Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Microsoft Reportedly Scheduled to Introduce Tablet Today
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If it is the Courier and it functions as well as the CG demos Gizmodo has showed, then I will be a bit worried for Apple. Although the Courier doesn't have much in the way of apps (basically Notepad, IE, Windows Calendar and Mail) it does have an impressive UI and a solution to the screen protection issue. It has handwriting recognition (something I pray Apple includes) and an intelligent stylus that allows for awesome practical uses (highlighting, drawing and snipping web/photo content).
If it is the Courier then I hope Apple has designed something amazing, which includes all the hyped features plus handwriting recognition and a smart stylus for writing, sketching and snipping from the web. C'mon Apple we have waited too long to be disappointed, especially by being overshadowed by the folks in Redmond.
If it is the Courier then I hope Apple has designed something amazing, which includes all the hyped features plus handwriting recognition and a smart stylus for writing, sketching and snipping from the web. C'mon Apple we have waited too long to be disappointed, especially by being overshadowed by the folks in Redmond.
I agree. Apple hasn't done anything nor announced anything to show at all. Microsoft might come up with a great product, Apple fanboys will mock and laugh. Apple might come out with a similar product and they will claim Microsoft copied and sucks. lol. I don't get it. Why can't good technology be good technology. There doesn't have to be a hate Microsoft, love Apple relationship. They are tech companies and hardware tools for consumer and business use. They aren't a religion.
Surface?
Windows tablets have been around for years.
Apple, not so much.
But don't let the facts get in way of your rant, though. Carry on.
And how many people use those tablets? LOL. Impressive numbers there.
These tablet discussions are utter train wrecks. I have read some of the most ludicrous predictions ever in these threads.
Apparently over 75% of commenters have absolutely no understanding of designing, building, and selling a mass-market consumer electronics product. Many of them focus on highly esoteric features that have little appeal to the general marketplace.
Others have zero vision and are tunnel-vision impaired into only seeing a giant iPod touch or a keyboardless computer.
Quite a few have almost no financial acumen and can't even do a 15-20 second mental walkthrough of the costs associated with such a device.
I assume this thread will be no different.
You mean bread can be sliced??
I guess every group has a fringe to it, but the Apple fringe seems more justifiable than the MS fringe, which is as shaky as a flying carpet. Apple's OS is based on more credible grounds than is MS, which is a massed collection of
programs that are difficult to mesh and do cause problems that are not simple to fix. Apple's OS isn't perfect, but it is better than Microsoft's OS.
Or are you only concerned with Apple fans rather than what works?
(Rhetorical question.)
I guess every group has a fringe to it, but the Apple fringe seems more justifiable than the MS fringe, which is as shaky as a flying carpet. Apple's OS is based on more credible grounds than is MS, which is a massed collection of
programs that are difficult to mesh and do cause problems that are not simple to fix. Apple's OS isn't perfect, but it is better than Microsoft's OS.
Or are you only concerned with Apple fans rather than what works?
(Rhetorical question.)
In 2001, Bill Gates predicted that the pending Microsoft Tablet PC would become "the most popular form of PC within five years" (EDIT: source). Microsoft have not only been in this market for years but if they're at all sensible then they've had an opportunity to learn some serious lessons. I therefore wouldn't write this off.
That said, until they fix their idiotic backwards approach to typography there's no way I'm using one of their devices for serious reading. They need to at least kill the aggressive hinting and learn to pair kern. Though hopefully their device will be of the 160+ppi range, at which point at least the former stops being so much of an issue.
That said, until they fix their idiotic backwards approach to typography there's no way I'm using one of their devices for serious reading. They need to at least kill the aggressive hinting and learn to pair kern. Though hopefully their device will be of the 160+ppi range, at which point at least the former stops being so much of an issue.
Look for faux pas during introduction like: "This is the best Mac tablet on the planet!" or "We are building a remarkable iTunes store with great apps!" or "Developers, um..., developers, developers, developers..."
Having said that, the MS tablet actually looks to have great potential.
Having said that, the MS tablet actually looks to have great potential.
Huh.
Not if it's ugly, under-featured, clumsy, flawed, over-priced, packed with bloatware, or any of the other things that MS-branded hardware so often is.
