Interesting Gizmodo article on the iPad's future

[vrDrew]

If you look at the history of computing, it hasn't just been software changing and 'improving' to meet people's needs, it's also been people's duties changing because of software.

There was a story in the New York Times last year about the problems some military officers have using Powerpoint slides instead of properly written (and thought out) orders.

“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control,” General McMaster said in a telephone interview afterward. “Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”

Thats one example. But a whole generation of people have spent their business careers using Excel and Word to write letters and put together spreadsheets. But according to the well-known Productivity Paradox office workers haven't actually become much more productive with their time.

My theory, based on almost thirty years of working in business offices of every shape and size, is that most people waste a heck of a lot of time trying to figure out how to use programs that are too complex. Or they are waiting for MIS to come along and fix a computer that is "down" for some reason. Or they are off on a three-day software training seminar.

 

[dmaul1114]

I think a lot of that is generational.

Us younger folk (I'm 32) who've been using PCs most of our lives don't have many problems figuring out software etc. And I hardly every call the IT support as I can fix most problems myself. Even specialty software packages like stats analysis software that's relatively complex, command driven etc. I don't need a seminar to learn but just a book with examples of syntax to use as a reference.

So I think a lot of those kind of issues will lessen as older folks retire and businesses are fully staffed by people who've been using PCs since they were kids and thus are very computer literate.


And that's not to say that current software is ideal. It surely isn't and always can and will improve as time goes on. But still most of us are stuck in MS office do to having to work in what is the norm in our field to assure compatibility with colleagues, so we're at the mercy of MS to do a good job innovating. And Apple users in graphic design and other Mac heavy fields are at the mercy of Apple, Adobe etc. to innovate the standard software they have to use in their fields to be compatible with the majority of their colleagues.

 

[Stirolak26]

+1...people seem to forget that MS is a very profitable company for a very good reason.

Then why do people spend so much to acquire macs (with weaker specs even) if windows is so good?

 

[xIGmanIx]

Your statement does nothing to refute the claim for obvious reasons. The reality is windows PC s are the details facto platform, doesnt mean both can't exist, mac sales are also skewed because there is a population that runs windows software and well

Then why do people spend so muchbto acquire macs (with weaker specs even) if windows is so good?

 

[manticore999]

Then why do people spend so much to acquire macs (with weaker specs even) if windows is so good?

Because there are always a number of people (in this case, comparatively speaking, a very small number) who are willing to pay more to get less just because someone told them / they read it's cool

 

[eastercat]

Unless I hear otherwise, nothing is stopping MS from writing office for the ipad. Until then, pages and all the other productivity apps are compatible with MS Office products. Last time I checked, Andy Ihnatko uses his ipad with a bluetooth keyboard. Why does it need a mouse? Dear jeebus, it's a touch screen.
No, it can't print. Guess what? Apple is still in the business of selling computers.

Why the business world and schools for the most part remain tied to Office is strange but when I show the iPad to those looking for a laptop that is the first question they ask... does it run office, can it print, can you use a keyboard and mouse?

The truth is it COULD do all those things but Apple and MS so far want to keep it in it's place.

 

[dmaul1114]

Unless I hear otherwise, nothing is stopping MS from writing office for the ipad. Until then, pages and all the other productivity apps are compatible with MS Office products.

MS won't put Office on iPad as they're working on their own Tablet OS. If it fails, then maybe we'll see office on the iPad platform. But probably not otherwise.

And iWorks and the other apps have very limited capability. Mostly fine if you're just writing pure text essays etc.--just some minor issues with fonts.

But all of them wreck all kind of formatting if you're making complex documents with lots of headings/sub-headings, tables, diagrams, figures, charts, equations etc. And that's mainly what I do being a professor and mainly writing research articles for scholarly journals. Keynote has never been very compatible with powerpoint for complex presentations either.

So I, and others, need MS Office or something fully compatible with it if we were going to do any real work on it.

That said, I knew I couldn't do much of my real work on the iPad going in--so I'm not knocking it. I just viewed it as the best tablet for personal use currently, and that it could hold me over until someone puts out a more work focused tablet with better office suite apps etc. And who knows, maybe the iOS will evolve and some fully MS Office compatible apps will hit the iPad in the future. Time will tell. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy it for reading news, watching videos and other leisure tasks and stick to my laptop for working on the go.

 

[Funkymonk]

Yet many of the jobs that are spreadsheet related not programming dont pay much, go figure. Also, my main gripe is thst microsoft forces you to use other key commands or memorize shortcuts rather than make it all accessible from the drop down menu for the average person not a excel grrk who memorizes everything.

