Tablets at CES: Microsoft fails to wow
He bounded onto the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show bursting with energy in a bright red jumper, but Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer never really seemed to get going throughout his keynote speech.
Maybe it was the power failure just beforehand; more likely it was because he just didn't have that much to announce.
Sure, the big news was the collaboration between two tech titans on the tablet computer - but there were so few details about it that it couldn't really set the heather on fire.
Blink and you might have missed the announcement altogether because Mr Ballmer didn't really make that big a deal of it. Or maybe I have been to too many Apple events where you can almost hear an orchestra crescendo as Steve Jobs gets to the big reveal.
Talking of Apple, the timing was certainly interesting, coming just before Apple's rumoured announcement about its own tablet or slate computer.
Most people I spoke to afterwards don't think the Microsoft/HP effort will steal much thunder from Apple, but gave them kudos for trying to grab some of the spotlight.
What I find fascinating about the tablet news is that we have the world's biggest technology company and the world's biggest software company throwing their collective weight behind a device that does not sell in any great quantity.
The market analysis firm IDC said that in 2008 sales fell by 25% and that figures for last year are expected to follow suit.
There is no doubt that a lot of the buzz here at CES centres around tablet computers, but Microsoft has the knowledge that comes with bitter experience: it was not a great investment nearly ten years ago when they built one around the Windows XP operating system.
Besides, much of the buying public at the moment is utterly confused about the whole computer marketplace.
You have netbooks, mini-netbooks, notebooks, e-readers, slates, tablets, laptops, desktops, toughbooks, ultra-thin laptops, ultra-portable high-performance hybrids, smartphones, super-phones and, er, I think that's enough to be getting on with.
I realise that some of these are one and the same kind of device, but you can imagine how overwhelming it is for the ordinary consumer; one wonders how many of these new tablets will make enough of an impression to result in shoppers actually parting with cash.
It will certainly be interesting to see who will win out in this sector - and the involvement of Microsoft and Apple means my job isn't set to get boring any time soon.
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Comments
I bought my ipod touch 18 months ago. I now use it at home far more than my desktop computer. I can use it sitting on the sofa, in bed, take it outside, wherever. I can use it to listen to music, watch videos/tv, browse the internet, read books, use applications, play games, send mail, twitter etc etc. The only problem with it is that the screen is just too small - something bigger (like the proposed tablet) would be perfect for most home user's computing needs. If the user interface is custom designed for it (which I suspect apple will do) and simple to use it could bring millions of additional people online who have previously not had access. My grandparents may even have a chance with it but there is no way they can learn to use a desktop pc running windows since they have difficulty even changing to a channel on the tv that has more than 1 number. It could also dock with a tv to stream video content or a computer monitor for a more traditional desktop os experience when needed.
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I'm not sure about mobile computing devices either. However, the landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, and with the uptake of broadband set to increase still further, there is a perceived need in consumers to be online at all times. Whether that's as beneficial as everyone thinks is another matter. I use a well known smart phone and have to admit that I'm getting used to having online access pretty much everywhere I go. The key, though, is speed and ease of use. Nobody is going to buy something which fits in the pocket, but is slow, difficult to use and frankly a bit rubbish compared with their standard computer. So attempts to fit WXP or OSX into a device are a bad idea, I'd say. My phone works fine because it can only run one application at a time. Far from a restriction, that's a benefit.
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Everyone talks about the slate product, but of course it's not about the product. It's about the connected infrastructure into which the slate creates a window. Distribution of content on physical media (paper, plastic), and push broadcasting will take a back seat to something that can replace the most used functions of book, newspaper, TV, radio and PC. The slate is just the main window through which we will experience this new medium for our culture.
Focussing exclusively on the personal experience, Apple's the only one whose infrastructure investment started early enough and consistently avoided the dead ends of walled gardens. No matter how bad Apple's slate is, or how big the competing consortium is, Microsoft plus HP can only deliver a replica of an Apple slate.
It really doesn't matter if Apple's slate is awful; at launch it will deliver a window with a functional and attractive view to Microsoft slate's building site view. A slate is what will replace the consumer PC over the next five years, sidelining the traditional PC unless it's also needed for content creation of all kinds.
But Apple's slate will almost certainly be innovative and fitter for purpose than any other. Game over.
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If you are going to do something do it properly, that's the difference between Apple and Microsoft. I'm not an Apple fan but when they launched the iPhone they thought about the device, the software and then spend time in the keynote address showing people it's potential.
This collaboration between Microsoft and HP seems to have gone on for some time but I'll bet it's going to be a standard version of Windows 7 on the device (clunky unless Microsoft did a LOT of work on the Windows 7 touch / tablet interface) and from what I saw very little thought was put into selling the potential of the device.
I assume Ballmer only had a few days to prep after finding out about Apple's impending announcement but surely the Microsoft / HP team could have come up with something better than that!
