Why Windows 8 tablets will beat Android

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/116505-why-windows-8-tablets-will-beat-android

by kennjason • 14 years ago

9 10 14 years ago

mindstab• 14 years ago

I don't buy this argument. About half of it is that Microsoft will be able to leverage it's dominant desktop market share, but if that were the case why have all previous MS phones and tablets failed. This isn't like it's Microsoft's first foray into another form factor and the article has nothing about that.

Considering Microsoft has pretty clearly failed every previous time in the last decade, the real question should be "what's new in Windows 8 that will change this" and the article has nothing on that. If the article's argument were valid, Windows on tablets and Windows on Phone would already be a dominant force.

The article reads like Windows 8 on tablet is Microsoft's first attempt into this market, not just their latest.

kennjason3• 14 years ago

It'll be their first attempt with any hope of success. I'm thinking Kinect on a tablet, among other things. I don't think people were ready for tablets during Microsoft's initial offerings. Touch interfaces just hadn't come far enough.

r00fus3• 14 years ago

Did you see thedaily's take [1] on kinect for laptops? The reason you won't see kinect on a tablet anytime soon is this one observation:

"It murders batteries

Devices in the field must be plugged in whenever possible since the Kinect technology drains juice in a hurry..."

Laptops generally have much larger battery capacity (for example my current laptop has 94Wh while an iPad2 has 25Wh), and if Kinect kills laptop battery, forget about mobile for now.

[1] http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/01/31/013112-tech-kinect-l...

r00fus3• 14 years ago

For mobile computing Apple has definitely position Microsoft against itself, classic "innovator's dilemma" style - Microsoft has extracted huge profits from their intertwined cash cows from enterprise businesses (who pay today for the licensing of promised future revisions) - highly lucrative, but binding Microsoft to produce those new versions that run business critical desktop software.

Along comes Apple offering something stylish that consumers want (and are now purchasing in vast numbers), but which will never run "desktop software", as the entire paradigm of mouse+keyboard is thrown on it's edge.

Microsoft is caught in a bind - one one hand, if they ignore the new market, their old one will be dwarfed and their "network effect" will dwindle, draining their monopoly pricing.

On the other hand, they can't jump with both feet into this brave new market because of their pre-existing contracts to enterprise (they could develop two separate versions but that would again, cause them to lose more profits due to the increased operating costs).

And so you have Windows 8, which tries to be both to two separate markets, and yet, neither - at the same time. Highly ambitious considering all of Microsoft previous failed attempts to address tablet and mobile computing.

frooxie• 14 years ago

I'm looking to buy a Windows tablet with a Wacom pen (for drawing), but at the moment they sell for $2100 in Sweden. I'm hoping there'll be more competition when Windows 8 is released.

SlipperySlope• 14 years ago

The low end of the tablet market is now filled by Amazon's Kindle Fire, which is an Android fork. How can Microsoft compete with a device sold at break even? Furthermore China will manufacture Android tablets at below $100. They do that by using a free operating system - Android.

The article's sole point is that Microsoft is a known brand in desktop and laptop devices. But up to now Windows Phone has been a distant also-ran, and that's a good indication of how Microsoft's brand has failed to carry through in the mobile marketplace.

bradleyland• 14 years ago

I've got a good feeling about Windows 8 tablets, because I kind of feel like I've used it already, and I really like it.

The XBox 360 Dashboard was recently redesigned with a "Metro" look. The tiles work really well for teasing you with what's behind each one, and there's a high level of convenience provided by their ability to display active content.

Prior to this update, I never spent much time in the XB360 Dashboard. It was "just another menu" I had to make my way through to get to what I really wanted -- my games. With the most recent update, I find it so pleasing that I actually explore it. I think that bodes well for Windows 8 tablets. if they can translate that feeling, I'd want to sit around and use their tablets.

Why Windows 8 tablets will beat Android

Related Stories