MS Courier

[wodin]

DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!

I did so want one of those!

[Kosst Amojan]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/19528...ml?tk=rss_news

Microsoft Closes the History Books on Courier

Just what is Microsoft’s Courier project? All we know for sure is that it resulted in a neat concept video, reminiscent of a modern take on Apple’s it-was-a-vision-not-a-product Knowledge Navigator. But I don’t know if anyone outside Microsoft has had a clear handle on whether Courier was an imaginary romantic ideal of a two-screen tablet or something the company was busy building.



And now maybe we never will. Gizmodo, which published the Courier leak in the first place, is reporting that Microsoft has killed Courier. It quotes Microsoft PR honcho Frank Shaw saying that the concept was one of many ideas explored by Microsoft that doesn’t result in a shipping product (at least for now). But it’s still unclear whether Courier ever existed except as a slick piece of animation.

Another question: Did Microsoft let the Courier video out intentionally, or was it a genuine leak? I hope it wasn’t the former: By getting people excited and then failing to result in anything, Courier surely hurts Microsoft’s reputation for creativity (albeit just slightly) rather than helping it…


Personally I think there is no way in hell MS will just concede tablets to Apple. The Courier was actually leaked, I bet they have something else that wasn't...

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Kosst Amojan

Personally I think there is no way in hell MS will just concede tablets to Apple. The Courier was actually leaked, I bet they have something else that wasn't...

Yeah, what I'm really wanting is basically an iPad with a screen an inch or so bigger and an open file system, stylus mark up etc.

I'm hoping that's what MS is shooting for now. I wasn't really interested in the Courier with the small screens, 2 screen design etc. since my first need for a tablet is marking up letter sized PDFs, word documents etc.

With secondary needs being reading books, magazines, comics, surfing the web, watching video etc.

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by Kosst Amojan

By getting people excited and then failing to result in anything, Courier surely hurts Microsoft’s reputation for creativity (albeit just slightly) rather than helping it…

Microsoft has a reputation for creativity?

[wodin]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

my first need for a tablet is marking up letter sized PDFs, word documents etc.

My first need is to eliminate my disorganized drawer full of steno pads that I currently have. Do you know how hard it is to find the notes from a particular meeting that may have happened weeks or months ago? If I had them in .pdf files that could then be filed in the appropriate folders, life would be much easier. Secondly, the beast needs to be small enough to be not obtrusive during a meeting, that means steno pad size.

And oh by the way, if I could also read ebooks on it, life would be sweet!

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by wodin

My first need is to eliminate my disorganized drawer full of steno pads that I currently have. Do you know how hard it is to find the notes from a particular meeting that may have happened weeks or months ago? If I had them in .pdf files that could then be filed in the appropriate folders, life would be much easier. Secondly, the beast needs to be small enough to be not obtrusive during a meeting, that means steno pad size.

And oh by the way, if I could also read ebooks on it, life would be sweet!

You know they have pens that record everything you write and you can d/l it to your computer as a PDF. You can then put it into Evernote and it will be OCRed and fully searchable.

BOb

[cmdahler]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Microsoft has a reputation for creativity?

I was about to say the same thing. The only creativity MS has shown in the last 15 years or so has been to "creatively" wait for Apple to innovate something and then poorly copy it into Windows.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by cmdahler

I was about to say the same thing. The only creativity MS has shown in the last 15 years or so has been to "creatively" wait for Apple to innovate something and then poorly copy it into Windows.

You really need to catch up because that is far from the truth.

BTW: Apple does it's fair share of copying too. Not to mention stealing the whole idea for the GUI from Xerox Parc.

BOb

[wodin]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You really need to catch up because that is far from the truth.

BTW: Apple does it's fair share of copying too. Not to mention stealing the whole idea for the GUI from Xerox Parc.

BOb

And As I recall, MS and IBM were fighting over the GUI well before the original Macintosh.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You know they have pens that record everything you write and you can d/l it to your computer as a PDF. You can then put it into Evernote and it will be OCRed and fully searchable.