And Maggie you are right, people are getting confused as to what the different devices do and why you need them, more effort should have been put into where this sits in terms of the average user's experience.
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dans is right - it's the ease of use that matters most with tablet/slate devices
nobody does UI like Apple - thats why the phone companies are all playing catch-up over 2 years after Apple brought out their first ever phone with multi-touch capabilities
calling a same old Tablet running Windows a slate aint going to fool anyone into believing MS-HP have really clawed back any of the ground broken by Apple's software engineers
smacked a bit (lot) of desperation, to be frank (not my real name;))
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Fails to wow is an understatement isn't it. Microsoft showed absolutely nothing new, the only difference between a "Tablet PC" and a "Slate PC" is that the slate doesn't require a stylus. They've done absolutely nothing when it comes to the UI changes needed, and probably only called it a Slate PC to try and block Apple's name the "iSlate". The other major revelation, that in America, with the right setup, you can record 4 HD channels at once on Media Centre. Well, that is great, but Sky and Virgin won't release PC cards, so for the British and most Europeans, its pretty redundant, just like Media Centre.
Its a lazy, half hearted attempt at a land grab, that probably wouldn't have been announced was it not for the hype around Apple's device.
CES 2010 just went to show that the only relevance Microsoft currently has in the world is with Xbox 360, and even then all they announced for that was products they've announced several times before. Alan Wake is in its fourth year of announcements, Natal was launched for the 3rd time!
It was an absolutely terrible keynote, and putting a jumper on Steve Ballmer to hide how much he sweats doesn't escape the fact that having him as CEO as Microsoft is the technology equivalent of a boat without a rudder, or sail or an engine.
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The Apple announcement will no doubt be a big one on the tablet/slate front. Although I use my iphone as a browser and yes if it had a bigger screen that would be great, but would I use it as a replacement for a laptop for day to day browsing work?
The current answer I am afraid to say would be no as Apple for some reason best known to themselves refuse to support Flash which love it or hate it is an essential requirement for proper browsing today.
So I can imagine a MS tablet having some traction if the Apple slate creates a whole new market which it probably will.
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I think all the major manufacturers want to wipe out the netbook. The netbook margins are the lowest, and it is all about the price for consumers. The touchscreen slate is looking to be a more expensive alternative to the netbook, withou any major benefit. Netbooks are cheap, have great battery life because they are low spec, and do not represent an alternative to a desktop, but are an additional computer for the family. I have had tablets over the years, and although I like them, I do not use them everyday.
How does the slate compare against this is really the question that I think will determine its success. If the big manufacturers do not really understands the netbook, how will they fare any better with the slate?
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Hello people.
I am not particularly anti-Microsoft.
But I am tickled to see them release another tablet computer before Apple have even showed them how to do it.
There will always be a place for companies like MS...because there are always people who will buy cheaply.
It's why the knock-off market exists.
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"Monkey Boy" Ballmer as usual announces something that will neither come into production nor work. Microsoft have given us (!) a 'table' for moving pictures and text. Try putting that into a rucksack!
As usual, Apple will come out with something that a) works, b) looks good, and c) feels good to work with ... then everyone will try to catch up. Just as with the iPhone ... it's not the best phone/camera/coffeemaker on the market but what it does it does well and that's where Microsoft, with all its millions and marketshare, fails every time. It took them years to get to Windows XP which worked quite well (eventually) and they replaced it with Vista!
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Mobile computing is a huge, and for many people very valuable, step forward. But as usual the technology is light years ahead of the infrastructure. For those of us fortunate enough not to live in a city, even broadband speeds are a lottery. Data network coverage is patchy at best, and is non-existent in many rural areas. Even mobile phones don't work in the village where I live (unless you are willing to climb onto the roof). It's hard to get excited about these new products when such a large part of the population are effectively debarred from using them.
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You know, Maggie, I find it quite weird that your colleagues don't get excited by the fact that Microsoft can demonstrate fully functional slate prototypes running a desktop class OS and yet go totally hyper about a piece of vapourware with no defined specs that may only run a cut down Mobile OS.
It's almost as if there was some kind of weird bias going on. Perish the thought!
@ascylto
"Catching up" is when you're ahead of the competition. MS just demonstrated working prototypes, Apple are still at the vapourware stage.
Care to guess who's really catching up here?
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Well I rediscovered my Fujitsu Pocket Loox 710 Pocket PC ( windows mobile 2003)in the last few weeks. I bought it oh more than 3 or so years ago now. Its all I need. I can use it to read books so need for a Kindle or its ilk. It can play mp3s so no need for an ipod. Also Videos ( rather well!), even mp4, H264's so no need for a new portable video Ipod. I can use it as a gps unit with great maps from Anquet or Memory Map. Also unlike the ipods of this world the battery can be easily replaced. It can send emails over wifi & browse the bbc news website. The only thing it doesnt have is a phone... I was able to pick up a spare one in almost new condition for £28 from Ebay. So what is new - seems very little really
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I think I will reserve my enthusiasm for an iScroll or iFan, i.e. a mobile device with a big screen that can be collapsed to fit a pocket when not in use. I think we'll have them within 5 years, but they will be expensive.
