TIMN: Windows 8 on Samsung Tablet

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by stonetools

Note the bolded statement. I think that a big mistake for Apple competitors is that they have wanted to make their tablets into mini-PCs. While the techies want that , the average consumer wants something lighter and simpler.

But those wants are being satisfied with ipads and android tablets. Why would windows make exactly the same thing?

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by boswd

my upgrade isn't until April of 2012 but when it is I will most certainly give the WP7or 8 a shot. I'm especially interested in see what Nokia is going to do with it. They can come out with some great hardware.

I've got an upgrade ready and waiting, but Sprint tends to suck when it comes to phone selection. Their one WP phone is outdated. I may just go for the iPhone, and see where WP is next time around. I like the idea of going for WP instead, but choosing Microsoft over Apple isn't exactly fighting the man. Plus I want to own an iPhone just for the experience. Maybe.

Meanwhile, I just spent the last hour using Windows 8 on my desktop. Oh by did I uninstall that fast. It's a developer build so that experience means little, but it seemed so tailored for a tablet that I found it unusable. I probably could have given it more time and adjusted it for desktop use but I lost patience. Will wait for release.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by avariel

If all these Windows 8 tablets are released at the prices of the Windows 7 tablets, they will be just as much of a failure. With Microsoft referring to tablets as a "PC" makes me skeptical of the platform. I don't want a PC in my hands, I want a tablet that does stuff that tablets are suppose to do at a price that isn't the cost of a laptop or desktop.

Yep.

This could very well be the downfall of this approach because it is attempting to do the 'impossible'

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

...I may just go for the iPhone, and see where WP is next time around. I like the idea of going for WP instead, but choosing Microsoft over Apple isn't exactly fighting the man. Plus I want to own an iPhone just for the experience. Maybe.
...

That is exactly why I chose an iPhone supplied by my company - to try it out. Nice hardware with a few minor glitches, but I will never buy into the Apple walled garden.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I'm assuming you're not referring to the iPad, right? I can easily build decent desktops for less than $500. However, Windows 8 is supposed to support ARM so we should also be seeing cool running, inexpensive, lightweight Windows 8 tablets with long battery life.

The way I see it, there's demand for both. Majority will flock to the cheaper models but I, for one, would appreciate a tablet running a full version of Windows despite the hefty price tag. With a keyboard dock, it can also double as a replacement laptop. Weight, heat and battery life are definitely factors I'll be considering, though, and that's where x86-based tablets might not meet the grade.

Well yeah, like people who want to run existing apps natively will go for an x86 tablet. I don't think Microsoft has made it clear whether the ARM-based tablets will run them at all, and if they do it will have to be in an emulator.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by stonetools

Note the bolded statement. I think that a big mistake for Apple competitors is that they have wanted to make their tablets into mini-PCs. While the techies want that , the average consumer wants something lighter and simpler.

OTOH, there are a lot of us who haven't bought into the tablet idea precisely because it doesn't mimic our dekstop and so we can't be productive.

I can't see any reason to buy a tablet today. Virtually everything the tablet can do, my laptop can do and often better. The iPad reminds me of the "jack of all trades, master of none" sarcasm.

I know there are people who simply cannot exist without either the latest in gadgetry, the latest Apple offering, or being 24/7/365 connected, but not everyone fits that bill.

If I had to buy a tablet today, it would be the Samsung Tab. The only way I will buy a tablet today is if my laptop dies, yet even then I might pass. OTOH, a Windows tablet that would let me not only connect but actually get some work done would be of itnerest.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by avariel

I don't want a PC in my hands, I want a tablet that does stuff that tablets are suppose to do at a price that isn't the cost of a laptop or desktop.

What exactly is it that a tablet is supposed to do that a PC or laptop either doesn't do or is not meant to do? Clearly you think tablets have some unique functions (or should have) that are restricted to tablets. What are they?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Dylrob

Well yeah, like people who want to run existing apps natively will go for an x86 tablet. I don't think Microsoft has made it clear whether the ARM-based tablets will run them at all, and if they do it will have to be in an emulator.

and that's gonna be damn slow!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by rhadin

What exactly is it that a tablet is supposed to do that a PC or laptop either doesn't do or is not meant to do? Clearly you think tablets have some unique functions (or should have) that are restricted to tablets. What are they?

Portability.

Instant on

for two.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Economies of scale. We'll get there eventually. Remember back when e-ink readers cost ~$400?

Yup, I remember. I paid close to $400 for my Sony 950 (and $300 for my Sony 505), and I have no regrets about the cost of either purchase. My 505 is still going strong after 4 years of continual use, and my 1-year-old-still-going-strong 950 is everything I want in a dedicated device for reading ebooks. I suspect it will be many years before I replace it.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by rhadin

...
If I had to buy a tablet today, it would be the Samsung Tab. The only way I will buy a tablet today is if my laptop dies, yet even then I might pass. OTOH, a Windows tablet that would let me not only connect but actually get some work done would be of itnerest.

That's because you are looking at it as a replacement for your laptop which tablets are not, even the Microsoft/Samsung tablet is not -- no keyboard -- typing on a screen mostly sucks IMO.

There are many work-related things I can do with my tablet (Server Support things - accessing and restarting servers, etc.) and many I cannot (software development, documentation, etc.).

It all depends on your requirements.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Portability.

Instant on

for two.

Laptops aren't portable?

Instant on -- Windows 8 (supposedly) will boot in less than 10 seconds. For me, that is sufficient. But even if it weren't sufficient, are you saying that instant on capability should be uniquely a tablet feature?

The question was what features either are or should be unique to the tablet. Instant on doesn't seem to me to be a feature that should be unique to a tablet. I'll grant that my desktop can't be truly portable, but at least all the hard drives in my desktop are removable and thus the brains of my desktop are portable.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by kennyc

and that's gonna be damn slow!

Exactly.

Actually I hope Microsoft manages to get this point across to novice users. Otherwise they may think they're buying something that'll run all their old programs perfectly, only to become frustrated when it doesn't.

Originally Posted by rhadin

Laptops aren't portable?

Not as portable. A laptop is designed to be set down on a flat surface. Trying to use them while standing somewhere is awkward at best. Also sitting them on top of your lap is ill advised.

[kennyc]

Yes tablets (like phones) are MORE portable. And yes there are instant on laptops (my son is looking to buy one) and the Chromebooks blur the difference even more. Bottom line is as I said, it depends on your requirements. For a Writer/Editor job I don't see much use other than Forum/Internet/Blog posting, book reading, and email... That is primarily what I use my Xoom for.

[kennyc]

Here's a contrarian POV:

http://www.businessinsider.com/windows-8-2011-9