Next Version of Windows to Incorporate Advanced Touch Features

[Clive At Five]

Well what can I say. Apple has always been ahead of the game by years. The next version of windows is due in 2010. Add a few more years for Microsoft's punctuality in releasing products. By then Apple would have taken another 10 years leap ahead of anybody in the market and we'll have similar news about various companies trying to compete with Apple. The best they (other companies) can do is feel better now about topping Apple 10 years hence. That's the closest they can get.

Sheer arrogance.

Vista (albeit slow and unstable) caught up to Tiger feature-wise. With a reinvigorated MS, their next release will compete directly with Leopard and 10.6, and it will come as close to matching and beating it as MS has ever come before.

And thanks to the historical recap by Eraserhead, it's not always the features that win. If you'll recall, back in the 80s, MS had full-access to the Mac OS, so all the while they were playing catch-up, but they had better partnerships and marketing that put them over-the-top, not to mention the detrimental effect of Apple fighting amongst itself over the Apple II and the Macintosh.

Microsoft has the opportunity here to regain (or at least retain) the public's opinion of them... and after the blunder of Vista, I would think they would take every opporunity they have to do so.

-Clive

 

[zmonster]

Microsoft will be 'blown away' by the patent infringement lawsuit Apple will file

yeah.

 

[aarond12]

Whooooooooo!

OMG! Everyone panic! A full-power computer can out-power a handheld consumer phone!

I don't care how many features are in Windows 7. It matters if the new features never show up (like many of the advanced features of Vista that they couldn't get working and finally dropped from the final version).

Vaporware, Micro$oft. Make products, not promises.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I think Windows 7 is slated to be released as soon as 2009. Vista's delayed release was exceptionally unusual. Remember that before Vista, major versions of Windows were being released every 2-3 years, just like OS X.

Hardly! Windows95 was delayed numerous times, so much so that it was becoming an industry joke. In fact Microsoft named the new OS Windows95 because they needed the internal commitment to shipping it in 1995 (five years after the release of Windows 3.0). Otherwise, it probably would have crept into 1996. As for OSX, by far the longest interval between releases was between Tiger and Leopard, 2.5 years. The average interval between the other releases was about one year.

 

[diamond.g]

I say bring it on. I would love to see some competition on the OS side of things. Mac OS X is wonderful, but Apple continuously cripples the hardware and creates nice looking machines with very littler performance variations. I would love to see Windows being able to compete blow for blow with Mac OS X, or Mac OS X running on PCs so that we can get some kick @$$ hardware to run a beautiful OS. Otherwise, Apple will always be slightly behind in the hardware bracket.

OS X will never be sold to run on beige box pc's. Too much hardware for Apple to provide support for. They don't have the experience. They can't do it.

Windows won't ever be able to compete with OS X. OS X is too targeted (hardware wise) for Microsoft to even bother. They don't have the experience. They can't do it.

 

[elgruga]

irritating crap

Microsoft are a really disgusting and nasty set of greedy bastards.
They suck people in to their vileness because they are the 'established' power, like everyone once thought that DDT was great for making the garden 'weed' free.

Why would anyone think that a touch screen will make a bad system (windows) better?
Its called putting lipstick on the pig. Its a crass attempt to make something look like something else.

I am SICK of hearing about Microsoft and their garbage. Why be polite?
They have innovated NOTHING, they stand for a system that sees one or two men with billions of dollars while the world is full of poor people who cant get a drink of fresh water.
(Yes, I know Steve Jobs has a ton of cash, but he is NOT a complete idiot.)

Then they lie and cheat and steal and we are supposed to make nice calm comments about their bloody crap?
NO.

Time for Microsoft to go down the toilet - and that time, happily, is coming.

The stupid, stupid table is the silliest piece of vanity garbage ever - I thought the jokes about it would kill the touch nonsense, but no.
Still we have 'touch screen' speculation, when its somewhat obvious that it works well on the iPhone, but simply ADDING it to any product is like putting sugar in everything because its good in chocolate.

The real reason that the 'touch' thing wont do well on a computer is ergonomics; a large screen must be about 2.5 feet away when viewing it, and that precludes reaching out to 'touch' it, because the reach of most humans when sitting face on to a screen is slightly less than 2.5 feet.

Touch works with very small screens held at 12 - 15 inches away, the holding arm bent, cradling the device, free hand touching screen.

Anything bigger than an iPhone will be too big to hold and way too big to hold close to the face.