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1. It has to work landscape as default.
2. They have stuck with the Picture frame design the silver trim that dates it to 1986 trying to look like grandmas prized picture when she was looker.
Please go to a store, sleek matt and smooth transition or monolith is whats in. Trying calling it "7" and a new gui which doesnt look like my work pc and every one since 1986!
I am sure it will work, I want something distinctive and a little different
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So Microsoft announce and show off a prototype "slate" running Windows 7. Apple's tablet will probably be more than a prototype when they show it off to people, and with Google releasing their own phone and talking about the Chrome O/S this looks like another rushed panic by Microsoft to try to persuade people that they can still innovate.
But once again I think its shown that Microsoft really don't get a lot of things. What is so special about a thin PC running Windows 7? The only thing that it maybe does signal is the death of Windows Mobile on anything bigger than a standard smart phone.
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A desperate and doomed-to-fail attempt from Microsoft to upset the Apple applecart. It's hard not to cringe watching Balmer's keynote - it's so old-school in terms of its presentation and language. MS urgently need to find some way of injecting excitement and relevance into their product pitches. No, more than that, they need to begin innovating. Dropping Windows 7 into an HP touchscreen does not cut it.
On the issue of lack of support on the iPhone/Touch platform, it's a no-brainer and Apple got it right - Flash is a massive battery drain. However, the larger form factor of the proposed tablet/slate will presumably permit a larger battery ... and with it support for Flash.
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One posters announcement of the impending death of the PC made me laugh, the market may change a little but I don't know many people who would prefer to type this post without a proper keyboard, nor read it without a proper screen.
The i-phone woke up non-techies to the joys of the internet and it is they who bought and were disappointed by netbooks and they who will be dazzled by the glossy tablet PCs which seem to be this year's hype-item.
However, the format will be crippled, as it always was, by the inescapable balance and frustrations of poor performance and good battery life, or good performance and bad battery life. The fun of portability becomes short lived when you constantly need to recharge or sit by a power socket, doubly so when it turns out that manufacturers don't guarantee battery performance past six months and your machine's capabilities start to diminish.
The e-book reader provides a more interesting, useful and probably long-lived product, and I think will be the product for which this year will be remembered. The concept of an e-reader which is also a netbook appeals, but like the above falls foul of battery constraints (see the eDGe and it's 6 hour lifespan).
Nevertheless, the e-reader is a genuinely useful and usable product, whereas a painfully slow PC without a proper keyboard which will allow me to watch tv whilst sitting in front of my tv? That's just dumb!
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More tech for stupid people.
Just what we need.
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Microsoft issued Tablet PC's running XP back on November 7th 2002 (Bill Gates did the launch). Back then there was the usual blah blah blah pertaining to the death of the Desktop PC. 7 years later I am typing this on a desktop PC. Sure I have other pieces of kit that can access the web but I do not have a tablet PC as they were overpriced and unimpressive. Regardless of what MS and Apple are doing as far as I can tell for web access around the home the 1 Laptop per child tablet design should do the trick especially seeing it is supposed to be very cheap to produce. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8428009.stm A completely water proof version is apparently being worked on too. Safe bath surfing (no webcams allowed).
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@ian hawkins, you can't see the forest for the trees.
The PC is not going away, it's just going back to a place it had ten or more years ago. The piece of the puzzle that you are missing is that the PC cannot support the new economy that monetizes digital content, because the PC is too hackable, and the hacked content too torrentable. Apple has now made a platform that is trusted by both consumers and content publishers, and the App store is the first generation of the resulting new economy.
Of course you can use a keyboard with a slate (although in five years you'll probably speak to it as often as type). You may have noticed that Apple supplies a tiny Bluetooth wireless keyboard with iMacs. There's no problem for that to work with a slate, and I'm sure it will.
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Great, what an invention. Now imagine a nice blue screen appearing on this piece of slate and you have, a very typical, Microsoft Product.
Yes it looks pretty, but if Windows is going to be the driving power behind this piece of over priced plastic (which it will), then I am staying well clear of it.
No doubt it will come with funky applications, all the more to make your computing experience more enjoyable, and work output quicker; until these application spawn new bugs to loose your rag with, and wreck your "enjoyable experience".
can't wait, can you?
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From what I've seen the MS / HP slate was using a normal windows 7 interface with the built in gestures. I can't understand why MS don't create a new interface for this type of advice. Apple will create an interface which best suits the device so I'm guessing closer to iphone than OSX. Clearly a simplified touch interface with intuitive gesture controls are the way forward?
I can't understand why MS are getting this wrong, it's a no brainer. My gut feeling is that Apple, if they do release the iSlate/iTablet device the interface and software is going to make the MS / HP effort look very dated.