Adobe is kind of like thst too, why make Photoshop so complicated with these key command combinations with clicking you have to add rather than making a great drop down menu? Look at apple, all their apps are sinle to use and can be done all from the menu.

Someone who hates sitting long periods in front of comuters or memorizing things and watching tutorials is gonna want an ipad and numbers, not a windows laptop prone to malware anytime you visit a site and programs like excel full of confusing key commands and non user friendly at all.

You seriously don't know anything...

 

[alent1234]

Then why do people spend so much to acquire macs (with weaker specs even) if windows is so good?

once you add the features the price is about the same for a comparable PC. and Mac's still have a tiny part of the overall market and last i heard they lost market share.

 

[mikethebigo]

Because there are always a number of people (in this case, comparatively speaking, a very small number) who are willing to pay more to get less just because someone told them / they read it's cool

My last post was deleted because a moderator decided I was being too much of a big meanie. I hope your e-feelings weren't too hurt.

I am simply sick of this kind of statement, as much as I am about iSheep comments and the like. For the record, I know many intelligent, tech-oriented people that love macs. Take the Google campus for example, they banned windows, you're only allowed to use linux or OSX there.

Macs may be more expensive, but there are clear advantages to PCs. Better build quality, better trackpad, better battery life, and it's a ton of fun to mess around with the unix internals of OSX. If I have a problem I can take it straight to a genius bar instead of having to ship the whole laptop in and wait weeks for it to return. OSX to me is much more stable and much less of a pain in the butt to use than windows ever was. Finally, Macs run iTunes much better than PCs, which is important to me because I have an iPhone and iPad.

All in all, there are plenty of reasons to prefer a Mac over a PC, and none of them have to do with someone telling me it's cooler.

 

[manticore999]

My last post was deleted because a moderator decided I was being too much of a big meanie. I hope your e-feelings weren't too hurt.

I am simply sick of this kind of statement, as much as I am about iSheep comments and the like. For the record, I know many intelligent, tech-oriented people that love macs. Take the Google campus for example, they banned windows, you're only allowed to use linux or OSX there.

Macs may be more expensive, but there are clear advantages to PCs. Better build quality, better trackpad, better battery life, and it's a ton of fun to mess around with the unix internals of OSX. If I have a problem I can take it straight to a genius bar instead of having to ship the whole laptop in and wait weeks for it to return. OSX to me is much more stable and much less of a pain in the butt to use than windows ever was. Finally, Macs run iTunes much better than PCs, which is important to me because I have an iPhone and iPad.

All in all, there are plenty of reasons to prefer a Mac over a PC, and none of them have to do with someone telling me it's cooler.

My feelings weren't hurt. Heck, my reply was deleted too! My point is the Mac vs PC is tiring. Unless you haven't been paying attention PC won the desktop years ago. It's not debatable. It's a fact. I'm not saying Macs are bad or anything. Just that IMO (and apparently tons of others' too) they are overpriced, underpowered, and just don't have the vast amount of software available to them that Windows machines have (actually, that last one isn't an opinion). They're great niche machines, which is what they'll always be. Me - I prefer bang for the buck, not cool for the price.

 

[blackNBUK]

MS won't put Office on iPad as they're working on their own Tablet OS. If it fails, then maybe we'll see office on the iPad platform. But probably not otherwise.

I find this discussion of office software sort of depressing. I can totally see that if you're working collaboratively you need Office compatible software. Unfortunately the only people who can create 100% compatible software are Microsoft themselves and until they 'get' tablets office software is limited on tablets. Maybe Windows 8 will be where they show that they 'get' it, the recent mentions of an Immersive Shell are promising. Of course this is just part of the story; to really work on a tablet the UI of Office would have to be enormously redesigned.

I think it's interesting to speculate what would have happened if the Microsoft monopoly investigation had ended up with Windows and Office being split into two companies. My bet is that the Office guys would be moving heaven and earth to get their software onto the iPad.

 

[vrDrew]

I find this discussion of office software sort of depressing. I can totally see that if you're working collaboratively you need Office compatible software. Unfortunately the only people who can create 100% compatible software are Microsoft themselves and until they 'get' tablets office software is limited on tablets..

The tech industry moves incredibly quickly. Just think, for a moment, how many businesses that were considered world-beaters just a few years ago are either bankrupt, or a shadow of themselves. Xerox, AOL, Digital Equipment Corp.