On a laptop? Hmmm - maybe, maybe.

We have REMOTE control devices because of these proximity issues - perhaps you'd like a touch screen TV so that every time you want to change the channel you have to go over to the TV and touch it?
No, didnt think so. Pass the REMOTE.

The Mouse is a remote control device, and a touch screen is a tactile piece of tech when using a small personal device.

Its all just more Microsoft bollocks. Ignore it. Use OS X, use Linux, use anything but windows - lets kill this insane bloated beast - it represents ALL thats bad in human society.

YES, I really mean that last sentence.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Its important to have vision of what the requirements of the users will be when the product comes out, and trying to fulfill those requirements, rather than trying to fulfill today's user's requirements 3 yrs in the future.

The main problem with Windows' software engineers. They lack the vision or the wherewithal to change the way people use computers for the better. Instead they attempt to solve current problems with computing, and enhance the way people use computers today, three years from now.

Much of the features in Vista are wonderful, but they are all features that Linux and Mac OS X had years prior. And as for Touch... people are rumoring it to debut in a Mac Tablet in a month or a year at the latest.

 

[himansk]

The point of my comment was that on the one hand, he was complaining because MS increased system-requirement in the XP - Vista-transition, while he merrily described how Apple is also increasing system-requirements and dropping support for older processors. His comment was basically that MS is wrong in increasing system-regs, whereas there's nothing wrong with Apple doing the exactly same thing. Hell, he even went on to describe how Vista is slower on same hardware as XP is (which is propably true) and how keeps getting faster with each release. And that means that whereas MS is actually justified in increasing system-regs (since the OS would be too slow on older hardware), Apple has no such reason, since the OS just keeps on getting faster. According to him, the only reason Apple increases the system-regs of OS X is that they could sell more hardware.

And he said all that like it was a good thing. And he said all that while complaining about Microsoft increasing system-regs for Vista.

when microsoft increased the system requirements, it made even 1-2yr old systems obsolete to some extent. as a student i see so many of my fellow students struggle with their slow vista installations even in the newly bought laptops. when apple increased the system requirements, it made 7-8 yr old systems obsolete for upgrade, i have a first gen mbp which is a year n half old, and it runs even faster with leopard than it used to with tiger. how many pc owners can say the same about their vista upgrades on even a year old pc?

 

[aarond12]

"I don't care who ya are, that's funny there..."

Sheer arrogance. Vista (albeit slow and unstable) caught up to Tiger feature-wise.

Great. Now they're only one generation behind.

With a reinvigorated MS, their next release will compete directly with Leopard and 10.6, and it will come as close to matching and beating it as MS has ever come before.

That is how competition works. Apple adds a feature; Micro$oft copies it; the consumers benefit.

Microsoft has the opportunity here to regain (or at least retain) the public's opinion of them... and after the blunder of Vista, I would think they would take every opporunity they have to do so.

You are grossly underestimating the damage Vista has caused to the public's view of Micro$oft. Windows ME was a poor operating system, but people don't remember it because Windows 2000 and XP came so quickly afterwards.

Micro$oft has even PUBLICLY APOLOGIZED for Windows ME, so don't give me that crap that the public's opinion won't be seriously soiled after Vista. Unless Micro$oft comes out with a completely new operating system -- and fast -- the public's opinion of Micro$oft will continue to be tarnished.

-Aaron-

 

[/dev/toaster]

Another classic example of Microsoft being very late to the party. By 2010 I don't think anyone is going to care about multi-touch. Hell, by the end of 2008 chances are you will see it everywhere.

Of course, that is if it ever gets shipped. Microsoft is just starting on the next version of Windows. Over the next 2 years we are going to see countless promises from them which will never make it into release. Don't get me wrong, lots of companies do this. But, Microsoft uses it as marketing to raises their stock price. They also need anything they can to distract people from how bad Vista is doing.

Lets also not forget, this is the first version of the iPhone. Over the next 2 versions we will see crap we couldn't even imagine. I look at the old iPod and that gives me an insight on what to expect with the iPhone. Over time, it just keeps getting better.

By the time Microsoft gets done copying "other market leaders in the area of multi-touch screens", they will be light years a head of them. (I say market leaders, because there are actually some really cool **** other companies are doing with multi-touch".