Come on MS it's time to step up to the slate ;-)
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The Apple iSlate (if it is to be called that) will reach the marketplace before this 'concept' product sees light of day. More importantly than the hardware, Apple already has the app store on iTunes in place, to sell content.
Without an equivalent MS/HP app store in place before launch, the Windows Slate will be of very limited appeal.
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Surely an own goal by the Dynamic Duo. With Apple's impending announcement still officially under wraps, they've just given apple a heap of publicity, without apple even lifting a finger.
The tablets are the way forward for the new generation of media use. With my ipod touch I can dock to any modern tv and play anything from stored films to the bbc iplayer. Once all standard devices have GPS, Comms, and AV, then we'll be doing most of our daily communications on one of these. They will make the perfect browser. The success of kindle has already shown the way, but it's capabilities are dire. Move over podcasts - Tabletcasts anyone?
My 20 month old son already understands the touch screen on the iphone. Apple have the knack for making these thing meaningful.
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I would love to see how this is possibly going to be the death of the PC. Whatever!
My main point is that people actually seem to be missing the point about these tablet PC's. Microsoft did not make them, they are only providing the OS to run on them. Obviously the decision to use this software was made by the manufacturers of the technology shown, so why don't you have a go at HP or Archos? What this report shows is that many companies are going to be coming out with tablet PC's over the next few years. If Microsoft supplies the OS for just half of them it will be onto a winner. It amazes me how people can totally miss the point!
If Apple bring out a touch tablet PC will they not now be guilty of copying other companies technology/ideas? Or will we just wipe out history and say they created the touch tablet PC? Probably!
I find it amusing how those without a clue, wish for the death of Microsoft by jumping on the MS hater geeks band wagon. If you really believe that none of the other companies out there would not swap places with MS in a flash you are living in teletubby land!
As for the Ipod touch, it is great for music, has a few good applications, but for the most the other applications are just junk and a complete waste of hard drive space.
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@sleepygeek
You completely miss the point that ian hawkins made! For it to spell the death of the PC it would have to outperform the PC on every level and scenario in which a PC is used. Do you think Apple are going to stop making MAC's? Yeah right whatever!
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@Alastair
The Kindle is for reading books and for that it is very good, hence the reviews it has received and sales. As for it not being good at anything else, this should not really be shock. There are many of us out there that have different tastes, some people may just want to read books having no interest in other stuff. The Kindle provides a great way to do this.
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I don't mean to sound crass, but I most certainly will, but the number of Apple "fanboys" commenting on this blog post has really irritated me.
You can't say the Apple tablet (if it exists, we don't know for sure yet) is better than the prototype HP tablet Microsoft were showing off, as you can't fiarly compare something to nothing.
Both devices will/would fill the same niche and therefore compete with each other and both will/would probably be just as useful as each other. The there is the fact that the niche may not even take off.
I would like to see a dual multi rouch screen tablet (like the Asus prototype) but with not bezel between the screeens, so the screens could be opened up to create a 16:9 display, with a stand on each half, with rubber feet so that the tablet could be used as a foldable screen. A good graphics card and CPU(in mobile terms) as well as a replaceable battery (9 cells maybe) with a pressure sensitive stylus and 3g/more advanced mobile internet would be the ideal version for me.
As for user interface, well I think in a few decades, user interfaces (GUI) like Windows 7/OS X/Ubuntu/etc. will be acceptable as most people will be computer literate. This is because most of the computer illiterate people are of older generations and by then most of them will have, sadly, passed away and the new generations will be brought up around computers (as most 90s children probably have).
Obviously GUI will have probably have dramatically changed by then, there may be something better. Also, the above hasn't taken into account how LEDCs will have developed (more people who can afford a computer, yet aren't computer literate as they couldn't afford one is their childhood) and a similar case for the poor in MEDCs.
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I am confused - if msbloatcode is bad for netbooks and reported as a conclusion on your news site. Since ms waded into the perfect world of linux netbooks and 'helped' them, does that not also doom the ms tablet to hell?
Should one of you be writing the followup now ? ms tablets fail due to software bloat.
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@29
I quite agree. In the eyes of some people Apple can do wrong and their products must be better. Kind of tragic considering, for example, Windows 7 is a considerably better product than Snow Leopard for the vast majority of people.
Apple make some great products, they also make some howlers as, indeed, do Microsoft. I like the iPhone and the iPod Touch, however MS have quite clearly stolen a march here and all the bitter wrangling of the Apple faithful isn't going to change that.
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Welcome to 2003!
I remember buying one back then. The form factor had its niche but never took off. The only change is the multitouch capability.
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@ROB,
I assume you are not really a tech user as I have not seen a blue screen error on windows since Windows 98!
If you are going to criticise then at least don't make things up.
Windows 7 is a fantastic OS, it even zips along on my little netbook.
