http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/26/microsoft.mobile/index.html?eref=rss_latest
(CNET) -- Microsoft has made some stumbles in the mobile world, but a strategy shift made more than a year ago will soon pay dividends, the company's top Windows Mobile executive said in an interview with CNET News.
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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer discusses his Windows Mobile offerings earlier this month at CES in Las Vegas.
Andy Lees, the executive brought over from the server unit a year ago, said that Microsoft's efforts to make sure that its mobile software could run on a wide range of phones resulted in an operating system that failed to take advantage of advances in hardware.
"We aimed to go for a lower common denominator," Lees said. Microsoft was also limited by the origins of Windows Mobile, which was developed to power handheld computers that neither connected to a network nor handled voice.
"We started out when we were in PDAs (personal digital assistants) and then a phone got strapped to the back of the PDA," Lees said. The company also failed to recognize that phones--even those that were used for business--were still as much personal as they were professional.
Meanwhile, Apple and Google have joined the fray with operating systems designed from the ground up to take advantage of the latest in phone technology.
But Lees said that Microsoft embarked on a new strategy some time ago that will come to fruition over the next 18 months. The first steps in that strategy, he said, will be announced at the Mobile World Congress conference that takes place in Barcelona in the middle of next month.
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"You are going to see a bunch of announcements at Mobile World Congress but also it is going to be the beginning of a 12-, 18-month period where you are going to see a whole bunch of different stuff," Lees said.
Part of Microsoft's new strategy, Lees said, is not relying on operating system upgrades to improve its products. The new approach, while still making money by selling a mobile operating system, places considerable focus on services that help connect the phone to the PC and Web as well as devices such as the Xbox.
Microsoft has two separate teams at work on the services piece. One is Microsoft's Windows Live group, while the other is a rather secretive group headed by former Mac unit head Roz Ho--a group that also includes the team Microsoft acquired when it bought Danger. Lees declined to say specifically what Ho is up to, however.
But Lees acknowledged the company also needs to improve that core operating system, which is widely seen as lagging that of most of its rivals.
For some time now, Microsoft has been working on a significant overhaul of its operating system, known as Windows Mobile 7. However, that project has hit delays, prompting Microsoft to push forward with an interim update, Windows Mobile 6.5, which the company is widely expected to detail next month. Lees declined to comment specifically on either version of the operating system, but promised the company would have more to say on the OS front in Barcelona.
Lees also promised that Microsoft would start working more closely with hardware makers. He pointed to deals late last year with LG and Samsung.
He noted that the power of the kinds of phones that come out next year will be incredible, well beyond even today's devices. Phones next year will have dual-core processors, super-fast data connections, and graphics power rivaling that of the original Xbox.
"That's a phenomenal thing on a phone," he said. The phones of the future will also have location information beyond just GPS sensors. "It will know where it is pointing, it will know which angle it is being held at."
Web browsing has been another weak spot for Microsoft. The company made up some ground late last year with a pocket browser that essentially crams the desktop Internet Explorer 6 into a Windows Mobile phone. But it lacks the kind of easy zooming and gesture recognition present on the iPhone or in Palm's Pre. Lees promised that Microsoft would surpass those interfaces by the end of the year.
Lees would not confirm details of a rumored rival to Apple's App Store, reportedly known as SkyMarket.
"There is some question whether we can more directly connect the developer and the end user," he said. "We're looking at that."
Apple dismissed the notion that Microsoft and others are catching up to the iPhone, however.
On a conference call with analysts last week, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer dismissed the growing competition from rivals saying Apple remained "years ahead" in the phone business.
"Our competitors are scrambling to try and copy our success," he said.
great post and informative. hope they really deliver.
Good scoop! MS needs to put their ideas in to high gear actions now!!
The problem is not Microsoft - their operating system is ok.
However, they have never committed to an end to end device: the iphone is more usable in about every instance - my 2 year old son can use an iphone and yet I still have problems using my Windows Mobile device.
I've attended conferences where Microsoft have demonstrated amazing new technology, but then said - "This will hopefully be for the OEM to integrate into the device". MS make the Operating System, and generally rely on the OEMs to supe it up - they make a point of NOT stepping on their OEMs toes, which means that the OS is typically lowest common denominator. However, after a decade of WinCE based devices, they still look pretty much the same, with only incremental innovations.
