Pro versus RT

[jnjroach]

That's where the thinking breaks down, tablets aren't phones. Phone and phone app market share is so far underwater it's lower than the Titanic and probably right next to MH370. Now there's this gigantic Albatross being hung on tablets with a phone mindset that's produced nothing in years.

I wouldn't be betting my future on that because the strategy has worked so well up till now. /S

Tablets aren't PCs either, at least in SST space, I just did a netsh command on my 8" Dell Venue Pro (troubleshooting some network issues) and let me tell you not an enjoyable experience....

A Mouse and Keyboard UI will not work with Touch Base Machines and fewer of these devices are shipping with External Monitor Support (outside of Miracast).

 

[GreyFox7]

Tablets aren't PCs either, at least in SST space, I just did a netsh command on my 8" Dell Venue Pro (troubleshooting some network issues) and let me tell you not an enjoyable experience....

A Mouse and Keyboard UI will not work with Touch Base Machines and fewer of these devices are shipping with External Monitor Support (outside of Miracast).

Not sure why that's such a problem. If readability is an issue are we saying we cant build a readable UI or select an appropriate font size? typing special characters is just a mater of getting the kybd arranged correctly.

However back in the DOS days there was an OS from Convergent Technologies and OEMed by others that was Menu driven... talk about easy... you could do Command line but just enter a command without parameters and up popped a menu... fill it out, check options... easy. Oh wait... this is too sophisticated... got to go with the Dumbed Down approach. If you want to do anything besides the approved and tracked apps you will be forced to go with The L Word.

Might have to see if good ol CTOS/BTOS can be resurrected it might be very useful on a tablet. I recall working on some customized systems at one of the alphabet soup agencies that used all fiber optic cabling and were completely RF shielded including the monitor which was inside a fine wire mesh like ladies stockings to prevent any stray signals from being picked up by anyone who might be listening with sophisticated listening equipment. Supposedly using such equipment in a nearby location within a couple hundred feet or so one could read what was on your monitor or detect keystrokes and transmitted data sent over wires.

 

[jnjroach]

Not sure why that's such a problem. If readability is an issue are we saying we cant build a readable UI or select an appropriate font size? typing special characters is just a mater of getting the kybd arranged correctly.

However back in the DOS days there was an OS from Convergent Technologies and OEMed by others that was Menu driven... talk about easy... you could do Command line but just enter a command without parameters and up popped a menu... fill it out, check options... easy. Oh wait... this is too sophisticated... got to go with the Dumbed Down approach. If you want to do anything besides the approved and tracked apps you will be forced to go with The L Word.

Might have to see if good ol CTOS/BTOS can be resurrected it might be very useful on a tablet. I recall working on some customized systems at one of the alphabet soup agencies that used all fiber optic cabling and were completely RF shielded including the monitor which was inside a fine wire mesh like ladies stockings to prevent any stray signals from being picked up by anyone who might be listening with sophisticated listening equipment. Supposedly using such equipment in a nearby location within a couple hundred feet or so one could read what was on your monitor or detect keystrokes and transmitted data sent over wires.

It is such a limited use case, we're dying breed very few need a non-touch UI on a tablet let it go and use a Pro bevel device rather than a Companion Device.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Still don't see the need to get rid of the desktop. Keeping Modern UI only on <10" screens is fine, but let people access the desktop when it's docked to an external monitor (which for example mine is 95% of the time)

Microsoft's whole aim is one device that does it all, why spoil that?

 

[jnjroach]

Still don't see the need to get rid of the desktop. Keeping Modern UI only on <10" screens is fine, but let people access the desktop when it's docked to an external monitor (which for example mine is 95% of the time)

Microsoft's whole aim is one device that does it all, why spoil that?

On most of the new SSTs there isn't a native video out with the exception of Miracast, these SST class devices are companion devices not primary devices. In the larger screen size there will be a Desktop Experience and for Two and One Devices will have Continuum which is a Hybrid Experience.

