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Post your comments for Apple's Tim Cook Disses Tablet-PC Convergence; Breaks My Heart here

[crosswordbob]

Personally, for the times I want something more resembling a desktop OS from my tablet, I turn to one of my remote desktop apps. Connectivity isn't a problem for me, and when I'm running desktop-style apps, I'd rather my PC was doing the heavy lifting anyway.

But that's just me—I can see how others might want something else, and I've zero interest in trying to downplay Windows 8.

[nonseq]

Jared,
There is still plenty of opportunity for other manufacturers to compete and and be successful marketing a tablet like device.

In my opinion they have not yet done so, except the Kindle Fire, because they imitate and compare themselves to the iPad. Those manufacturers need to blaze their own trails. Also my opinion, they have not done so because they lack vision. They are not conception and vision companies- they are manufacturers first and foremost.

Some are fine with having an iPad-esque device with maybe better specs but without the quality and user focus of the iOS ecosytem. Others don't want that illusory "freedom" they want what iOS devices are delivering in aspect ratios that are familiar along with a consistent experience and quality.

The Kindle Fire may use Android but in the eyes of Amazon and those who buy it, it isn't an Android device at all- it's a Kindle Fire.

The rest of the Android offerings are fragmented and bewildering to any and all who are not techies or hobbyists and have yet to create a sustainable market for those devices.

I have a lot of hope for the Windows RT devices on the horizon. Like Apple, MS has realized that consumers really don't care about the illusory freedom and do care about coherence and quality of apps. I think that ultimately MS will deliver and meet those customer expectations.

I'm pretty sure that Android will be relegated to the "hobby lobby" and won't be able to create a market.

This post has been edited by nonseq: 25 April 2012 - 09:25 AM

[JaredNewman]

nonseq, on 25 April 2012 - 09:23 AM, said:

Jared,
There is still plenty of opportunity for other manufacturers to compete and and be successful marketing a tablet like device.

In my opinion they have not yet done so, except the Kindle Fire, because they imitate and compare themselves to the iPad. Those manufacturers need to blaze their own trails. Also my opinion, they have not done so because they lack vision. They are not conception and vision companies- they are manufacturers first and foremost.

Some are fine with having an iPad-esque device with maybe better specs but without the quality and user focus of the iOS ecosytem. Others don't want that illusory "freedom" they want what iOS devices are delivering in aspect ratios that are familiar along with a consistent experience and quality.

The Kindle Fire may use Android but in the eyes of Amazon and those who buy it, it isn't an Android device at all- it's a Kindle Fire.

The rest of the Android offerings are fragmented and bewildering to any and all who are not techies or hobbyists and have yet to create a sustainable market for those devices.

I have a lot of hope for the Windows RT devices on the horizon. Like Apple, MS has realized that consumers really don't care about the illusory freedom and do care about coherence and quality of apps. I think that ultimately MS will deliver and meet those customer expectations.

I'm pretty sure that Android will be relegated to the "hobby lobby" and won't be able to create a market.

Yeah, it's not an all-Apple world yet, but Win8 has to deliver.

[JaredNewman]

crosswordbob, on 25 April 2012 - 09:22 AM, said:

Personally, for the times I want something more resembling a desktop OS from my tablet, I turn to one of my remote desktop apps. Connectivity isn't a problem for me, and when I'm running desktop-style apps, I'd rather my PC was doing the heavy lifting anyway.

But that's just me—I can see how others might want something else, and I've zero interest in trying to downplay Windows 8.

Your open-mindedness is always appreciated. Remote desktop works to a certain extent, but since you can't plug a mouse or trackpad into an iPad its usefulness is limited to me.

[LordInsidious]

CEOs should never talk about their competition unless it's something bland like "interesting idea." At best they look like arrogant people at worst (in hind sight if they are wrong) they look like clueless leaders. Look at Ballmer and his quote about the iPhone when it came out.

This post has been edited by LordInsidious: 25 April 2012 - 10:31 AM

[mpaul]

Why don't other companies step up to create the mid-budget tablet/top you're looking for? Don't blame Apple, blame the competitors for not holding up their end of the bargain.