Tablets on the other hand are not really my cup of tea. Unfortunately I do not thin MS and HP have done a very good job of selling this latest one. It looks ok but ok is not good enough when competing for the tech audience that is buying iphones etc as these are more interested in looks than functionality. They needed to release a superb looking tablet that would look good on the coffee table as a conversation piece as apart from the rather niche business applications that is what most tablets will be bought for.
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Another embarrassing waste of Microsoft's Windows Tax dollars. Their current modus operandi seems to making second rate copies of Apple and Google technologies, complete with laughable names. Bing!
http://www.concentrichron.com
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The fact that it has HP associated with it is enough for me to say, "No thank you".
Running a software and hardware business for the last 29 years, I have had many dealings with HP and it's products. Far too many to comment and certainly enough that I no longer support, carry, or recommend anything from HP to my international clients. HP has lost millions from my customer database alone and this is yet another product destined for the waste sites around the globe.
I will sit back and wait for the product from Apple and I know for a fact, it will be well worth the wait.
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okay - apols for 2nd comment here but there's been some silly posts about aple fan boys etc (as usual)
there's a simple way to discern what's going on here.
If you truly believe in your own product, your own development roadmap / vision - whatever way you want to term it - you try to distinguish you're own product from what else is out there
this is what Apple were clearly trying to make plain by adopting the term slate rather than tablet
The fact that the CEO of Microsoft is now trying to hijack that term rather than choosing a new term for their own future product is a clear sign that, rather than innovating, his organisation are hardwired into cashing in on whatever bandwagon has begun rolling due to the innovation of someone else
it's sad... but true
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Sadly I cannot view the video accompanying this story because Windows 7 is not compatible with Adobe Flash. Instead, I get the following entertaining message:
'Cannot play media.You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version.' Slate, Bill - you aint fit to fix the slates on roof.
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All this talk of the 'death of desktop PCs' is just rubbish. Desktop PCs will remain for years to come for several reasons, cheif among which is sheer performance and value for money. Yes netbooks can be cheaper but these are hugely underpowered for the needs of a familly and are uncomfortable ot work at for long periods of time. The tablet/slate/flashy new gadget will be much of the same. Take a typical familly with parents and kids. The parents may well use the computer for work with programmes such as Word, Excel or Powerpoint, whilst the kids will inevitably use a messenger and play the odd game. Nowadays unless you buy one of the high spec demanding games such as Crysis or GTA4 there are no issues with playing a game on a low cost PC. However, a netbook, with a typical 1.6GHz processor will inevitably struggle with poor frame rates and regular crashes. For a slate to be low power it will have to have similar specs, and as such will unable to replace the desktop PC. If it were to match in terms of performance, it would either need a massive battery or have little/no battery life at all.
As we hav seen, netbooks were just a fad, and slates will be the same (but more expensive). Yes, gadget fans will 'have' to buy one but once people realise their limitations, they will die quick death.
Personally I don't think either the HP/MS or the Apple offerings will be as successful as some people would have you believe. Slates are not as portable as a smartphone so would instead be competing with netbooks and more importantly, laptops.
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I suspect if the brand had been Apple you would have all been in raptures and willing to pay double the price. Windows 7 is an excellent o/s and given this device will not be locked into the hardware you may actually be able to easily connect with it and add software / music without being forced to use iTunes! However those prefering style over functionality will want to wait for the Apple. Please don't then claim they have invented the whole idea. Also check it has copy and paste and distribution list functionality before spending £600.
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Ps to the chap saying windows 7 isn't compatible with Flash, you must be thinking of the (Apple) iPhone, unless you have 64-bit Win 7, for which Adobe (not Microsoft) need to provide an update.
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As Steve Ballmer ably demonstrates this HP device is too big for your hand and too small for your lap. How are you supposed to use it? I guess it will find a niche. He probably thinks so too, which is why he's not making much of a fuss about it. Just another tablet, nothing new, Windows has been running on tablets for 20 years! Nothing is new, hands up who remembers Pen Windows from 1991?
My firm bought hundreds of (HP) Tablet PCs for the sales force, not sure they delivered the expect benefits. The sales guys just used them as regular notebooks (they had a keyboard).
Microsoft have one killer app for pen/tablet/slate computing, OneNote. Shame they don't make more of it.
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Microsoft are always good for a laugh - nice jumper Steve!
If the rumours are true about this Apple iSlate or whatever, I think they'll have a killer product on their hands, again.
Based on the iPhone interface and Apps idea, but in a bigger format, it'll give developers the space to really exploit the touch interface in their Apps. There's already some great uses of this in iPhone Apps, with the only limitation being the size of the screen - hence the new device.
Add to that the great usability of the iPhone interface and it could also be a device which encourages many non-tech-savvy people to use it, especially if most functionality is always available within a few button/screen presses.
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Just to clarify, several people think I said this is the death of the PC. I didn't. I'm saying that the slate is the next step along the road of replacing the PC for _consumers_. It will take ten years or more, because it's a gradual transition, and most people keep their PC's for five years or so anyway. Already plenty of people have no PC, using a smartphone for everything.