Apple is always late!
It sucks that other companies always beat Apple to a new game... And although Apple's tablet will certainly be better, it still loses the impact of being the first to which everyone else wants to catch up to and emulate...
Everything that has been done with the iPhone has been like that. It started off with a 2 MP camera, now just 3.2MP, when Nokia phones have had 5MP for years. We had to wait 2 years for copy and paste, still no Flash Plugin and although there are 100000 apps, the operating system and its look and feel can't be altered without jailbreaking the iPhone...
I hope Apple doesn't release a half-ass tablet that will be just a bigger iPhone. Apple needs a device to compete with the netbooks. The tablet needs to be a Mac Tablet not an iTablet... I, for one, hope they are smart enough to release 2 models: A small 7" iTablet and a 10" Mac Tablet that runs a simplified version of Mac OS X...
We'll see...
It sucks that other companies always beat Apple to a new game... And although Apple's tablet will certainly be better, it still loses the impact of being the first to which everyone else wants to catch up to and emulate...
Everything that has been done with the iPhone has been like that. It started off with a 2 MP camera, now just 3.2MP, when Nokia phones have had 5MP for years. We had to wait 2 years for copy and paste, still no Flash Plugin and although there are 100000 apps, the operating system and its look and feel can't be altered without jailbreaking the iPhone...
I hope Apple doesn't release a half-ass tablet that will be just a bigger iPhone. Apple needs a device to compete with the netbooks. The tablet needs to be a Mac Tablet not an iTablet... I, for one, hope they are smart enough to release 2 models: A small 7" iTablet and a 10" Mac Tablet that runs a simplified version of Mac OS X...
We'll see...
As a Microsoft stockholder, I would love for them to actually increase shareholder value in a substantial manner, not just track the S&P 500 as they've done over the past 5-6 years.
But since I'm also an Apple stockholder, I'm okay if Microsoft doesn't succeed with their tablet.
AAPL has increased shareholder value in recent years, very satisfactorily I must say.
Way ahead of what? Apple, these days, doesn't really make brand new products, they observe what's out there, how it's doing, what it's strengths and weaknesses are, how it could be streamlined and improved, and then they basically make their own version several years down the line that may not hold a torch to the competition spec-wise, but runs vastly superior custom in-house software. That's how they succeed, not by forging ahead with whole new products.
Tablets have been around for YEARS. I'm a big follower of Apple but even I'm not as blind are you perhaps are. I'm certainly not as juvenile.
1) matter of opinions, but I personally thing it looks like crap. especially compared to iphone and ipod touch.
2) no, it's not. i worked with a guy who had to buy 3, because red ring of death kept coming up and microsoft's warranty sucks (don't ask me why he kept buying them)
3) I 100% agree with you on that one. lack of competition is arguably what made M$ suck so much. in fact, creating lack of competition was their business practice, rather than creating good products.
4) yes it it. i still use windows for gaming (that "creating lack of competition thing i was mentioning? it's the only reason for direct X to exist) and windows improves in short leaps and bounds only to be bogged down again within weeks.
5) yes they are. they're more reliable that PCs that are prices two to three times as much.
I withhold judgement until the announcement is made. Microsoft need to make money, so I would expect the tablet to be 'ok', but nothing mind blowing. However when Apple finally releases its tablet incarnation I expect it to be 'mind blowing'.
I embarassingly own more apple hardware than I honestly care to admit, because I like the hardware... but if this is the courier product as demoed a few mo ago, and the ui is anything like it... ms is going to have a hit.
Its REAL easy as mac fanboy's to automatically put down ms... yes they have a bad recent history of releasing products... but like I said... how many of you have actually LOOKED at courier?
You folks make me embarrassed to be a fan of the apple hardware. ****... apple is slowing down their innovation and ignoring their customers, forgetting about their products.
Quit acting like a bunch of idiots, and start thinking objectively. Any company is capable of producing quality software/hardware. How about we see a product before we bash.
Its REAL easy as mac fanboy's to automatically put down ms... yes they have a bad recent history of releasing products... but like I said... how many of you have actually LOOKED at courier?