Manilla is the greatest innovation we've had from an OEM, and that's figuratively skin deep. Until OEMs can go deeper and provide a streamlined and integrated consumer experience, WinCE/Windows Mobile is likely to be relegated to pro-sumer and corporate environments only, while the "sexy" phones will be what the "cool" kids will be buying.
V
I think are learning a lesson, late, but learning
With Xperia going android, http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/10/sony-ericsson-htc-say-android-powered-handsets-due-next-year/
and ease of use with apple, and blackberry on the messenging niche microsoft wont be play second fiddle in in this race anymore. I think with the googles open handset alliance Microsoft is now listening "Nearly all the major handset makers have signed on, including HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung. U.S. wireless operators T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel are also members. Neither AT&T nor Verizon Wireless is an Open Handset Alliance member. But Verizon has said an Android phone could find its way onto its new open wireless network, which offers a more streamlined certification process" http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10119237-94.html
Apple is more for a consumer than business but they have direction, and Microsoft is motivated to really push out a business class os, or risk being in last place or worse, no development and no partners.
Eventually these will be netbooks too. If the economy wasn't so bad, I would think we may have some very decent choices. I would love to have android on my att tilt, I hate the control apple has and can't condone it. Blackberrys are solid devices though.
Related
I believe this is the TRUE iphone killer, Nokia N97, full touch with qwerty.
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;
Some of it's features include:
Radio: WCDMA 900/1900/2100 (HSDPA), EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Display: 3.5 inch TFT with up to 16 million colors, HD 6:9 widescreen (640×360 pixels)
Memory: 32 GB on-board memory,plus 16GB expansion via microSDmemory card slot
Camera: Carl ZeissTessar™Image capture:Up to 5 megapixels (2584 x 1938) JPEG/EXIF (16.7 million/24-bit color)
Video Recording: MPEG-4 VGA (640 x 480) at up to 30 fps
+ WIFI, Dual LED camera flash and video light, Live personalized home screen with widgets, Flash Video in web browser, built-in stereo speakers, standard 3.5 mm jack for headphones, World-class game titles with N-Gage.
Complete specs: http://s60blog.com/2008/12/nokia-n97-full-specifications-and-datasheet/
Video demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8eSH9VE9U
A big threat to the WM PPC platform if you ask me, MS should release WM7 ASAP!
oh my God, is this real
Caught my eye was well.
But kust keep in mind that Nokia take almost forever to actually launch the product after announcing it. So you probably won't see it till say May/June 2009.
Zuber
Only fail thing in that is that goddamn Symbian.
WinMo > Symbian.
No doubt.
WinMo rocks
yea i have to admit when i saw this on engadget and on boygeniusreport i was like dang this looks like it will be a decent competitor but Lokioki symbian has come a long way but it's not something i'd like to go back too
something like this comes out for windows mobile i would have to consider that a perfect phone
big screen nice keyboard is all i really want touch hd with a keyboard is phone heaven
16 million colors on the display ??? Hmmm, I just wish the human eye would be capable of seeing all that colors.
Symbian S60 is pretty closed, no matter what shape the body of the phone has (even if the N97 got inspired by the Tilt), it still launches on Symbian. Do I have to remind you on the non-removable bookmarks in the browser, non-removable stuff in the phone, such as NOKIA APPS and that junk and finally on the CERTIFICATION ISSUE of application?
Absolutely not an alternative to WM - working for sure but not a replacement.
Seems as well that recent Nokia phones are made for left-handed people, I noticed that they place the navigation pad on the left side rather than on the right - will be hard to get used to for me!
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2006/JenniferLeong.shtml
some believe it's pretty close though
guess the number given is from the old 32bit colour with alfa channel
Junner2003 said:
Seems as well that recent Nokia phones are made for left-handed people, I noticed that they place the navigation pad on the left side rather than on the right - will be hard to get used to for me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I must admit that's a stupid mistake by Nokia with this device, otherwise it's a true kickass device imo, I guess it won't take long untill this new nokia platform will be hacked just as what happened with S60 3rd Edition so nobody have to go trough all the certification junk.