Whether you give it a new name (slate) or call it an evolution of the PC, it won't be directly user programmable and hence won't be susceptible to malware. Nor will it be a PC as we know it today, capable of running any software the user pleases.
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Yawn. I remember similar things being showcased about 8 years ago, running Ex Pee. What happened to those?/
More mediocrity from a mediocre, two bit company that can't stand one bit of competition. Just shows all along that they couldn't innovate themselves out of a paper bag.
The only thing they have left is their monopoly, and even that is starting to fade.
Move along folks, nothing to see here.
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Mark_MWFC,
I think the fact that it's a full desktop OS is exactly why there's the lack of 'wow' here. For many years now a number of companies have been making tablet PCs with desktop operating systems and they've not been taken up. I think that what works with a mouse and a keyboard isn't right for this kind of computer. It needs to be something different.
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Shame to see MicroSoft really starting to suffer, but the writing was on the wall with the Vista release. Apple have the upper hand at the moment because bloggers, consumers, techs (even "fanboys", though isn't that starting to sound very tedious and almost a pathetic analogy these days?), are interested in what Cupertino has cooking. MS, HP et al simply cannot buy the column inches Apple is achieving and this shoddy mess proves it, in fact it's probably given the Apple announcement even greater emphasis.
MS has been caught out for exactly the mistakes in always makes and for a company of it's standing it really is starting to get embarrassing. Mutterings of concern must surely be coming from the shareholder meetings.....
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have read through this and found some good comments to make me think about my own uses of tech and what i think ill be using in the future.
i find idea of this slate (which is smaller than a tablet) is the half way house in my mind between smart phone and netbook.
at the moment i use a desktop PC quite high end, havent yet upgraded to Windows 7 and running Vista Ultimate, only had a few problems due to viruses and malware but wouldnt go with out my desktop PC with a proper keyboard and screen.
i cant stand apple products, but this is my own feeling towards the company and possibly from using windows for so long, but itunes god no not that pigging program, main reason why i wont touch an iphone, and the applications so far i have seen are pointless, oohh make a beer bottle appear on screen and make it glug away if you tip the phone about, other apps are for those who can afford the type of shops delivering to their house..thanks for getting some of my less tech-savvie mates on facebook but no thanks.
for a portable media device my phone will do, need an mp3 player for the bus/train and then my trusty DS with me, or shock horror pick up one of the many free newspapers that float about to entertain me on my journey.
lets face it no portable media device will ever tick ALL the boxes for a long time due to conflicts or some companies only using some features/software/components..we can all but dream of this day!!
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@davesparrow
Dave, the fact that it runs a desktop class OS and not a crippled, stripped down mobile OS that, frankly, just won't cut it for any device bigger than a handheld is what makes it exciting.
Two points:
1) Have you used Windows 7 on a touch enabled device? I'm guessing you haven't because it actually does work and works well.
2) If Apple do release an iSlate and it runs OS X not Mobile OS X are you going to use the same ridiculous arguments?
I'm going to spell it out again for the terminally silly in this topic: Microsoft just stole Apples' thunder and if Apple don't release their slate with full OS X on it then it will be an object of derision as, indeed, will be the people who buy it.
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The Apple iSlate (if it is to be called that) will reach the marketplace before this 'concept' product sees light of day. More importantly than the hardware, Apple already has the app store on iTunes in place, to sell content.
Without an equivalent MS/HP app store in place before launch, the Windows Slate will be of very limited appeal.
I cant see how the app store is going to help the iSlate, its not a phone you want to download games and stuff to, its a computer and you can get what you want from the internet for free. So i think that might help MS. Im not anti apple, i got an ipod and use safari, my laptop operates on vista and it works well.
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Steve Ballmer running Kindle software on his slate PC "...how I can experience the book". Aggghhhh!!! One doesn't *experience* a book one *reads* it! And this man expects me to buy things from him...?
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People can feel free to speculate as to the usefulness/market acceptability of these new slate PCs/Macs -- after all, no one has actually seen what they are really capable of. In Apple's case, we know nothing at all.
But I find it amusing when people render judgment on things they clearly have no knowledge of, i.e. the iPhone and what has made it a success.
Anyone who owns one will tell you it is an incredibly useful part of everyday life. It is part of an ecosystem that allows you to quickly and easily add a whole range of functionality and content, and Apple has formed partnerships with network service providers which (like or loathe the concept) allows users to get the most from their device.
I regularly use mine to check train services in real time, watch telly/movies on a crowded tube, get access to my POP/IMAP email accounts, locate and reserve a hire car in less than five minutes, make VOIP calls from anywhere in the world that has free WiFi... the list goes on.
Oh, and make phone calls.
That Apple makes this device is beside the point; it's hardware and software that is easy to set up and use (it doesn't even come with a manual) is unbelievably durable, is attractive, secure and stable. I don't have to carry two or three different devices with me, because one does it all, and for the past 18 months has done it very, very well. For geeks and non-geeks alike, it simply works.