 

[heisetax]

Vista time vs. New Mac OS

Sure... cameras and barcode scanners are revolutionary... for the 80's that is. Vista is crap. Apple can actually deliver new OS updates in a reasonable amount of time. Microsoft had to return to the drawing board several times before Vista even saw the light of day. I didn't mind Leopard being delayed. At least Apple stated the reason and then delivered Leopard instead of stalling again. As far as crippling features, I haven't noticed any. I run high end apps in Leopard every day.

It seems as if you forget how long it took Apple to update from the old OS 1-9 to OS X. They started more than once. These problems led to the purchase of Steve Jobs company. Without that purchase or the purchase of Be OS, Apple may still be trying to update.

The bigger the change that is ade the more delays we'll all see. This next point needs honesty, not Apple hype or Microsoft hype. Was Mac OS X beta & Mac OS 10.0 really so great that everyone immediately through away OS 9 & used only OS X? How much did this change with the release of Mac OS 10.1? Or was it really Mac OS 10.2 before everything is great & rosy. Or was it Mac OS 10.3, 10.4 or even 10.5? Or did Mac OS 10.5 break some of the old & be the classical 2 steps forward & 1 step back?

I used the beta of Mac OS X, OS 10.0, 10.1 & finally OS 10.2 before I used Mac OS X as my starup system & the system that I did most of my work in.
Some of this may be that it took that long for my software apps to be updated to OS X or I found something that was good enough to replace some that were not updated, or to do without for those that had no close replacements.

MS is easy to bad mouth. They give us so many reasons to do it. That doesn't mean that they are always wrong. My feelings of Windows is that use it & you'll really find out why you use a Mac. Computing should be fun & productive.

Bill the TaxMan

 

[Clive At Five]

Why would anyone think that a touch screen will make a bad system (windows) better?

Because 99.5% of all Tablet PCs sold run Windows. The other 0.5% are either ModBooks, or hacked to run Linux.

they stand for a system that sees one or two men with billions of dollars while the world is full of poor people who cant get a drink of fresh water.

Apple's Execs are among the highest paid in the industry and I see them doing nothing to help people in underprivilaged countries.

You need to calm yourself down a little and come to grips with the reality of a corporate-driven society. It may not be "the right thing to do" but it's the way things are.

-Clive

 

[elgruga]

Mac OS X running on PCs so that we can get some kick @$$ hardware to run a beautiful OS. Otherwise, Apple will always be slightly behind in the hardware bracket.

Didn't you read the announcement only a few days ago that stated that the fastest machine running the dreaded Windows is actually a MacBook Pro?

Slightly behind?

 

[VenomousSVT]

this isnt breaking news to me... you can go to microsofts website now and look at "surface"


there are videos of surface in action

 

[farmboy]

Quillz = Troll

I hope you are prepared for an onslaught by the fanboys. A post that I more or less agree with, too bad something like this on a board like this one gets your burned alive. Good luck to you.

Riiiight. If you are enthusiastic about Apple and their products, you're a "fanboy" and somehow irrational. If you constantly post in what is fairly termed opposition to Apple and their products, you're reasoned and logical, and any response is simple flaming. Yeah, OK.

And by the way...I can still run Cricket Graph from 1987 on my Mac. Bite.

And floppy disks and serial ports are so necessary, we really need that endless backward compatibility.

 

[Digital Skunk]

You are grossly underestimating the damage Vista has caused to the public's view of Micro$oft. Windows ME was a poor operating system, but people don't remember it because Windows 2000 and XP came so quickly afterwards.

Micro$oft has even PUBLICLY APOLOGIZED for Windows ME, so don't give me that crap that the public's opinion won't be seriously soiled after Vista. Unless Micro$oft comes out with a completely new operating system -- and fast -- the public's opinion of Micro$oft will continue to be tarnished.

-Aaron-

I agree, but I don't think people are that effected by Vista. The majority of MS users don't realize that there is hope out there besides Microsoft and MS Office and the PC. Even if MS sells them crap on a stick, they will lick it up (Windows ME/Vista). The problem is that those people don't benefit that much from computers and don't care whether or not it works smoothly or not, so they could care less about what they use and prefer not to spend $1200 plus on them either.

MS is producing a lot of garbage and has been getting a lot of flak, but that won't deter the 80% of mindless MS users out there from buying a PC. And as for MS getting momentum... I doubt that seriously. They are kicking it up a notch because they see the fast growth of Mac OS X and Open Source software. Also, the PC makers are hitting the "Style and Functionality" button on their hardware engineers and they are coming out with machines that take away the design premium that Apple charges their users.

