No Windows for Tablets Until 2012

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ak lj

March 09, 2011 at 12:05am

I dont Know, I really want a tablet that runs a full version of windows but with a great touch interface. I think the new Asus eee tablet looks killer. I have a Viewsonic G Tab rooted and rommed and I really like that too, but I would love to be able to do more than what the current tablet OS's can. Had an iPhone, been there done that, not too impressed. Really like my new Windows phone 7, but don't want either of those OS's for my tablet (iPad or something running a tablet version of WP7). Theyr're all a little too restricted, I want to be able to run whatever software, whenever and wherever I want. I only see that being possible with a tablet actually running a true OS.

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jgrimoldy

March 07, 2011 at 11:20am

If Microsoft enters the arena with a tablet OS, I hope that they TRULY innovate.  This is a good opportunity for them to do so.

If they're considering porting the desktop/laptop version of Windows 7 over to the tablet, it will be a steaming pile of FAIL.

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OliverSudden

March 07, 2011 at 12:27pm

Microsoft tried and failed with tablets ten years ago by doing exactly what you describe: their stylus-based tablets were loaded with full-blown XP.  Same deal with their early Mobile Phone attempts: scaled-down versions of the desktop OS.

It took Apple to show everyone that mobile devices do not need to offer the desktop experience.  Windows Phone 7 is an example of them following the leader once again.

Is there any doubt whatsoever that a 2012 Windows tablet will be very much like an iPad?

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jgrimoldy

March 07, 2011 at 3:50pm

I agree with you 100%.  Microsoft's previous attempts to put the desktop OS on anything other than a desktop/laptop have failed.  If Microsoft wants to have any hope of being successful they'd better do something innovative here.

Perhaps they could acquire SPB and use the Mobile Shell as a starting point:  http://spb.com/symbian-software/mobileshell/screenshots.html

I've gotten this working on my Nook Color.  In its current iterration, it's a lot of pizzaz with a lot of hope.

It's going to be hard to get away from a Tablet OS that doesn't bear a striking resemblance (in many ways) to IOS or Android.  It'd be nice to be able to run apps in windows that aren't maximized and be able to switch between them a la alt-tab.

 

 

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big_montana

March 07, 2011 at 9:59am

Why not just allow Windows Phone 7 to be used for tablets, as that is better suited for touch screens, and is more multi-touch aware than Windows 7?

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someuid

March 07, 2011 at 8:48am

Hmm.  I remember Microsoft doing this once before, when Al Gore opened up the internet to everyone.  Microsoft was grinding teeth of the gears left and right trying to get all kinds of software up and running for Windows, like a web browser.

Seems little has changed with the Redmond Giant.  They seem to do more following than leading these days.

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OliverSudden

March 07, 2011 at 10:30am

More than just "these days".  Consider how Microsoft has played follow the leader in all these areas:

  • Java: invented by Sun, F'ed up by MS
  • Online Service: Prodigy and CompuServe followed by MSN.
  • Web Browser: Netscape Navigator followed by Internet Explorer (oh my, what a creative name!)
  • Console Gaming: Nintendo & Sony offerings followed by Xbox
  • Online Digital Music: iTunes followed by MSN Music.  What?  No one remembers that?
  • Portable MP3 Players: Rio & iPod followed by Zune
  • Online Search: Yahoo and Google followed by MSN, Live Search, and Bing
  • Smartphone OS: RIM, Apple, Google followed by Microsoft's various attempts (Windows Mobile 6, et al)

In fact, a strong case can be made that Windows Vista/7 itself is an OS X clone.

Now, I'm not saying Microsoft is the only company to engage in making derivitave products.  Everyone does that to some extent.  But I'm not sure any other company's history contains so many clear examples of derivative products.  It must be intensely frustrating for Balmer to be in such a position.  Poor sweaty lil fella.

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big_montana

March 07, 2011 at 12:16pm

Everyone copied Prodigy/Compuserv, not just MS, the same can be said for web browsers, as Netscaped was not the fist, but was the most popular. Now everyone is copying from Mozilla. Yahoo and Google were not the first search engines, as there were others that they copied from, Googled just improved upon it, and now MS is trying to improve upon Googles attempt with Bing. As for Smartphones, RIM and Apple were not first, and just copied from Palm and Symbian. Everyone copies from everyone. There are no true original ideas anymore, just improvements. I am for it whoever does it best, and cheapest. To bad the God of Jobs cannot get his little smarthone to work properly, not that he cares, as the masses are still in awe, and will still purchased any flawed product he commands them to.

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OliverSudden

March 07, 2011 at 12:33pm

I wasn't attempting to show who came first with these products.  I was showing which products were being followed by Microsoft.  And you're right, everyone has derivative products, which is why I included that remark in my post.  But not everyone has such a long long history of playing follow the leader.  Capice?

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big_montana

March 08, 2011 at 5:46am

The thing is, both Apple and MS have a long and storied history of playing follow the leader. People think that Jobs and company innovate, but their Mac's wheir balatant clones of Xerox Parcs. Big deal. The same with MS, the two rarely have had an origianl idea, just that when they set their minds to doing something, they do it right. Apple did not invent the table market, but for now they own it, just as Google has taken supremacy in teh smartphone market (and may end up owning tablets as well).

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