[mpaul]

Don't blame Apple, blame its competitors, who have struggled to come out with the mid-priced tablet/top you're looking for. iPad's popular because of the ecosystem (apps) and it just happens to be a great size for most things. For other things, like reading a book, go for your smaller device. But at the end of the day, it's up to the competition to create what consumers want. And right now, they want iPads... so that's what they buy.

[davep1]

The thing is, the iPad is a marvelous entertainment device which can be made to do other things marginally well. Most people don't even try because the stock iPad and its apps keeps them entertained.

A Windows tablet does anything but its slower than an iPad in some areas and slower than a Windows laptop in everything. Still, I love my HP Slate 500 because it can run anything I throw at it.

The two biggest problems with Windows tablets have nothing to do with the OS. They are Intel issues - speed and battery drain. But both are getting better over time (thanks Moore!). Eventually tablets will have the power to run full applications at speed. When that time comes (and Ivy Bridge looks like a big step towards it) which OS will you want on your tablet? A glorified phone OS or a full PC OS?

[ProgrammaJamma]

You may not personally like it, but I think Tim Cook is right. The part about trade-offs really makes sense to me, and if he is talking about Windows 8, then I totally agree. Trying to merge a tablet OS with a desktop OS is a terrible idea and you're left with a "Frankenstein" OS that does neither task particularly well.

[crosswordbob]

JaredNewman, on 25 April 2012 - 09:47 AM, said:

crosswordbob, on 25 April 2012 - 09:22 AM, said:

Personally, for the times I want something more resembling a desktop OS from my tablet, I turn to one of my remote desktop apps. Connectivity isn't a problem for me, and when I'm running desktop-style apps, I'd rather my PC was doing the heavy lifting anyway.

But that's just me—I can see how others might want something else, and I've zero interest in trying to downplay Windows 8.

Your open-mindedness is always appreciated. Remote desktop works to a certain extent, but since you can't plug a mouse or trackpad into an iPad its usefulness is limited to me.

I don't find that to be a problem, so long as the remte desktop app (of which I've tried many, in the search of one I can call perfect) supports screen-as-trackpad, rather than a direct touch interface. Logmein's implementation of this, with inertial pointer movement is still my clear favourite.

[IarrthoirFirinne]

cRASH ! Bang @ apple anonymous unite

[WallyDuke]

Talk to any apple farmer (no pun intended) and they'll tell you that no one would like peaches. Mr. Cook's opinion on Windows 8 is no less biased than Mr. Balmer's opinion on iOS. Only time will tell what customers really want.

[HankRearden]

I've come to appreciate the iPad for what it is. I think the world has had 30 years to make operating systems and software geared towards the mouse and keyboard, and just a couple of years to wrap their collective heads around touch.

I no longer trade stocks on a PC or a Mac. I prefer the iPad app to both. In fact, my trading software isn't even installed on my Mac anymore. I prefer all social apps on the iPhone / iPad to their computer cousins. I think iPads and iPhones just do social right, and Macs and PCs feel clunky in that regard.

Some games, like Bejeweled Blitz and FieldRunners, Kingdom Rush, Cut The Rope, Angry Birds, Plants Vs. Zombies, Spirits, Zynga Poker, Words with Friends and yes even Monopoly are all better as a tablet app than a computer app in my humble opinion.

I'd much rather read a book or even the news on my iPad than on a Mac or a PC.

Where the computer shines is Excel, Photoshop, Illustrator and so on. But apps like Paper give me a lot of pause. iDraw on the iPad is very good and Apple's Pages for the iPad is nothing shy of spectacular.

Utility apps like FlightTrack and TripIt again feel better to me and more appropriate to me as tablet apps not Mac or PC apps.

We're at the very dawn of the tablet. Who knows where this will go. If someone could re-think Excel for a touch interface it might just work. Right now, apes like Numbers prove it is too complex and they don't have a compelling interface for it. But perhaps one day soon they might.

[davep1]

HankRearden, on 25 April 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

I'd much rather read a book or even the news on my iPad than on a Mac or a PC.

For myself, I prefer my PC tablet. It's a fraction of an ounce heavier than the iPad but smaller and thus easier to hold in one hand.

But book reading is a good example because we're both wrong. If you want to read books, an e-ink display is more comfortable for a longer time than either an iPad or an HP Slate display and the Nook Simple Touch with the GlowLight is probably the best of the bunch.