At this point in time, all manufacturers should be pushing themselves to come out with feature rich, user friendly hardware that is priced just right and is innovative in the way they are designed and used. So far the only companies that I see that aren't doing that are Palm and Apple.

We will see if Apple changes at MWSF.

 

[ricosuave]

Advanced Touch Features from Microsoft?

Sounds FUDtastic!

 

[Digital Skunk]

Didn't you read the announcement only a few days ago that stated that the fastest machine running the dreaded Windows is actually a MacBook Pro?

Slightly behind?

Slightly behind because they Apple doesn't have a laptop or Desktop with SLI or Crossfire. Apple doesn't have a laptop with a 512 MB GFX card. The Mac Pro is a whole nother complaint.

I am not whining about there being a lack of reasonable hardware now, since MWSF is coming, but if I don't see any hardware from Apple that can go toe-to-toe with the M1730, or the HP Blackbird, then they are behind in that market IMHO.

 

[Masquerade]

they have copied apple once again

a major part of apple's market is based on these miss-assumptions.

Didn't you read the announcement only a few days ago that stated that the fastest machine running the dreaded Windows is actually a MacBook Pro?

Slightly behind?

a little green bag traveling over pc world editors?
come on! there are notebooks for gamers with faster chips!

 

[Orng]

And he said all that like it was a good thing. And he said all that while complaining about Microsoft increasing system-regs for Vista.

Eh, I'm not here to be a referee, but I get your point.

I see no problem with anyone increasing system reqs for their software, so long as the backwards compatibility is "reasonable" eg, maybe a 4-6 year old machine should be still in the game. I think demanding current development for Pentium3, or for that matter G3, falls a little outside what I'd consider reasonable expectation. I'm pretty happy having OS9 on my G3. (I had it running Jaguar, but, uh, I kinda like OS9.) My G4 is just outside of Leopard's spectrum, and that's fine, it's almost six yrs old anyway. Time to sell the G3, put OS9 on the G4. Sweet.

On top of that, software is free to fly when it finally throws off its legacy chains. It's about time they moved MS DOS and its varied descendants into virtualization. Yep. Winux 2012, baby. The Woot edition.

And I'll be on this forum going, dude, Winux 2012 is where Leopard was 5 years ago, man! MS is light years behind Liger. Liger is pretty much my Favourite OS.

 

[VenomousSVT]

apple makes a great product, and their fanbase is there because of it. Microsoft makes a very good product too, and their fan base is there because it is sooo much cheaper than apple.

trust me, I would love to pull every tie from microsoft as an IT administrator and completely relearn everything I know in OSX, but honestly I cant afford to. I can build windows machines all day long for cheap. To even start out on a mac I have to pick up a mac mini for $600

 

[elgruga]

You need to calm yourself down a little and come to grips with the reality of a corporate-driven society. It may not be "the right thing to do" but it's the way things are.

-Clive

And I think that you need to WAKE UP and NOT accept the 'way things are'.
That way leads to casual cruelty and an uncaring society - or havent you noticed the madness in our little world?

I dont want a 'corporate-driven' society. I want corporations driven BY society and the reasonable needs of it.

No, I am not talking about State Control, just the notion of AWARE and INFORMED people, not clones and drones.
Apple, IMHO, does better than most in this respect.

Its actually worthwhile connecting your personal politics to your usage of consumer goods - makes for an informed consumer and better person.
Please try it.

Anyway enough. I have to finish this invoice using my touch technology text-input device (called a keyboard) and go to work, a place where reality bites.

I would stay home and play armchair debaters, but I have a family to feed and house and clothe and protect.

And I do it with a little help from my somewhat human-scale computer, the Apple.

I could start the day with Windows, but that would be like drinking Macdonalds mud instead of this fine French Roast coffee I am sipping.

Have a good one.

 

[surferfromuk]

It must really suck to work at Microsoft these days - every morning they get to work and the first thing they HAVE to do if they are going to stand even the slightest chance of staying technologically and economically relevant is to 'check out what Apple are doing today'!!!

and yet somehow in the process of 'blatantly copying' they manage to deliver deranged visionless hacked-up tech-junk to dupe more uninformed consumers.

 

[AidenShaw]

misleading statement

Didn't you read the announcement only a few days ago that stated that the fastest machine running the dreaded Windows is actually a MacBook Pro?

Slightly behind?

Fastest of the seven laptops that were tested, that is.

 

[psycoswimmer]

Seems like something that would come out of Microsoft.

"By 2010, the 2007 iPhone will be blown away!" Always playing catch-up.