The companies that not only survive, but actually thrive, are those that have the courage to recognize inevitable change, and be prepared to "throw away" the legacy businesses that are doomed. Look at how IBM, recognizing that making desktop PCs was a dead-end, sold that business and moved on to consulting, servives, and the like. Look at how Apple constantly reinvents itself. In the last quarter of 2010, iOS products (which didn't exist three years ago) made up 65% of Apple's sales.

So, yes: Microsoft has enjoyed the benefits of a ~25 year monopoly in the desktop O/S and Office suite business. It keeps telling itself that it can recreate that monopoly in the Smartphone and Tablet business. And to that end, it will jealously refuse to release an Office for iPad App.

It could be that Microsoft's strategy is correct. That sometime in mid-2012, when it releases Windows for Tablets, all of the tablet makers will inevitably come around to buying a $75 license from Microsoft, and that iOS and Android and all the other tablet operating systems will wither and die the way that Amiga and Commodore and all the other PC operating systems did.

But I wouldn't bet on it.

And in the meantime, millions of tablet users, both inside and outside of business will discover that they can write letters and term papers and legal briefs without using Word. And that they can do budgets and manage football pools without Excel.

 

[dmaul1114]

I find this discussion of office software sort of depressing. I can totally see that if you're working collaboratively you need Office compatible software. Unfortunately the only people who can create 100% compatible software are Microsoft themselves and until they 'get' tablets office software is limited on tablets. Maybe Windows 8 will be where they show that they 'get' it, the recent mentions of an Immersive Shell are promising. Of course this is just part of the story; to really work on a tablet the UI of Office would have to be enormously redesigned.

I think it's interesting to speculate what would have happened if the Microsoft monopoly investigation had ended up with Windows and Office being split into two companies. My bet is that the Office guys would be moving heaven and earth to get their software onto the iPad.

Yep. It's frustrating.

For me to get a tablet that fits my work flow and has office it's really dependent on Microsoft.

They have to:

1. Nail the tablet version of windows. Don't shoehorn Windows 7 onto it, or the windows phone OS.

2. Nail a touch version of the office suite.

That's steep hill to climb, so I'll likely just be stuck with a laptop for work, and a tablet for media consumption that gets left at home when traveling as there's no sense in lugging both a laptop and tablet on a business trip.

But maybe they'll surprise us at all and actually succeed at both of the things above. They've done a great job with OS with Windows 7 and redesigning office with Office 2007 and 2010 IMO. Maybe that bodes well that they'll get a tablet OS and tablet version of Office done with similar polish? Time will tell.

 

[dmaul1114]

It could be that Microsoft's strategy is correct. That sometime in mid-2012, when it releases Windows for Tablets, all of the tablet makers will inevitably come around to buying a $75 license from Microsoft, and that iOS and Android and all the other tablet operating systems will wither and die the way that Amiga and Commodore and all the other PC operating systems did.

I don't think it has to be an either/or proposition. Personal use media tablets like the iPad can exist along side Tablet PCs catered for the business world.

And in the meantime, millions of tablet users, both inside and outside of business will discover that they can write letters and term papers and legal briefs without using Word. And that they can do budgets and manage football pools without Excel.

People can already do that--if they don't have to do collaborative work. You can write and essay or legal brief that's just being printed out and distributed in hard copies in any programming you like.

If you're doing collaborative work, and e-mailing drafts back and forth for multiple people to add to and edit, then you have to use the standard software everyone is using to avoid compatibility problems, formatting getting wrecked etc.

It's unlikely that the Office Suite will cease to be the dominant office software anytime soon.

 

[vrDrew]

It's unlikely that the Office Suite will cease to be the dominant office software anytime soon.

Microsoft is, by a fairly long shot, the biggest software company in the world. And at the same time, the App marketplace (both iOS and Android) is the fastest-growing segment in the software industry. Apple's App Store alone sold more than $10 billion worth of software in the past twelve months (don't forget, Apple only reports its 30% share of App sales on the store.)

And yet, out of the 250,000 or so Apps available in the App Store, how many are produced by Microsoft? Answer: FOUR (Bing, Windows Live Messenger, Tag Reader, and OneNote). All free apps, and none of them optimized for the iPad.

I don't doubt that Microsoft Office will remain the standard on the PC desktop for some time. But I think its pretty clear that Microsoft is purposely avoiding participating in the App economy. And by refusing to produce iOS or Android mobile versions of its "standard" desktop applications, it is not only making life considerably more difficult for those customers who would like to use both a mobile and a PC version of its products, but it is (IMHO) sowing the seeds for its eventual irrelevance.