Here's a small hands on (or maybe to short to be called that?): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x88WaP3B2kU&feature=related
I like how he's moving around the widgets on the homescreen...
It´s great!, just 2 detail... it has Symbian and it´s not HTC....
(At least form me it´s very important to have the support and knowledge of this great community)
Anyway thanks for letting us know, I´m sure very soon HTC will launch something like the famous HD touch Pro
Cheers,
In some cases Symbian isn't too bad, but certificate issue is not big problem. They're breaken long time ago and you can install any app you want. Also file system can e modified.
But when you try WinMo device, you will forget all others phones like symbian, blackberry os, iphone mac os, motorola linux etc.
owziee said:
I believe this is the TRUE iphone killer, Nokia N97, full touch with qwerty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The iPhone vs. anything else is just too much. These two are very different devices and don't have nothing to do with each other except that they're touch screen phones. The N97 is a very beautiful phone for a lot of people, but it will require some getting used to, as opposed to the iPhone which is very easy to use out of the box, with its own set of limitations.
As said in this BoyGeniusReport article:
"So bloggers, please stop. The N97 has nothing to do with the iPhone and no, not every touchscreen device is a potential “iPhone killer”. There were touchscreen handsets before the iPhone and there will continue to be touchscreen handsets for decades to come. Apple’s mobile market share will continue to soar long after the N97 comes and goes. Deal with it."
Ms should release WM7 ASAP?
What? A device should make a software manufacturer release a software upgrade sooner. Thats like saying Intel released the Core i7 so MS better release Windows 7.....
Secondly
"World class games with N-Gage"
I cannot think of a more fail games platform (excepting gizmondo) than N-Gage... Slightly better than its revival, but cetainly no world class gaming platform.
Great phone though, even though my first though was white kaiser...
If that beast just had WinMo and that navpad thought again. I would be so sold
rorydaredkign said:
Ms should release WM7 ASAP?
What? A device should make a software manufacturer release a software upgrade sooner. Thats like saying Intel released the Core i7 so MS better release Windows 7.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really because the N97 also contains the new S60 Touch UI platform that rivals both windows mobile and the iphone...
Nokia is stronger,while MS is bogged down.
Having just come from 7 symbian phones in a row to winmo (TouchHD), i dont really see the problem of it running symbian, certainly not from the average users perspective. Symbian is much easier to use and can do anything Winmo can, however it has stagnated in recent years being only a very slow evolution rather than a big revolution. Symbian Touch may well be the answer though, we need to reserve judgement until final units are out and the OS has been experienced. I for one disagree that Symbian is 'clunky', i can do anything on symbian faster than i can on Winmo (and an of its interface skins) or Apple.
However in not that impressed with the specs, or looks. Its not as pretty as the Touch HD and the screen is lower resolution.
No its not an iPhone killer, but only because Mac zealots will buy any old crap with an Apple logo on it however pointless, unreliable and over priced it it, much like BMW fans (1 series anybody).
I fail to see how the N97 is even slightly interesting - it has nothing that we haven't seen before. However, like the iPhone, that won't make a difference to the number sold - the brand is much more powerful than HTC. Still, HTC is making up ground, fast - I went around a load of mobile shops the other day, picking up their brochures, and was surprised to find that The Carphone Warehouse is finally accepting that HTC exists - a whole page of their brochure was devoted to the G1, Diamond and Touch HD...although all three devices failed to make it into their big specification comparison table...
Anyway, that was a bit of a random late post...
It looks beautiful....
Warning: There might be two possible interpretations of this post, either Samsung is a company full of strategic masterminds, hell bent on sabotaging their competition and capturing the mobile market; or I am stark raving mad.
While going through the latest leaks regarding the expected top-end Android devices to be launched at this year’s Mobile World Congress, I was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. Both HTC’s One X and LG’s Optimus 4X HD seemed like stellar devices, with huge high-def screens, blazing quad-core processors, amazing cameras - in short, the whole shebang! But, one thought kept gnawing at me the whole time. No consumer would ever consider buying these devices before seeing what Samsung had in its arsenal!
