft world running a new OS on an old computer has always sucked, especially if one tries to "upgrade". I've never recommended anyone upgrading their computer, but if someone is buying a new computer that is built with Windows 8 in mind (with proper specs, hardware, and drivers), the experience will be just fine.
Even if it's conceded that Microsoft has failed, the bigger fail is that no one else has stepped up to address the enterprise market. Apple and Chromium/Linux remain niche devices, and likely will for the foreseeable future. Maybe if some company presented a soup-to-nuts solution like Microsoft does then Microsoft would be in trouble, but there isn't, yet.
What struck me about that semiacurate.com site is that they claim to be a news site (http://semiaccurate.com/about-us/), yet after reading five or so articles, every single one is a hugely ranty opinion piece. It's definitely entertaining to read, but it's not really news.
The Surface RT tablet has no appeal for me, but I'm excited for the Surface Pro tablet. I refuse to call Microsoft and Windows 8 a failure until I get to see how that pans out. It could be THE tablet/PC for the enterprise, which iPad & Android tablets are not. If that succeeds, it could also open the door to WP8 adoption in the enterprise. I'm very interested in seeing how this plays out.
Completely changing the UI on their flagship OS was a bad idea.
It's a risk, but you don't have to use it. Just go to the desktop. Windows is useless on a tablet, so the new interface was needed.
I don't think it's that bad.
Agree 100%. There's no question on the trajectory of tablets. MS can either get on board, or they can be obsolete 5 years from now. Desktops aren't going away anytime soon, but crappy security and lack of power considerations are another two issues for consumers with the current Windows. Win8 addresses both to a large degree.
Change is always painful... but I think this is critical for MS's future success.
The kind of thinking that gets rid the "start" menu makes you wonder what kind of thinking went into the overall product. Yes you can download an app to re-enable the start menu but you shouldn't have to. Microsoft's problems are due in large part to Windows hubris. The design of their software makes it clear they truly believe Windows is the highlight of your day. From the universally-hated UACs, the complete UI change in Office 2007, now the debacle of Windows 8, it's clear they don't give a rat about throwing huge monkey wrenches into people's established use patterns. The user is expected to accommodate the computer, not the other way around. Dealing with these changes is not painful change in the name of innovation, it's needless BS in the name of Microsoft trying to appear innovative by putting another layer of frosting on the same old Windows. I'm no Microsoft hater by any means (in my spare time I'm a network admin for an office running several Windows servers & a number of desktops and fully appreciate the end-to-end solutions they've engineered). But who is doing the thinking now at Microsoft? What are they thinking? They really seem to be losing their way.
So what's the latest word on the surface tablets?
They just said the surface pro will only have a 4-hour battery life. That's horrible. I'd rather have a small touch ultra book.
Yeah, that four hour life is going to be a tough sell. People want tablets that last all day, and this one doesn't. It's also thicker and heavier than the RT, which puts it in direct competition with ultrabooks and the Macbook Air, and frankly, if I wanted a lightweight Windows machine, I'd get an Air and bootcamp it.
That said, the RT is not getting the love it deserves in the market. We've had ours since release date, and everyone who uses it likes it. Yes, you can't install all your usual Windows apps, but it has Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and a browser; and that comprises perhaps 95% of what many people do with a computer. Plus, the battery life is right up there with iPads and other typical tablets.
I think the starting price of $900 will be a tough sell too.
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