Comments on: Can Microsoft make a must-have tablet?

By: andi

andi — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:02:15 +0000

quote from a cnet comment which just about sums up why ms will fail with their ‘must have tablet’

“by huddie klein July 30, 2010 12:01 AM PDT
Ok, but do we need windows? We only need Windows when we want to use Windows compatible apps, right? But are those apps compatible with a touch screen? Is the ease of use anywhere near the ease of use we get from a especially for the ipad/iphones designed app? Don’t think so…

So, could it be that the vast array of windows apps suddenly became irrelevant?”

And a side issue, why does ms even need to be messing with around tablets, some sort of inferiority complex?

By: Squander Two

Squander Two — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:09:32 +0000

> Semantics and pedantry aside

Semantics = what the words you use mean.
Pedantry = assuming that you mean what you say.

So, them aside, yeah, everyone’s absolutely right at all times about everything.

Yes, I realise that this comment involves extreme pedantry about semantics. Sue me.

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 07:21:38 +0000

Windows 7′s wake-from-sleep is instant and reliable too, in my experience. I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with my crappy old laptop waking up; any problems tend to be Chrome or Flash going tits-up and forcing reboots. It’s true that iOS devices don’t immediately start demanding virus updates etc, but that’s because they’re very simple OSes. Complexity is the price you pay for power, and all that.

It’s not so much the instant-wake that’s good about the iPad, it’s the battery life. Being able to just leave it around the place without worrying it’ll have enough charge when you need it is a great thing.

By: G24

G24 — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:24:36 +0000

Semantics and pedantry aside, what people are generally alluding to here is that iOS devices have a very low-power sleep state during which they are still alive enough to do some useful things. Plus a truly instant ‘wake from sleep’ which thanks to the stability of the OS can be used week in week out, unlike most Windows devices which deteriorate with use and often need a full restart to flush them out and get them working properly again.

True, iPad does indeed take 20secs to boot from fully off – the point is, you rarely need to fully shut it down. In real-world use, this makes a difference and it does feel like an ‘instant on’ device.

By: mupwangle

mupwangle — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:09:55 +0000

Scott Adams is wrong. Shame though since he is a techie person. iOS has a bootup sequence. And it isn’t instant.

The ipad (and iphone) takes less than 30 seconds to boot, which is pretty quick from power off, but hardly “instant on”. An average netbook takes about double. Both do “instant on” from sleep.

Here’s a test: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20002130-243.html

The newest laptops can boot from off to Windows 7 desktop in about 10 seconds. (UEFI rather than BIOS)

By: andi

andi — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:29:08 +0000

Heres where i took the instant on from
“By far, the iPad’s most wonderful feature, compared to laptops, is the fact that it turns on instantly. There’s no boot-up sequence. That one advantage makes the iPad an entirely different product from a laptop. Once powered on, the iPad doesn’t start begging me to update things nor force me to make decisions. It doesn’t remind me of all the ways it is protecting me. It doesn’t tell me to order printer ink or ask me to fill out a survey….”

By: mupwangle

mupwangle — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:29:17 +0000

>>one of the many reasons is that it turns on instantly

No it doesn’t. It goes partially to sleep. iOS, android and Windows CE devices all take *ages* to boot properly. Windows can boot from sleep instantaneously too.

By: andi

andi — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:03:05 +0000

No, they will make a tablet that will kinda look like an ipad, but will be a laptop without a keyboard, running a slightly variant of ‘win 7′ just not ‘win mobile 7′.

The problem for M$ is its chasing markets, not making them. Exhibit A ‘the kin’ great idea maybe 3/4 years ago, late to a market that has doesn’t even exist anymore – who wants to be seen as getting the cheap option in school/college. Then they overcharge for it.

“The street finds its own uses for things.” William Gibson

Scott Admas (dilbert) is using his ipad in the kitchen – which i believe is the perfect home for it, stick it on a wall and you’ll see what i mean – and one of the many reasons is that it turns on instantly and i can’t see a not quite win 7 slate thing ever doing that.

By: mupwangle

mupwangle — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:20:41 +0000

It’s not that quick – they came out for the iphone a while before the ipad was announced. Some people just like stylii.

By: Squander Two

Squander Two — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:16:52 +0000

I think they’re going to, albeit a couple of years later than they should have. As far as I can tell from their latest pronouncements, Symbian’s to be replaced by Meego and Meego is being merged with Maemo, so Maemo 6 will be their standard platform for new phones, probably by the start of next year. That would be very good indeed. Already millions of apps out there as Maemo’s just a port of Linux — just a matter of tweaking them a bit. Trouble is, Nokia seem still to be leaving this to the open-source community. They need to hire a big team of Linux experts and get a couple of thousand Linux apps ported onto Maemo pronto. And then hire a new marketing guy capable of giving the OS a decent fucking name.

Think I’m going to get an N900 when my current contract’s up. Very tempted by the 3GS, but, even with its price reduced so much by the advent of the 4, it’s still a big premium to pay, and I’m skint. For the same money, Apple win. But they don’t seem interested in that game.

By: Gary

Gary — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:55:24 +0000

I think Nokia has perhaps been coasting a little bit. It’d be nice to see them churning out wow-phones again.

By: Squander Two

Squander Two — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:02:22 +0000

Oh, absolutely. Plus, competition is good. People tend to talk about the whole MS-versus-Apple thing as if whichever one makes the best stuff should somehow “win” and the other one should just go away, whereas in fact OSX probably wouldn’t exist without Microsoft and Windows would be utter shite without Apple.

By the same logic, I really hope Android and IOS have given Nokia enough of a kick up the arse. Maemo’s great, but they need to throw a lot more resources at it.