Suddenly, Samsung’s whole master plan unravelled right in front of me. They are going to let their competitors do their thing and let them be happy releasing their shiny new quad-core devices in peace. The whole tech-journalism community would be alight with praises about how mind-blowing HTC’s One X is or how blazingly fast the 4X HD is, but as soon as their honeymoon period ends, BAM! Here comes the SGS III and takes away all the press and consumer attention right from under their noses! No phone, save the iPhone 5 is as insanely anticipated as the successor to the wildly popular SGS II and you could expect excessive fanfare to follow its release.
See, the point is that if Samsung had launched the SGS III at MWC, no matter how good, it would still be considered a competitor to the One X and 4X HD. Every tech site would have posts like “Android Showdown: SGS III vs One X vs 4X HD”. It would become one of the many of quad-core smartphones released at MWC. That is not what Samsung wants. What they want is to make it rise above the competition. By launching the SGS III a few weeks later, they ensure that tech sites would be rife with posts like “The Galaxy S III is the best smartphone ever made. PERIOD.”
And it seems like they are successful in their plans.
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Supposed Specs Of SGS 3
Quad-Core [email protected] 1.5 GHz
4.8'' Super AMOLED Plus HD [email protected] 720x1280 pixels
4G Enabled
12 MP Rear Camera
Samsung knows that even HTC & LG announced their Quad-Core flagship at MWC, it will still take them months to come to market. They will just wait for the MWC buzz to die down, and as soon as it does, not only will they announce the SGS III, but they’ll pull a page out of Apple’s book and release the device within a week! So basically, even though it would be announced after its rivals, the SGS III will be available on the market before them, completely decimating the competition. Let’s face facts; no consumer would skip out on buying the Samsung Galaxy S III to wait for an HTC One X or an LG Optimus 4X HD. Even if it is a minutely inferior device, its brand recognition, market buzz and market availability would propel it forward by leaps and bounds.
I reiterate, I might be completely insane and Samsung might just be waiting to finish up the device and make sure it’s awesome enough. But the fact that Samsung already plans to introduce Ice Cream Sandwich devices like the Galaxy Note 10.1, makes me pause for thought. If both the software and hardware components are ready, then why are they delaying it? Shouldn’t the successor to the most popular device they’ve ever had be a much higher priority than those of less successful devices? One can only wonder, but if what I think is true, then Samsung is one clever company indeed. Check mate, HTC and LG, check mate!
Well, I think you are assuming that ti whole world is a savvy tech freak like the members of this forum but the general masses don't care if their phone says samsung, LG or HTC. The general masses will never root or even install a custom launcher. The gen public will never us the phones to their current capabilities.
IMO Apple is in a whole different boat. Marketing savants that tell people how easy to use and friendly their devices are. They have built in traffic that heard together like sheep. Animal Farm anyone?
We know samsung makes stellar products but if they keep marketing in the US like they currently are we will continue to see a lack of buzz. Hell the GNex is one badass phone but people go Ino Verizon for a RZR and not a GNex... Marketing people - its a simple formula!
Sent via Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 & Honeycomb
Brand matters for the masses, or they'll buy cheap chinese stuff. And believe me, the hot topic in the tech world is none other than the S 2's successor.
quite frankly , i think HTC (and hopefully LG ) will have a bit advantage as they would be kind of settled in the market (& possibly dropped their price by a bit) by the time SGS3 has been released. It will all depend on experience SGS3 really offers (other than the configuration on papers rite now), i have used both Samsung & HTC and i would select HTC anytime for best android experience, price is the strong factor keeping sammy ahead of others. So let’s wait & watch
The Apostle said:
Well, I think you are assuming that ti whole world is a savvy tech freak like the members of this forum but the general masses don't care if their phone says samsung, LG or HTC. The general masses will never root or even install a custom launcher. The gen public will never us the phones to their current capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy S series does have good brand-name value, though, maybe second only to the iPhone. Samsung may have realized that and taken a leaf out of Apple's book: allow the hype to take over. It has nothing to do with rooting or custom launchers, or geekiness.
I find the OP's story plausible. (Albeit exaggerating at times: consumers would and have bought the HTC One X.)
I would hands down buy the SGS3 over the HTC ONe X if they were released together, but the fact of the matter is that I hate waiting on this ghost device with all these so called great specs and samsung's track record does not sit to well with me right now.
So here's the deal. I have no shame in admitting that I'm quite a Samsung fanboy.