BOb

Evernote could also do that with scanned PDFs of notes too right?

So that could be another option for him if he doesn't want to buy one of those pens. Just scan the notes into PDFs--super easy if his office copy machines are networked and have the scan to PDF and e-mail yourself the file options.

I've never had much need, my hand writing is so bad I can't decipher a lot of my notes down the road after meetings anyway. Combined with most notes not being things I need for more than a day or two--and I just make a point of typing up notes I do need to keep.

So a pen or a tablet device won't help me that much on the note front. I mainly want one for reading pdfs, along with all the multimedia stuff.

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You really need to catch up because that is far from the truth.

Microsoft doesn't necessarily copy Apple, but little if any innovation comes from in-house. There's an entire industry of startup companies that develop an idea they can't afford to bring to market and hope to be bought out by Microsoft. Sometimes they copy (Xerox Star), sometimes they steal (Stacker), a lot of times they buy (just about everything else) but what they rarely do is create.

Further, Apple has a reputation (deserved or undeserved) for creativity. Microsoft has a reputation (likewise, deserved or undeserved) for no creativity whatsoever. So in the context of the original comment -- Microsoft losing its reputation for creativity -- whether or not that reputation reflects reality, Microsoft has very little reputation in that area to lose.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Further, Apple has a reputation (deserved or undeserved) for creativity. Microsoft has a reputation (likewise, deserved or undeserved) for no creativity whatsoever. So in the context of the original comment -- Microsoft losing its reputation for creativity -- whether or not that reputation reflects reality, Microsoft has very little reputation in that area to lose.

You also have to realize they operate in totally different markets. You can still run pretty much any app still on Windows 7 (32-bit). Where as Apple has twice (I think it was) abandoned older software by creating a whole new OS... Sure, they have some emulators but still every app had to be re-written or ported to run on the new OS/Framework/Etc.

If Microsoft did this they would be lynched by the press and the analysts and called a greedy and evil company. While Apple bundles a browser, a photo app, a music player, an IM program, etc... they are lauded Microsoft gets sued for doing the same thing.

You say:

"The only creativity MS has shown in the last 15 years or so has been to "creatively" wait for Apple to innovate something and then poorly copy it into Windows."

Ok, I think the XBox 360 and XBox live network was creative. The social aspect of it, the achievments, gamer tags... none of that existed prior to XBox.... now Sony, Nintendo, Google and yes even Apple copy them.

That's just one of many creative things they have done. They also invented ajax, basically to be able to deliver Outlook Web Access. Granted the term AJAX was coined much later but AJAX is the foundation that most Web 2.0 apps are built on in order to provide a rich user interface in the browser. Without AJAX there would be no Google Main, no FaceBook, no Twitter, etc.

BOb

[MovieBird]

It is much easier to design a specific program (or methodology) when you have fewer variables. Apple controls the hardware and software, essentially everything, around their products. And yet I literally cannot think of a single major concept they have created wholly on their own. Their current OS is based on BSD. Touchscreens were done before the iPhone, as were MP3 players. Even multi-touch was being investigated before Apple got into the game. What they are good at is marketing, and a locked down user experience.

The fact that Microsoft Windows runs at all on nearly any hardware configuration you can get your hands on, which is exponentially more difficult than dealing with locked down specifications, makes Microsoft technically superior to Apple in my eyes. Even if the user experience may not be quite a smooth, that it's usable at all is a testament to the ability of Microsoft programmers, and to their ability to purchase relevant technology.

I'm more impressed by Linux being able to do all this with less time and money, but regardless, Apple is the last company I would think of as a technically adept, creative, entity. Unless you count marketing as technical.

[Kosst Amojan]

Whatever they do, I hope they keep that OS

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by MovieBird

I'm more impressed by Linux being able to do all this with less time and money, but regardless, Apple is the last company I would think of as a technically adept, creative, entity. Unless you count marketing as technical.

I bet you a lot more man hours have been spent on Linux that Windows.

BOb