 

[macmee]

Because the desktop on a 7 or 8" device is suboptimal at best and awful at worse, The Classic Windows Desktop was designed for 12" or greater screens running at 1024x768 to 1400x1050 not high DPI small screens. They have very low NSAT on the desktop side on SST devices but much higher NSAT on the Modern UI.

Universal Apps should improve the App landscape, since they will work on all platforms from IoT, ARM, x86/x64 and Xbox One.

They should improve touch support and introduce better and more touch apps. Stripping out a feature as huge as desktop mode is a betrayal of consumer trust because those current users paid for a device and Microsoft is feeding them a software downgrade. Removing features from users is a horrible strategy 100% of the time.

Consumers will be better off buying small Android tablets over small Windows tablets. More and better apps, smaller and cheaper hardware. The current advantage of buying a small Windows tablet over a small Android tablet is that you're buying a full computer. RT sales have been so abysmal because you're buying into a jail cell, and Microsoft is about to force that jail cell onto even more users as opposed to giving us the keys to it as they should be doing.

tldr; People bought a full computer, knowing they bought a full computer. It makes no sense that Microsoft would release a software downgrade to turn their full computer into a lemon with less features than a cheap android device. I cannot see Microsoft doing this. If they do, it's a massive betrayal of consumer trust and a really stupid move on their part which makes absolutely no sense at all.

 

[GreyFox7]

They should improve touch support and introduce better and more touch apps. Stripping out a feature as huge as desktop mode is a betrayal of consumer trust because those current users paid for a device and Microsoft is feeding them a software downgrade. Removing features from users is a horrible strategy 100% of the time.

Consumers will be better off buying small Android tablets over small Windows tablets. More and better apps, smaller and cheaper hardware. The current advantage of buying a small Windows tablet over a small Android tablet is that you're buying a full computer. RT sales have been so abysmal because you're buying into a jail cell, and Microsoft is about to force that jail cell onto even more users as opposed to giving us the keys to it as they should be doing.

tldr; People bought a full computer, knowing they bought a full computer. It makes no sense that Microsoft would release a software downgrade to turn their full computer into a lemon with less features than a cheap android device. I cannot see Microsoft doing this. If they do, it's a massive betrayal of consumer trust and a really stupid move on their part which makes absolutely no sense at all.

I believe Moses will come down from the mountain bearing Win 10 and Apps will miraculously appear like Manna from heaven, you just have to have faith.

 

[macmee]

I believe Moses will come down from the mountain bearing Win 10 and Apps will miraculously appear like Manna from heaven, you just have to have faith.

It would be terrible if Microsoft was like "here's your free 'upgrade' guys" and then people got it and realized they lost the ability to run windows apps and were locked in metro. Imagine what ASUS transformer people would think and other users who own a keyboard. Might as well throw that away now

 

[jnjroach]

Before anyone rushes to judgment lets see how it plays out....also no one who owns an ATOM based SST currently is forced to upgrade, but the new low cost Windows SSTs only ship with 1GB of RAM and most have 16GB eMMC for storage. MUI Apps run well, Win32 not so much.

What I think will happen - Windows 10 will be a $0 cost upgrade but there will be subscriptions that will unlock additional features. But let's get real, running any Win32 Application on a 7" Screen is an awful experience and people complain as well as reviewers and pundits. I also think at some point before all of these new devices hit the street, Office Touch will also be released, and like the iPad App will have a freemium model and I think we'll see Windows (Consumer SKU) going the same. For what these devices are designed to do Windows 10 will offer a very good experience.

Also, before we go off half-cocked....SST are Small Screen Tablets which are defined as 9.4" or smaller (so these devices will range between 3.4" to 9.4").

On an ATOM based SST with 16GB eMMC and 1GB RAM you are not going to run Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro or even Mathlab. For Enterprise Customers, they have the ability to Virtualize Legacy Win32 Apps via App-V (On Prem) or RemoteApp (On Azure).

 

[kristalsoldier]

It won't matter come Windows 10

Edit: Post Deleted.