Why does anyone care about the App store?

[Uncensored2008]

Now that even the Surface RT will run legacy programs, why should anyone care about ports from iPad or Android? The real programs availible to Windows have always been vastly superior to the "apps" on mobile devices, so what is the worry of a dearth of Apps in the Microsoft store? I can point to 10 million programs that will do anything I can dream of - it's called "Windows."

 

[J515OP]

Because people have been trained to use apps. Even "legacy apps" are now called apps. Remember when they were just programs or software? In any case there are good cases for apps such as a dedicated interface or touch enhancements. Over all though I think (sorry in advance everybody) we are just lazy. Many apps are nothing more than a link to a web page but people act like if they have to go to an actual webpage (even if it is a tile they created for it making it essentially an "app") instead of using a dedicated app that takes you to the web page anyway, it is the end of the world.

 

[zhenya]

Uh, because these are touch-screen devices that most users probably want to navigate with their fingers at least some of the time, and traditional Windows programs are not optimized for that use. Even on a regular computer, Windows programs tend to be a mish-mash of poor UI decisions. On other platforms many programs have turned out much better and easier to use by being forced to simplify for the touch UI model.

The worst thing that can happen to Windows and Windows tablets is for app developers to take this point of view and refuse to develop decent Metro apps.

 

[bosamar]

Apps are meant to be small-compact, do the specific job they are meant to perform, while taking up the least amount of hard drive space.

 

[drowe]

Now that even the Surface RT will run legacy programs, why should anyone care about ports from iPad or Android? The real programs availible to Windows have always been vastly superior to the "apps" on mobile devices, so what is the worry of a dearth of Apps in the Microsoft store? I can point to 10 million programs that will do anything I can dream of - it's called "Windows."

RT will not run all "legacy programs" and will not run some web sites that require a 3rd party install. The biggest one I miss is being able to run Dish Anywhere. It is anywhere except RT due to the slingbox activeX control that needs to be installed. That is why we need RT apps.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Now that even the Surface RT will run legacy programs, why should anyone care about ports from iPad or Android? The real programs availible to Windows have always been vastly superior to the "apps" on mobile devices, so what is the worry of a dearth of Apps in the Microsoft store? I can point to 10 million programs that will do anything I can dream of - it's called "Windows."

Aside from the version of Office I did not think the RT will run legacy apps. Is this really so? Any links?

Edit: Are you referring to the developments on XDA?

 

[drowe]

Aside from the version of Office I did not think the RT will run legacy apps. Is this really so? Any links?

There are a few small utilities that have been ported to RT, but not many. A program has to be recompiled for the RT CPU architecture. No x86 programs will run natively on RT.

 

[J515OP]

Aside from the version of Office I did not think the RT will run legacy apps. Is this really so? Any links?

Edit: Are you referring to the developments on XDA?

Only if you jailbreak it but there are still many limitations to what you can actually run.

 

[Uncensored2008]

RT will not run all "legacy programs" and will not run some web sites that require a 3rd party install. The biggest one I miss is being able to run Dish Anywhere. It is anywhere except RT due to the slingbox activeX control that needs to be installed. That is why we need RT apps.

I have a Pro, not an RT, so I'm just going by what I read.

But, I keeping reading things like this;

You Can Now Run x86 Legacy Windows Apps On Surface / Windows RT | Redmond Pie

 

[Uncensored2008]

Only if you jailbreak it but there are still many limitations to what you can actually run.

Thanks.

My question then is only appropriate the the Pro.

 

[tonyz3]

Don't get me wrong I enjoy android. but I do remember a few short yrs ago there were hardly any apps and the software was buggy as hell, slow- lagged all the time, wifi issues etc. All you heard than was Apple have so many apps etc. MS has a lot of metro evolving to do but, yes the future is touch whether we like it or not I think our time with the mouse is limited to a few more years and everything will be touch.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Don't get me wrong I enjoy android. but I do remember a few short yrs ago there were hardly any apps and the software was buggy as hell, slow- lagged all the time, wifi issues etc. All you heard than was Apple have so many apps etc. MS has a lot of metro evolving to do but, yes the future is touch whether we like it or not I think our time with the mouse is limited to a few more years and everything will be touch.

The mouse may be limited, but touch will never be mainstream on the desktop. It simply has too many disadvantages. Making a mess of the screen, forcing the screen to be within arms length, the expense of capacitive displays - just to name a few.

Motion sensing technology like Kinect will displace touch in short order. Though the same paradigms for the interface will be used.