Now I'm going to speculate. What may make Apple's offering different from MS/HP's offering is that they will apply these same principles to their slate as they do to the iPhone/Touch. It will likely feature an OS optimised for the device, as opposed to the full-blown OS X. It will have access to the same pool of content that iPhone/Touch users currently enjoy, but with new, bespoke innovations -- again to make the device more relevant to its intended market. It will allow users to sync content between iTunes-enabled devices effortlessly, so the data on the tablet doesn't become isolated or irrelevant.
My guess is that, during its launch presentation, Apple will also spend a lot of time focusing on how its hardware/UI design will overcome many of the potential usability issues which make us sceptical about slate PCs. For example, the creation of a virtual 'touch' keyboard, and/or how pairing a bluetooth keyboard and mouse with the device will turn it into a traditional desktop/laptop if need be.
As for the MS/HP offering: let's see how it shapes up. I'm all for technology which brings something new and useful the market, regardless of who makes it. Maybe neither company will make it a success. But perhaps there's more to come and let's face it: the tech underlying these devices has moved on significantly in the past eight years.
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Key sentance "as powerful as a pc running windows 7".
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@Greg
Actually, what's really amusing is your assumption that people haven't used an iPhone.
It's a great device but all the features you list were available at leats a year before the iPhone's launch. What Apple did was make those fucntions much more accsessible. Well, the ones they allow you to use anyway.
The rest of your arguement effectively states that the iSlate will be a blown up iPod Touch which, let's face it, is largely pointless.
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@ #59 Mark_MWFC:
Cheers for your point of view, Mark.
My comment is directed at people who have clearly made uninformed, blanket statements about the iPhone -- the ones who are always mentioning beer and fart apps, but cannot make any useful comments besides. So I remain amused.
Nowhere did I state that Apple was the first to do these things, only that they've enabled these functions in a single device which most people can use very easily, that they can count on to simply work and they get the most out of its features. I see by your response that you and I are in agreement on the first and last points, so my comment was certainly not directed at people such as yourself.
True, I did predict it will have iPhone/Touch like features (and it's only my prediction) which would help make it a more relevant and useful product, but you didn't address my other predictions on how they would find ways, from the outset, to address the inherent shortcomings of a tablet. Or that new, slate-specific features may again make this a more attractive and useful device to the market. What are your objective thoughts on how that might add value to slate PCs, be they Microsoft or Mac-based?
As I mentioned before, these slates may flop yet again, but they may also find some success. It all depends on how each manufacturer can find ways of making them relevant to the marketplace and until Apple releases theirs, I'll keep an open mind.
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I have an iPhone & a MacBook, for taking notes a pen & a pad is quicker and has a much longer battery life so these have no appeal to me.
However, the article title seems to suggest its Microsofts tablet, when really they are just providing the operating system & its much more likely that Apples iSlate will be on the shelves before any of these PC based devices.
A clear case of Microsoft following the market leaders
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Oh dear, yet another lets bash microsoft thread.
There are some factual errors in the comments though, this isn't prototyping from microsoft, everyone is focusing on HP, but the Archos 9 which was also up on the stand has been available for a while now and is a very nice looking device and at around 400 pounds is cheaper than a smartphone.
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Mark,
I don't know why you responded to me with such hostility, I was trying to be civil to you. My opinion is that a standard full desktop OS isn't right for this kind of device and yours is that it has to be a full OS. Both points are perfectly valid really and I'm sure there will be devices that would suit both philosophies and there'll be some choice in the market.
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Funny to see so much focus being on MS vs. Apple.
I think it's right to say that timing is everything with the Slate. People want a computer interface that doesn't have wires (WiFi home networks have only been really established in the last few years), that doesn't look as clunky and hard to balance on your lap as a laptop, and something that is bigger than a phone or PDA, to give easy reading of the net. They also want something they can use in Sunlight, something they can write with, something they can edit Office documents with (work functions) and something they can access content on other computers in the home network (windows 7 might provide an advantage here, if they gave the mobile device the chance to switch on the main computer when it needed to access it).
One thing makes the Slate potentially huge: When the family is sitting around the telly and some people are half-interested in what's going on, they want an easy way to 'multi-task' their leisure activity, without it seeming that they've disappeared to the computer desk, or clogging up half the sofa with a bulky laptop. That way, couples can be 'together', but also enjoy the pleasures of surfing, reading, watching videos (headphone port a must) etc.. while in the company of their loved ones.
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I believe the tablet PCs, or maybe even more specifically the Apple 'iSlate' (or whatever name you believe it will be) will be like the Wii in the console market.
What made the Wii special? It was innovative, it was fun, it was collaborative, but most importantly of all, it was easy to use. Without the easy part, the other advantages wouldn't have been reachable. I know of pensioners receiving a Wii as Christmas or birthday presents, who would have thought that games consoles would be a hit with OAPs!
