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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Officially Opens CES, Briefly Demos Forthcoming HP Slate
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I agree that iSlate probably won't be the name. I think most of the copyrights or whatnot Apple has taken is to make sure no one else uses it and causes confusion. I don't see them using iPod in the name either though, as that could cause a lot of confusion too.
In order to avoid having to invent a new product for carrying all these tech devices, maybe the Apple slate will also have a connection for a headset that will allow phone calls when the user is not listening to music - or watching a video. Also, I would expect to have SSD storage which is still fairly expensive ($278 to $440 for 128GB at a local store).
Ummm...
Wow, that was painful...
How is it that Microsoft constantly sells other peoples wares as if they were their own innovations? With the exception of some mice and keyboards, Xbox360, and Zune they are not a harware manufacturer. However a good portion of their presentation was showing off PC's manufactured by other people.
All of the Windows 7 talk was nothing new...
The whole MSFT store thing is a sham. Why don't they just open up a store call Perfect Purchase and take on Best Buy while they are at it. The only thing that MSFT can sell that is really their own is the Zune and Xbox stuff.
Who the hell is really going to go to the MSFT store to buy a copy of Windows when most of the PC's that are sold come with it?
If I were building my own PC I would just go buy a Windows OEM version online.
Ballmer is such a big dullard that really has no interest in the business he is in. He has no convincible passion for anything that they produce. He is just a manager that wears bad sweaters and pleated pants and spends everyday wringing his hands thinking how he can make the stockholders happy.
At least Bill was genuinely interested in technology and had a passion for it.
Oops... got sidetracked and a little negative. Sorry folks...
Wow, that was painful...
How is it that Microsoft constantly sells other peoples wares as if they were their own innovations? With the exception of some mice and keyboards, Xbox360, and Zune they are not a harware manufacturer. However a good portion of their presentation was showing off PC's manufactured by other people.
All of the Windows 7 talk was nothing new...
The whole MSFT store thing is a sham. Why don't they just open up a store call Perfect Purchase and take on Best Buy while they are at it. The only thing that MSFT can sell that is really their own is the Zune and Xbox stuff.
Who the hell is really going to go to the MSFT store to buy a copy of Windows when most of the PC's that are sold come with it?
If I were building my own PC I would just go buy a Windows OEM version online.
Ballmer is such a big dullard that really has no interest in the business he is in. He has no convincible passion for anything that they produce. He is just a manager that wears bad sweaters and pleated pants and spends everyday wringing his hands thinking how he can make the stockholders happy.
At least Bill was genuinely interested in technology and had a passion for it.
Oops... got sidetracked and a little negative. Sorry folks...
But I wouldn't credit Apple for something – round corners and the black line around the screen – which Phillips introduced. Really.
It might not be as great as the upcoming (and hopefully better) Apple tablet, but at least they (HP) beat Apple in terms of being the first. And this I believe is why publishers used the name "State... or whatever Apple is going to name it" because they knew about HP's work!
Oh jeez. It's a touchscreen tablet running Windows with the same UI as you'd use it with a mouse.
Pretty lame. And i'm saying this from an objective view.
I bet Apple will come up with a sexy, iPhonesque, customized UI that will make much more sense on a tablet.
Pretty lame. And i'm saying this from an objective view.
I bet Apple will come up with a sexy, iPhonesque, customized UI that will make much more sense on a tablet.
I tend to agree with this. If the apple islate doesn't have the full OS X, I think i'll be getting this HP slate instead.
I made the mistake of watching it live too... I will buy more Apple stock tomorrow.
When Jobs said that MS has no style, I considered that a pretty arrogant thing to say. This keynote with this rummage table with ugly hardware, top level executives that do not know how to present (get Bart Simpson's blackboard and write a million times: "I will not shout at the audience - the mike and PA are not made by MS and they do work fine. Really.") and that fake interaction/dialog between Bullmer and his sidekick were convincing me that Jobs was actually polite. I have seen 70-year old former boxing champs selling cooking utensils on the sales channel with more style... Yuck.
I loved the part where SB explained that they can't demo that LCD TV with the built-in Windows 7 computer, because they "blew up the tube". Can't beat competence...
When Jobs said that MS has no style, I considered that a pretty arrogant thing to say. This keynote with this rummage table with ugly hardware, top level executives that do not know how to present (get Bart Simpson's blackboard and write a million times: "I will not shout at the audience - the mike and PA are not made by MS and they do work fine. Really.") and that fake interaction/dialog between Bullmer and his sidekick were convincing me that Jobs was actually polite. I have seen 70-year old former boxing champs selling cooking utensils on the sales channel with more style... Yuck.
I loved the part where SB explained that they can't demo that LCD TV with the built-in Windows 7 computer, because they "blew up the tube". Can't beat competence...
Yeah you should be sorry. Microsoft are not selling them as if they are their own, Ballmer said "Look at the great things our partners are doing" or words to that effect.
And really you can tell very little about Steve Ballmer from these presentations, just like you can't tell what an actor is like from watching a movie. I bet you think you know Steve Jobs because you've seen some videos of him.
All the failings of Balmer aside, I hope HP or MSI or Apple gets the "slate/tablet" device done correctly. They need to avoid the Atom CPU's and make it land somewhere between an iPod touch and a capable laptop. Apple may have their own CPU/GPU setup that actually plays HD video, can stream sites like Hulu, Netflix and still have the polish feel of the iPod's touchscreen interface. This imo could be a winning combo, that is to assume they are even making one 
.
If Apple puts out a 800 to 1000 tablet that can handle streaming video via their own iTunes store, Hulu or say Netflix it will be more then powerful enough to handle anything people would use a netbook for and then some. The netbook market is quickly approaching the 500/600 range with the same underpowered spec'd Atom CPU's they had a year ago. They add a port and ad $50 bucks, still 100% garbage.