Still, you like the convergence of ereaders and tablets (as do I). It all depends on what you're looking for. Maybe I don't want a toaster-refrigerator but I love my water faucet-refrigerator and I wouldn't mind a tablet-refrigerator.

[Ferniez]

I am looking forward to a time when someone puts a full version of Ubuntu on a tablet. That way those of us using Linux have a real alternative. For the average consumer it seems that they like the Apple eco-system enough to pay premium for what they get.

The merging of the desktop and tablet is becoming less of an issue now that manufacturers are using more powerful cpu's in tablets. With a system like Ubuntu installed a tablet can easily take the place of a small 10 inch netbook. I have my iPad connected to a Logitech tablet keyboard and it works like a charm for all the simple stuff I need to do. The Asus Transformer also is an attempt that take tablets in that direction. That said, I agree with most of the comments here about the need for a more powerful computer for serious work. It seems to me that we are at a point where people are using tablet and powerful smart phones for quick, routine tasks and a more powerful laptop or desktop for serious work. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

[ronin7752]

nonseq, on 25 April 2012 - 09:23 AM, said:

Jared,
There is still plenty of opportunity for other manufacturers to compete and and be successful marketing a tablet like device.

In my opinion they have not yet done so, except the Kindle Fire, because they imitate and compare themselves to the iPad. Those manufacturers need to blaze their own trails. Also my opinion, they have not done so because they lack vision. They are not conception and vision companies- they are manufacturers first and foremost.

Some are fine with having an iPad-esque device with maybe better specs but without the quality and user focus of the iOS ecosytem. Others don't want that illusory "freedom" they want what iOS devices are delivering in aspect ratios that are familiar along with a consistent experience and quality.

The Kindle Fire may use Android but in the eyes of Amazon and those who buy it, it isn't an Android device at all- it's a Kindle Fire.

The rest of the Android offerings are fragmented and bewildering to any and all who are not techies or hobbyists and have yet to create a sustainable market for those devices.

I have a lot of hope for the Windows RT devices on the horizon. Like Apple, MS has realized that consumers really don't care about the illusory freedom and do care about coherence and quality of apps. I think that ultimately MS will deliver and meet those customer expectations.

I'm pretty sure that Android will be relegated to the "hobby lobby" and won't be able to create a market.

Excellent observations. However, you tread in very murky waters when you start basing your speculations on ultra-broad, extremely crude generalizations like "... consumers really don't care about the illusory freedom and do care about coherence and quality of apps."

1.) With 90+% of users still in on the "freedom" platform of Windows, it's too early to speculate whether they will be happy trading that Freedom for the Walled Garden. In reality, M$/Balimer is launching a grand experiment on the bet that most end users will like "coherence and quality" better. We will see. My bet is that A.) it won't be nearly as successful as M$ hopes for, and B.) before very long, the pendulum of popularity will swing back towards the wanting more "old-style" freedom and versatility again.

2.) What we need is not one-or-the-other battle, but the proper blending of both characteristcs in a platform that allows most end users -- with their infinite variety of preferences -- to create a pleasant and productive way to use it. The old Windows vs new Windows vs Apple platforms certainly have not yet exhausted all the variations an possibilities to combine "freedom" with coherence and quality.

[linuxrants7xpg]

Ferniez, on 25 April 2012 - 12:11 PM, said:

I am looking forward to a time when someone puts a full version of Ubuntu on a tablet. That way those of us using Linux have a real alternative. For the average consumer it seems that they like the Apple eco-system enough to pay premium for what they get.

I think that you're probably going to have to wait until at least last August before someone does that.

(it's a little bit of a hack, and the version is a little old, but it looks like it could be very fun)

[nonseq]

ronin7752, on 25 April 2012 - 12:21 PM, said:

nonseq, on 25 April 2012 - 09:23 AM, said:

Jared,
There is still plenty of opportunity for other manufacturers to compete and and be successful marketing a tablet like device.

In my opinion they have not yet done so, except the Kindle Fire, because they imitate and compare themselves to the iPad. Those manufacturers need to blaze their own trails. Also my opinion, they have not done so because they lack vision. They are not conception and vision companies- they are manufacturers first and foremost.