You folks make me embarrassed to be a fan of the apple hardware. ****... apple is slowing down their innovation and ignoring their customers, forgetting about their products.
Quit acting like a bunch of idiots, and start thinking objectively. Any company is capable of producing quality software/hardware. How about we see a product before we bash.
As a Microsoft stockholder, I would love for them to actually increase shareholder value in a substantial manner, not just track the S&P 500 as they've done over the past 5-6 years.
But since I'm also an Apple stockholder, I'm okay if Microsoft doesn't succeed with their tablet.
AAPL has increased shareholder value in recent years, very satisfactorily I must say.
if this were pre-intelimac lauch or pre-iphone lauch, i'd say sell your Microsoft stock and buy more Apple.
the tablet doesn't seem to be as sure as a deal for me.
It sucks that other companies always beat Apple to a new game... And although Apple's tablet will certainly be better, it still loses the impact of being the first to which everyone else wants to catch up to and emulate...
Wow, you're actually upset? Do you people have, you know, lives?
Come on, it's just a tech company. Does it make you sad that a tech company doesn't 'beat' another tech company to releasing a brand new product? I mean come ON people. it makes you sad that Apple didn't beat everyone to the tablet market? Dude, tablets have been around for years and years and years. AND YEARS.
What Apple does is take products they believe are reaching a mass-market saturation point and innovate their own software into them, simplifying and polishing.
Can't believe people are upset like it's their favourite sports team losing a match. Who honestly cares? Really? So long as the products they do release work well and are cool, it's all good in the hood. I for one personally welcome as much competition and 'beating Apple to market' as possible, it keeps Apple on it's toes. Mind you, they're pretty arrogant - they don't really care about competition - see the Copy/Paste fiasco.
Anyway, the first generation of new Apple tech is always underpowered and underdeveloped compared to what they're producing by the third generation. It's a fact, fact-fans.
What I love about this thread is actually there is a Microsoft voice in here. 4 years ago, we would all be Apple thumping. Now there are some Microsoft thumpers as well. Means that the community is finally balancing itself out. Even though I am a HUGE Apple fan, (switching about 6 years ago from MS), I absolutely HATED the Apple community (as a GOP voter it was hard for me to admit I even had an Apple product). Even though I have no faith in this tablet, I am liking what I am seeing.
1. Not really. Sony makes things that look good. Samsung does as well - they even make printers that look good. Microsoft and the Zune HD are nowhere near.
2. When it doesn't burn.
3. Apple is actually quite good at competing with itself. They kill a product that sells well as soon as they can produce something better, as demonstrated by the iPod Mini and several old generations of Nanos, by many successful iMacs etc.
4. Took them how many? Eight? years to improve on Windows XP. That's a bummer.
5. Evidence?
If the MS tablet is made as well as the inexpensive netbooks, it will be a bust. Have you played with the netbooks? It really is true....you get what you pay for!
I'm an apple user, and I do think that whenever there is a rumored product, the expectations usually are way too high, and the "fanboys" will always be disappointed. Those expecting the iSlate to run Mac OS X will be disappointed (I would like it to run it, but I don't think it will - not yet, at least). Apple's advantage with the tablet is the tie to the iTunes store -- it is positioned to be a provider of subscription services, such as interactive magazines -- with magazine sales plummeting, imagine what doors will be open for these companies to create tablet subscriptions that are interactive. MS does not have a distribution network for content the way Apple does.
Ballmer is a goofball -- he thinks he will be stealing Apple's thunder...his track record is a thud when he tries.....maybe this time will be different...maybe....
I'm an apple user, and I do think that whenever there is a rumored product, the expectations usually are way too high, and the "fanboys" will always be disappointed. Those expecting the iSlate to run Mac OS X will be disappointed (I would like it to run it, but I don't think it will - not yet, at least). Apple's advantage with the tablet is the tie to the iTunes store -- it is positioned to be a provider of subscription services, such as interactive magazines -- with magazine sales plummeting, imagine what doors will be open for these companies to create tablet subscriptions that are interactive. MS does not have a distribution network for content the way Apple does.
Ballmer is a goofball -- he thinks he will be stealing Apple's thunder...his track record is a thud when he tries.....maybe this time will be different...maybe....