My first Android device was a Samsung (Captivate), and since then I have owned a handful of other great Samsung devices over the past two or so years now, not least of which include the GS2 (i9100), the Note (N7000), the original Tab (P1000), Tab 7.7 (P6800), and Tab 8.9 (P7300).
It's not that I don't respect, appreciate, or even like the android offerings of other manufacturers (HTC has had me very close to shelling out my money for their products on a number of occasions), it's just that I always seem to come back to Samsung because the balance of performance, features, build quality, and open development seems to be just right for me ever so slightly more than other manufacturers offerings. I'm not saying they're perfect in any way (nobody's perfect!) but they're the best fit for me.
Now, I'm proud to consider myself a member of the general Android community, regardless of what manufacturer you prefer (if you really prefer any manufacturer at all!), because of the wide diversity we have that makes all our devices as unique as we are as individuals. I'm proud that I'm NOT caught up in the whole self-righteous sense of superiority that the iCommunity seems to exude, simply because they are imbued with a sense of Apple perfection.
Apple's main competition is from Google or Android per-se, because Google isn't in the device manufacturing business; they're in the advertising business. Apple's main competition comes from the likes of all the other manufactures like HTC, Sony, LG, etc, and at the tip of that spear is Samsung.
Samsung has had no shame in calling out Apple, and the iCulture on the whole, in their lemming-like religious devotion in parody ads like "The Next Big Thing" as seen below.
This is all well and good, and frankly entertaining, funny (unless you're a devoted Apple fan), and downright clever advertising, even if it does pass a few punches below the belt, but hey, all's fair in love and war right? Here's my concern though: as I am typing this now, we are all literally just a couple of hours away from Samsung's Unpacked 2012 event in London, where we're expected to see details "the next Galaxy" announced to the world. But with all the hype that has been built up over the last few months, and especially when Samsung themselves are posting advertisements such as the one pictured below, I can't help but wonder if Samsung fanboys such as myself have become the "The Next Big Thing" in Apple-like, religiously devoted, lemming consumers. If so, then the old Super Bowl ad above is probably the greatest irony in recent advertising history. Well, played Samsung, well played.
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So here's my question for you, the Android community: is Samsung becoming the new Apple (or at least Android's Apple analogue)? If so, is this a good thing, or a bad thing for the overall image of the Android community and culture as a whole?
Comment below! Let me know your thoughts and opinions!
Hard to tell. Samsung is huge, but they're not American. That alone should give them the benefit of the doubt. But I dunno. I think in order to get on Apple's level: you need to oversell your products and underdeliver on its performance as well. Samsung hasn't gotten there yet, but Sammy's got a knack for "refreshing" their hardware lineup.
Really now. Other than Galaxy S and SAMOLED: has Samsung really innovated?
alpha-niner64 said:
Really now. Other than Galaxy S and SAMOLED: has Samsung really innovated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd KR
> 2011 patent grants: 4,894
> Country: Korea
> Profits: $13.7 billion (20th most)
> Sales: $133.8 billion (20th most)
> 5-yr. stock price change: +67%
> Value: 33rd largest in world
http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/01/18/most-innovative-companies-in-world/
You are hyped for a reason. Samsung delivers high quality products.
To answer your question, well kind of since thats what sells Android looks like it feels like it too(the interface) however once you need to do some work or something that is normal on a computer an Android can do it... while iOS I could not find the app owned iPhone for ... 3 years (I do not want to get in an argument its just I could not do it...).
I really didn't mind the commercials, at first.
I really didn't care for Samsung, at first.
I'm still not a real fan of LED screens.
However, when I saw the One X running side by side with the Galaxy Nexus, I was shocked. Now of course this is not Touch Wiz and Google may have had more to do with it, but the GNex is a damn fine device. Even though my contract doesn't end for 9 months I am still planning on buying the unlocked GNex and getting a T-Mobile sim plan. (This is also because I will save $100 a month on my family plan).
Although, when I heard that Samsung hired a mob of people to harrang Apple customers I was a bit frustrated. I don't know what kind of validity the story has but the idea that the company would tolerate that is beyond me. And the big bold statements of recent ads are hopefully not going to disappoint.
The next BIG Samsung device in my opinion will be whatever the "Next Nexus" is... Though I will be happy with my GNex and trade up when I see the opportunity.
