Microsoft Launches New Ad Comparing MacBook Air to Lenovo's Convertible Yoga 3 Pro Laptop

[steve09090]

Hardware is the main business for someone, but not for Google. The point was that these particular software companies have little concern for the hardware you buy so long as it runs their platform. .

Didn't Google buy Motorola Mobile (Motorola Moto G) Aren't they making a Chrome Book 2010-2012) and (2013)? Don't they make a Chrome Cast?

They both want to make hardware. They just haven't got the same passion as apple and give up to doing pretty well just software. It's easier, and lazy.

 

[Michael Goff]

yes it is especially when it's being used as a kickstand

http://www.cultofmac.com/302105/cnn-hid-ipads-behind-microsoft-surface-mid-term-coverage/?utm_medium=twitter.com&utm_source=applenws.com

Turns out that might not be a real thing.

http://m.windowscentral.com/cnn-analyst-labels-ipad-controversy-false-and-idiotic

 

[ee4life]

Didn't Google buy Motorola Mobile (Motorola Moto G) Aren't they making a Chrome Book 2010-2012) and (2013)? Don't they make a Chrome Cast?

They both want to make hardware. They just haven't got the same passion as apple and give up to doing pretty well just software. It's easier, and lazy.

Did I say they have no hardware? I believe I said it is not their main business. If it were, they probably wouldn't have so many hardware partners. They see the hardware as a necessary means to shove their software/services down the consumer's throat. Buy a device from any partner running Android and Google is thrilled that you'll be using the Play Store, GMail, Google search, etc. Same with MS and their services for Windows devices.

And the Motorola Mobility purchase was primarily for patents (which was kind of a bust for them). They've since offloaded the company onto Lenovo.

I don't even know why someone would argue this point. Everyone knows the hardware divisions of Microsoft and Google don't drive the companies. The hardware is just a vessel for software and services. You said it yourself, they don't have the same passion as Apple for the hardware. And that's because they don't rely on it to keep profits up.

 

[Darrin Bell]

Can I ask you - have you tried using photoshop on the Surface Pro 3? Can you do detailed designing and changes on the tablet as touch screen or do you need to use a mouse for it?

It would be great if Apple can let the iPad's run full photoshop, its easier for my designers when they are out and about and have to do quick design changes on the fly...

What is your experience ?

I wish I could give you a detailed answer, but so far I've only used it to complete a couple projects on the road that I'd started on my iMac at home (Creative Cloud makes that easy).

My initial impressions:

It's not perfect. Photoshop isn't really designed for touch. The tools and menus appear very small on the screen, so I needed to use the stylus, not my finger, to select them. That's just a minor inconvenience (it'd be nice to be able to use my left hand to select tools when I'm in a hurry). You can pinch and zoom artwork, and rotate it (although I ended up just rotating the whole tablet most of the time like a real sketchbook, it was faster).

It's tough to use the quick key shortcuts with the on-screen keyboard, so I used the Surface Pro 3's keyboard cover (sold separately) and the experience was the same as using a desktop. But that defeated the point, I couldn't just kick back, hold it like a tablet and draw. If it hadn't gotten such lousy reviews re: quality control, longevity and customer service, I'd have opted for Wacom's Cintiq Companion over the Surface Pro 3 largely because it has buttons I could've programmed to replace the most common shortcuts I use.

The Surface Pro also lags behind the Cintiq on pressure sensitivity, but Photoshop brush settings, and/or working at a slightly higher resolution, compensated well enough for that. At the end, I couldn't tell the difference between something I'd drawn on my iMac and the work I'd done on the Surface Pro 3. The Surface Pro would not be my choice for a primary Photoshop system just because of the keyboard shortcut issue. But it's great for finishing jobs on the road, sketching, or beginning jobs that I'll later refine on the iMac. It does work ok for completing a project from start to finish, it just takes a little extra time, especially if you use the on-screen keyboard.

On the other hand, that's probably something that improves with practice. It works great with programs designed with touch in mind, like Manga Studio. And the portability is life-changing.

 

[CB1234]

I wish I could give you a detailed answer, but so far I've only used it to complete a couple projects on the road that I'd started on my iMac at home (Creative Cloud makes that easy).

My initial impressions:

It's not perfect. Photoshop isn't really designed for touch. The tools and menus appear very small on the screen, so I needed to use the stylus, not my finger, to select them. That's just a minor inconvenience (it'd be nice to be able to use my left hand to select tools when I'm in a hurry). You can pinch and zoom artwork, and rotate it (although I ended up just rotating the whole tablet most of the time like a real sketchbook, it was faster).

It's tough to use the quick key shortcuts with the on-screen keyboard, so I used the Surface Pro 3's keyboard cover (sold separately) and the experience was the same as using a desktop. But that defeated the point, I couldn't just kick back, hold it like a tablet and draw. If it hadn't gotten such lousy reviews re: quality control, longevity and customer service, I'd have opted for Wacom's Cintiq Companion over the Surface Pro 3 largely because it has buttons I could've programmed to replace the most common shortcuts I use.

The Surface Pro also lags behind the Cintiq on pressure sensitivity, but Photoshop brush settings, and/or working at a slightly higher resolution, compensated well enough for that. At the end, I couldn't tell the difference between something I'd drawn on my iMac and the work I'd done on the Surface Pro 3. The Surface Pro would not be my choice for a primary Photoshop system just because of the keyboard shortcut issue. But it's great for finishing jobs on the road, sketching, or beginning jobs that I'll later refine on the iMac. It does work ok for completing a project from start to finish, it just takes a little extra time, especially if you use the on-screen keyboard.

On the other hand, that's probably something that improves with practice. It works great with programs designed with touch in mind, like Manga Studio. And the portability is life-changing.

Many thanks for taking time and giving detailed explanation of your experience...

My designers do most of their work on iMacs, but sometimes it is great to show some quick minor design changes when you are in front of prospective clients, to finalize the designs and seal the deal on the spot..

Thanks once again kind sir, and I may just give surface pro a try....

 

[steve09090]

Did I say they have no hardware? I believe I said it is not their main business. If it were, they probably wouldn't have so many hardware partners.

I don't even know why someone would argue this point. Everyone knows the hardware divisions of Microsoft and Google don't drive the companies.

I never did say you said it. Geez. Lighten up dude.

My point was that they 'want' to make hardware. They've both tried it time and again, and as you've more or less pointed out, they've failed.

I agree they need hardware partners, because they can't make enough money on just Internet surfaces. And fortunately for many people the hardware is cheap enough to off-load their software.

Obviously googles profits mainly come from ads, but they are really trying to get into the same market as apple (movies, music). They are just trying to saturate the market to grab a share. As far as profits, it's the same story. It's purely about saturation. This is fine, and it's a sound market strategy, however (and bringing it back to the thread topic) it doesn't necessarily lead to a great device.

When Google first copied iOS they did it poorly and in several aspects, they've b come a lot closer, but MIcrosoft are still way way behind Apple when it comes to being a really good experience...

Edit: this is why I argue the point. And I know this is half a year old but Google - Motorola Mobilty made up 8% of their revenue. Microsoft "Consumer Hardware" - 14% of their revenue. They're trying no doubt, and haven't given up on hardware as a genuine strength of their business. Apple 91% http://bgr.com/2014/02/06/apple-google-microsoft-revenue-sources/

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Did you even read that article?

I did. Your point being?