Quote:
Originally Posted by Maggie Leung
Not addressed to you specifically, but along those lines:
I don't actually care who's late to the game or how many competitors there are already. I would like to see a lot of competition, so I can pick and choose. I don't care which company "wins," as long as I can buy something that works for me.
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I personally hope that
nobody wins. Competition is always good for the consumer and the lack of competition will make
any company lazy.
My ideal tablet environment would be three or four companies all making tablets and about evenly dividing the market. That way they will all push each other.
The reality of it though is that there will likely be one "winner" who will control the bulk of the market and a few others who keep them advancing just enough to keep their lead. This is what happened in the desktop OS market.
Also, a late reference, but:
Quote:
Originally Posted by WillAdams
Things which a Tablet from Microsoft offers which the iPad and WebOS don't:
- handwriting recognition built-in
- active stylus w/ hover and right-click
- OneNote
- the ability to use _any_ application which one can get for one's desktop (you're not likely to see a font editor or FrameMaker equivalent for the iPad)
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-Handwriting recognition is available in add-on programs such as WritePad for the iPad. Also, handwriting recognition may not be so far away. They have built it into the OS for Chinese characters. Given the fact that PalmOS had handwriting recognition (of sorts) are you sure that WebOS doesn't? I don't know since I don't own one.
- Active stylus w/ hover and right-click
I am filing this one under personal preference. Personally, I hope that the iPad and WebOS never get this. The whole pointer and right click is a hold over from computers and I feel it has no place on a tablet. Have you thought that perhaps the fact that the iPad doesn't have this cruft from the past might be part of the reason it sold so well, while more conventional ports to tablets have languished for close to three decades?
-One Note
I am sure that Microsoft's programs will continue to work best on Microsoft's OS. However, there are very well supported rumors that Microsoft is well under way to developing a version of Mobile office which will run on "other major mobile platforms for smartphones".
Also, while it isn't exactly Onenote, Evernote is a highly regarded alternative for the iPad.
-The ability to use _any_ program for desktop...
While I could see a font design program coming to the iPad eventually. I have to seriously wonder about your desire to have FrameMaker. Seriously? I pull my hair out trying to develop on a single 13" screen when I am working on my laptop while on the road. I think I would shoot myself if I had to work on a 10" screen. The simple point is that there are some things that the vast majority of people are simply not going to want to do on a small screen like those found on most tablets.
Also, I would file this under be careful what you wish for. To keep the tablets light and the battery life decent, most tablets that I have seen are not running desktop or even laptop grade processors or graphics. Thus, even if you could live with confining a desktop app on your tablet's small screen, could you stand the slow performance and lag issues?
The current state of technology is simply not going to allow for a tablet of the sizes we are seeing to be laptop replacements. The laws of physics are the same for Microsoft as for everyone else. You can either have a small, light tablet with a long battery life which won't run desktop apps well, or you can have a larger, heavier tablet with poor battery life which can run desktop apps.
Personally, for those types of apps I will just keep my laptop. For reading, playing games, watching movies, listening to music, browsing the web, checking Facebook, shooting off emails, and doing some light work, I think I will stick with my tablet that can't run Framemaker or its ilk. That is why I have a laptop and in some cases a dual monitor desktop.