You used the term "either/or." That is the game Microsoft is playing. They are saying to their customers "Either you buy a tablet that runs the (as yet unreleased) Microsoft Tablet O/S - or you can't do collaborative editing on shared documents AT ALL."

Microsoft is betting that customers are going to hold their noses and pay up for these mythical tablets when they eventually arrive. By which time there will most likely be 70 million or so tablets, running iOS or android or RIM etc. ALREADY in the hands of the industry's best customers.

I think Microsoft is making a bad bet. It certainly isn't doing its customers any favors right now. But I think ultimately its doing its shareholders a worse disservice.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Good for you,

Where I work, we use paper copies. We also don't sign things electronically. Students here submit paper work. We don't email presentations, we print out notes for the presentations.

Stop killing trees bro...

 

[dmaul1114]

You used the term "either/or." That is the game Microsoft is playing. They are saying to their customers "Either you buy a tablet that runs the (as yet unreleased) Microsoft Tablet O/S - or you can't do collaborative editing on shared documents AT ALL."

Agreed. And I don't like it, but it's just the way it is. Though I meant simply that enterntainment/personal tablets can (and probably will) co-exist along the side of more business focused tablets that are closer to tablet pcs (but not being full pc OS machines).

As for the Apple/MS thing, the markets have split even more clearly than in the past IMO.

I think Apple has given up on the business world. Their bread and butter is entertainment devices like the iPod and iPad and selling Macs for home use only (where software availability, collaborative work etc. doesn't matter). As well as their niches in certain industries like graphic design, print layout, video/sound editing etc. of course.

Microsoft has the business world locked down and thus they want to get business users who want a tablet locked into working on their forthcoming Tablet OS. Just like Apple wants to lock people into the iOS and OSX platforms.

It sucks for people who like both and would like the MS Office stuff on their iPad.

Personally, I don't care--as long (and this is a big if) as MS gets their tablet OS right. I'll happily make the switch as I'm a PC guy, dislike a lot of things about Apple and will be happy to be off the iOS platform and on something that fits more neatly into my PC-based workflow. I bought the iPad as nothing but a light use tablet to be a temporary tablet for a couple years until something more fitting my needs is out.

So I've been planning a switch eventually from the get go. I don't care about the App store, which is one big thing people always tout about the iOS environment. All I use on my iPad are news apps, Goodreader for PDFs, Evernote, Skype, calendar app and some simple games. Every tablet device has no shortage of those types of apps. So I'll be able to easily move to a MS tablet or whatever else that comes out that has MS office compatibility etc. in the future.

But it is annoying for Apple fans who need MS office for sure. You all (and me for the next couple of years) are at the mercy of third parties to make apps with better compatibility than what we have now as MS won't be putting out iPad apps unless their own tablet OS fails years down the road.

 

[Stirolak26]

Yep. It's frustrating.

For me to get a tablet that fits my work flow and has office it's really dependent on Microsoft.

They have to:

1. Nail the tablet version of windows. Don't shoehorn Windows 7 onto it, or the windows phone OS.

2. Nail a touch version of the office suite.

That's steep hill to climb, so I'll likely just be stuck with a laptop for work, and a tablet for media consumption that gets left at home when traveling as there's no sense in lugging both a laptop and tablet on a business trip.

But maybe they'll surprise us at all and actually succeed at both of the things above. They've done a great job with OS with Windows 7 and redesigning office with Office 2007 and 2010 IMO. Maybe that bodes well that they'll get a tablet OS and tablet version of Office done with similar polish? Time will tell.

Well Apple shoehorned their phone os onto the ipad so much so that theipad doesnt have more than probably three tailor made and uniwue apps for it away from other ios and so mh so the safari browser cant even use google docs or sites so what does that tell ya?

 

[mikethebigo]

Well Apple shoehorned their phone os onto the ipad so much so that theipad doesnt have more than probably three tailor made and uniwue apps for it away from other ios and so mh so the safari browser cant even use google docs or sites so what does that tell ya?

 

[tstarks33]

Well Apple shoehorned their phone os onto the ipad so much so that theipad doesnt have more than probably three tailor made and uniwue apps for it away from other ios and so mh so the safari browser cant even use google docs or sites so what does that tell ya?

That is one impressive sentence.

 

[Luph67]

Engadget is biased? I don't know I always considered them so much less editorialized than Gizmodo/TC, both of whom also spend plenty of time kissing Apple's toes whenever they can manage it.

I didn't care about the iPhone controversy crap or the stupid layout change though, what drove me from Gizmodo was twitter post after twitter post. Three sentences does not make content.