They sell because people think they are getting a great deal on a cheap computer, well they are getting a cheap computer... but it's basically disposable. The tablet craze is because people are "still looking" for that small portable all in one media device that they can surf, do email, watch movies, stream video and not lock up when they try to load Hulu.
I personally think Apple will have a device that can handle all the above and have the advantage of accessing their own App store for games as well.
HP, MSI, Leveno can all show their wares in advance.. but so far everyone I've seen is what people expect... netbook with no keyboard... e reader etc..
Apple will have to show up with more than an 10" iPod to make me part ways with a grand for anything remotely like what I've seen already.
.If Apple puts out a 800 to 1000 tablet that can handle streaming video via their own iTunes store, Hulu or say Netflix it will be more then powerful enough to handle anything people would use a netbook for and then some. The netbook market is quickly approaching the 500/600 range with the same underpowered spec'd Atom CPU's they had a year ago. They add a port and ad $50 bucks, still 100% garbage.
They sell because people think they are getting a great deal on a cheap computer, well they are getting a cheap computer... but it's basically disposable. The tablet craze is because people are "still looking" for that small portable all in one media device that they can surf, do email, watch movies, stream video and not lock up when they try to load Hulu.
I personally think Apple will have a device that can handle all the above and have the advantage of accessing their own App store for games as well.
HP, MSI, Leveno can all show their wares in advance.. but so far everyone I've seen is what people expect... netbook with no keyboard... e reader etc..
Apple will have to show up with more than an 10" iPod to make me part ways with a grand for anything remotely like what I've seen already.
If Apple introduces a tablet at the end of the month, set to release in March or whenever, HP did not beat them. HP wasn't first. Apple obviously already has their tablet manufactured just like HP, and Apple will actually be able to show it off, in detail, with thorough explanation and demonstration. HP has a half-a$$ed product that is manufactured on the outside, but not the inside. Obviously, the demo and video of the HP Slate is so minimal because they have nothing more they can show yet.
do we even know what this hp slate is capable of doing? ballmer did such a bad job demoing it, i have no idea what the hell this thing is
Well I honestly didn't watch the demo, so I have no idea of its capabilities.
I'm not going to pretend that I know as much as you nor do I really know a whole lot about tablets/slates. I will say that I've never heard the term slates before all these rumors as I'm sure most other people on these forums. Frankly it seems like slate is the new catchphrase even when it is the correct technical term. I've never heard anybody refer to Wacom tablets as slates. Even a family member in the medical field that I know who uses one refers to it as a tablet. It also seems like the official name of the HP device is the "Slate" which does raise some questions.
As of now I'm sick of the name even before Ballmer's presentation.
Im just saying, he demoed it for about 30 seconds. Either he's a tool and didn't go a good job showing it off, or there really isn't anything to show off
I'm not imagining that they seem to have just scaled down the Windows 7 UI for these tablets, right? Is Microsoft even trying anymore? Why are these companies even putting up with Redmond anymore? I'm not a Google fan and I haven't even used Android (I'd like to) but by just comparing screen shots these companies should find a way to scale up Android now or wait until Chrome OS comes out. You can't use a "full" OS designed for a keyboard and mouse/trackpad on a touchscreen multitouch device. It just doesn't work.
It was only a matter of time before we saw a Windows 7-based "slate" computer. Anyone who's looked "under the hood" of Windows 7 Home Premium/Professional notes that the OS has a LOT of support for touchscreen functionality.
If HP can keep use as much "off the shelf" hardware as possible they could actually underprice the rumored Apple "iSlate." My guess is that HP will offer an optional keyboard that will essentially this new device into a quasi laptop computer.
If HP can keep use as much "off the shelf" hardware as possible they could actually underprice the rumored Apple "iSlate." My guess is that HP will offer an optional keyboard that will essentially this new device into a quasi laptop computer.
They can say it, but I don't think it will. You buy a $3.99 magazine off the rack and it's loaded with millions of dollars worth of ads. Publishers can't turn their backs on that. $3.99 for a digital copy, ad-free? Right
What made you think that they wouldn't include ads in the digital version?
LOL Ballmer aint no showman, god his presentation style is terrible. I cant explain it with Steve Jobs, but even at WWDC when certain parts tend to drag on abit, you just have to listen to the whole thing,
Windows on a talet form factor machine, who saw that coming?
Why does the industry insist on just reshaping a computer and insisting its a new type of product? I want something MADE to be a tablet and used as a new type of computing, not just wedging existing paradigms into new form factors.
If you are going to make a tablet, RETHINK HOW THE FORM FACTOR WILL SHAPE HOW YOU INTERACT WITH IT IN YOUR LIFE!
Why does the industry insist on just reshaping a computer and insisting its a new type of product? I want something MADE to be a tablet and used as a new type of computing, not just wedging existing paradigms into new form factors.
If you are going to make a tablet, RETHINK HOW THE FORM FACTOR WILL SHAPE HOW YOU INTERACT WITH IT IN YOUR LIFE!
I would imagine that a digital ad can contain lots more content than a print ad. So, reading e.g. Esquire I would expect a moving commercial (like the TV commercial) for a perfume in stead of the static commercial in the print version (hopefully you will be able to swipe it away, just as you would turn a normal page. In addition the digital ads could be a gateway to an included more elaborate display of products. E.g. like in the normal print version there would be a one page ad for Ralph Lauren with some people wearing colourful clothes sitting on a boat. In the digital version it would be the same, but clicking on the ad would transport you to an included or web catalogue with prices and shopping functions..