Some are fine with having an iPad-esque device with maybe better specs but without the quality and user focus of the iOS ecosytem. Others don't want that illusory "freedom" they want what iOS devices are delivering in aspect ratios that are familiar along with a consistent experience and quality.

The Kindle Fire may use Android but in the eyes of Amazon and those who buy it, it isn't an Android device at all- it's a Kindle Fire.

The rest of the Android offerings are fragmented and bewildering to any and all who are not techies or hobbyists and have yet to create a sustainable market for those devices.

I have a lot of hope for the Windows RT devices on the horizon. Like Apple, MS has realized that consumers really don't care about the illusory freedom and do care about coherence and quality of apps. I think that ultimately MS will deliver and meet those customer expectations.

I'm pretty sure that Android will be relegated to the "hobby lobby" and won't be able to create a market.

Excellent observations. However, you tread in very murky waters when you start basing your speculations on ultra-broad, extremely crude generalizations like "... consumers really don't care about the illusory freedom and do care about coherence and quality of apps."

1.) With 90+% of users still in on the "freedom" platform of Windows, it's too early to speculate whether they will be happy trading that Freedom for the Walled Garden. In reality, M$/Balimer is launching a grand experiment on the bet that most end users will like "coherence and quality" better. We will see. My bet is that A.) it won't be nearly as successful as M$ hopes for, and B.) before very long, the pendulum of popularity will swing back towards the wanting more "old-style" freedom and versatility again.

2.) What we need is not one-or-the-other battle, but the proper blending of both characteristcs in a platform that allows most end users -- with their infinite variety of preferences -- to create a pleasant and productive way to use it. The old Windows vs new Windows vs Apple platforms certainly have not yet exhausted all the variations an possibilities to combine "freedom" with coherence and quality.

I guess that my comments about "illusory freedom" are more directed towards the Android segment of the tablet market (not including Kindle Fire which Amazon doesn't even acknowledge as an Android device). So far, according to actual comments from Samsung higher-ups, and sales figures, where available, the Android tablet market is tenuous at best. It is this group of devices running an OS which is touted as offering freedom as opposed to Apple's walled garden, that has not been successful.

Because of the failure of Android tablets to gain any real traction in the market or to reach sustainable device sales, I stand by "consumers really don't care about the illusory freedom and do care about coherence and quality of apps." That's my opinion (disclaimed as such) as to why the iPad has been such a huge success while Android tablets (except Kindle Fire) have not. You may have another take.

From what I have read, Microsoft will be far more inclined to embrace Apple's "walled garden" approach to apps and will be far more selective concerning apps that may be offered in whatever they will call their application sales venue. I also believe that two or three years in the future Windows RT/WinPhone 8 tablets may dominate the tablet space with Apple in close second and Android in third. Let me make it clear that I do not believe that this will be true in the smart phone marketplace though I suspect it will be a three way, almost neck and neck race in the not too distant future.

Thanks for your comments and insights.

[dugan6415]

Apple is scary. They break and enforce a lot of enforcement BS on their iOS that they don't in OSX. Add in the Government demanded back doors and geolocation tracking for Apple's on purposes, It's obviously a result of MPAA and other entrenched copyright interests demanding Apple provide these "non-features" in their OSes but it's pretty clear now that Apple's plan is to provide a "mobile" OS that will make MPAA happy and a user or desktop OS to make real people happy then tie them together with iTunes.

My objection to this is that I OWN MY IPAD AND IF I WANT TO COPY SOME TEXT ON A WEBPAGE, DON'T [censored] BLOCK IT. Obviously, my purchase of an iPad was a downgrade from my netbook and I should have known better.

Hopefully Microsoft's OS will converge the utility of the Desktop OS with not giving a [censored] about creating their own little walled garden as a profit center that basically does away with all the power of the web in exchange for mad profits for the Chiefs and marginal utility for everyone else. Some web sites are only supported on iOS or whatever. [censored] that garbage and [censored] APPLE. I'm sure some developers love this [censored] because they love the idea of creating a fart app and it selling a million copies then sitting on their ass the rest of their life, but the rest of us that care more about actually making things better then they were in 2000 and not worse, we do care.

--a developer