How does this relate to tablets? Well in today's world the majority of us spend time at work using computers, be they PCs or Macs, and when we get home a high percentage of us just want to be able to surf the net, look at photos, play videos and send a few e-mails. I think this is where our current solutions or over-engineered. Yes of course some of us want to do more, and that will never change, but I for one look forward to the day I can get home from work, sit down and do all of my basic computing needs with a device sized, weighted, and intuitive enough that it no longer gets in the way.
Watch this space.....
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Sorry but am I the only one who doesn't give a monkeys that Balmer doesn't do the whole fist pumping in the air and whoop whoop chest beating about things?
Are we all becoming that so overly conditioned that we need all of our products delivered to us with a fanfare and fireworks?
For goodness sake the guy is talking about tablet PCs... Really are they that interesting?
I'm sure Apple's slick marketing machine will make everything sexy but come on are we all spending money based on that?
I hope not. I don't care what any of them come up with as long as it meets a need for me and I'm sorry but I have no need for a tablet device.
It's just another way for these corporations to bleed us dry of all our cash. Yet people believe they are releasing these products because they are our friends and Steve Jobs is our best friend of all.
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Maggie,
If you are going to write a Blogg please do some research on the articles you are writing. Your comments on Tablet PCs are obviously written by someone who knows nothing about Slate Tablet devices, their markets nor history.
a. Slate Tablets have been in the market for over two decades (not one decade)
b. The existing market is very well defined in the Corporate sector. For major Corporations it a the key PC form factor e.g.Drinks companies like CocaCola, all the Tobacco companies, Confectionary companies like Mars etc, Pharmaceutical companies and so forth. Why because it is used as the main device for their reps and merchandising teams. It is one of the major input devices for mission ciritical real-time applications such as SAP.
c. Vendors like Fujitsu were producing Slate Tablet units for such clients well before Microsoft even thought of Tablet PC ten years ago. Compaq (now merged with HP) tried to enter this market in the early 90s and failed.
d. The market has been expanding over the past decade examples being the use of tablets in schools, in hospitals, for engineers, for researchers
e. you do not bring up the core issues of the product which has nothing to do with the OS. It is the heat issues between the motherboard and screen which cause optical problems. These are extremely difficult to control and monitor at factory level and need continual tweaking on the line. It is highly likely to have a "buggy" start from any PC vendor.
f. You do not bring up the key benefit of the form factor which is Walking and Working. The ability to be truely mobile.
If you are going to write on a major IT subject (note: two of the largest IT giants are going head to head on this form factor and its OS) then please study the subject matter and then report on it.
Regards
AndreBarker
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A number of comments have focused on the assumed (though fairly safe assumption) that Apple's device will connect easily to a computer because of iTunes. For this reason Microsoft would be in an even better position: More people use Windows than any other OS, and by a HUGE margin. Compatability will not be an issue for either firm, and with Windows being the main OS, apps will not be in short supply.
@ 49 "Without an equivalent MS/HP app store in place before launch, the Windows Slate will be of very limited appeal."
In fact, because the tablet ran on Windows 7, there will be even more apps, no restrictions on content or distribution. Everyone hails the App Store, but if everything you could possibly ever need was on it, why do people jailbreak their iPhone/i Pod Touch? Also, why do we need to use a controlled store? Just Google whatever app you think you need and find the closest match. Running a full blow OS means that if you have something on your computer, it will (with the exception of ultra demanding programmes that require real computing power) run on the tablet. Imagine Command and Conquer with a touch screen! You could play 'real' games as opposed to the low quality stuff that makes up the majority of the App store.
@ 55 "A clear case of Microsoft following the market leaders"
Microsoft are the biggest software company and HP the biggest technology company. Where do Apple lead in this area exactly. Prettiest boxes perhaps, but in the real world of computers, they are just another company.
I must make it clear that I don't hate Apple, I just don't see why they should be hyped over other companies that produce equally good products. This being a fine example. Microsoft have shown a fully working version of their OS on a slate and yet the focus remains on Apple who haven't shown us anything. Yet people are already saying that Apple's product will be 'better', with no reason, 'just because'.
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Windows released a (good-looking) slate that runs Windows 7. This is a good development technically, but we've seen slates before and we've seen Windows 7 before, too. Hence the 'luke-warm' media response as people ask: "So what will make us want one?"
People go ape over an Apple launch because they anticipate that Apple will, in some way, make this more than just a slate running an OS. The media and consumers look forward to seeing what neat party tricks Jobs will tell us about that make it all very desirable, and they make it all look so effortless, which makes lay consumers less afraid of adopting the technology.
Rightly or wrongly, that's how Apple suspends rational judgement. Their products are not always the best, and rarely are they ever the first, but they do a fine job of making a lot of people believe they are.
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Nothing will replace and mouse or keyboard when it comes to a PC....
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