.
Closed, please note we have many existent threads with same topic posted on the proper section.
"Which is the proper section?" Android General
Microsoft is bringing out their own tablet which is said to be a possible iPad killer.
Here's the reveal video. Enjoy.
Sent from Noah's Arc using Tapatalk 2
Possible? It is an ipad killer! Full featured Windows 8 running a possibly ivy bridge cpu smokes an ipad anyday. And with pen support, OneNote is gonna be sweet to use
That's what Samsung labeled the "Instinct" too: an iPhone Killer. It took them nearly half a decade later to finally do so, with the SGS2.
I really hope Microsoft has really something special to bring to the table.
The key that will dictate their success with this tablet will depend on software (apps) compatibility, selection, & dev support. (Or lack thereof) --IMO
I wish that video highlighted features...
Also like how this guy looks like an obiesed vrs of Steve Jobs lol
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Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
IIRC the x86 one weighs almost a full kilo, and that's without any cases or anything! Keep that in mind
I have to say its a heck of a machine the new windows 8 runs great on a tablet , i've had the chance to use it, so will see how they support it, but so far it should leave a mark in the industry
Sent from my LG-P930 using xda premium
I'm afraid of the unannounced pricing. The ARM variant needs to undercut the ipad for it to have a chance. That being said, I really hope it does well. It's about time Apple sees some solid competition.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA
Sounds too good to be true!
This seems a very promising development, and the first thing, ever since the Kindle Fire's pricing, that would start to get tablets developed.
That said, the problem is that most of the features (stand, keyboard, pen) touted during the demonstration could be seen by iPad users as gimmicks, many available via accessories. This (along with the app environments) makes the Surface unlikely to steal prior consumers.
What it is more likely to do is grow the market itself. Metro is currently the best tablet UI being pushed (there are possible alternatives like Chameleon, but considering it's on kickstarter one can't really say it's being pushed), and the notion of having a PC-like processor in a tablet is attractive in itself. Hopefully this would drive an entirely new segment of the market - that Ubuntu tablet's been a long time coming.
Where Microsoft made their not-quite-enough-Apple mistake, however, was to announce too early. They didn't even leave a specified date for onlookers to look forward to, and now the estimates are turning into.. October? Consumers don't have that much patience, and by then the hype would have died down. A release two weeks from now would have sent so many people into a frenzy.
Edit: And, of course, the big unknown is the price. I'm not entirely confident that non-Apple people (who demonstrate higher price elasticities) would buy a secondary device that's only priced "competitively" (and, judging from the premium feel Microsoft is trying to give off, probably less than competitively). It could just fade into irrelevancy like many of the Android tablets. The "pro" version is more viable if people see it as able to serve as their main device, but that's coming three months after (October?).
Interesting name choice. I though the op was talking about the old surface at first, but then I saw that they renamed that one pixelsense, and are now calling their tablet the surface. Hmm..
A link about the name change:http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-5...names-its-old-surface-computer-as-pixelsense/
OH MY ****ING GODDD!!!
Enviado desde mi XT910 usando Tapatalk 2
thebobp said:
This seems a very promising development, and the first thing (ever since the Kindle Fire's pricing) that would start to get tablets developed.
That said, the problem is that most of the features (stand, keyboard, pen) touted during the demonstration could be seen by iPad users as gimmicks, many available via accessories. This (along with the app environments) makes the Surface unlikely to steal prior consumers.
What it is more likely to do is grow the market itself. Metro is currently the best tablet UI being pushed (there are possible alternatives like Chameleon, but considering it's on kickstarter one can't really say it's being pushed), and the notion of having a PC-like processor in a tablet is attractive in itself. Hopefully this would drive an entirely new segment of the market (that Ubuntu tablet's been a long time coming).
Where Microsoft made their not-quite-enough-Apple mistake, however, was to announce too early. They didn't even leave a specified date for onlookers to look forward to, and the estimates are turning into.. October? Consumers don't have that much patience, and by then the hype would have died down. A release two weeks from now would have sent so many people into a frenzy.
Edit: And, of course, the big unknown is the price. I'm not entirely confident that non-Apple people (who demonstrate higher price elasticities) would buy a secondary device that's only priced "competitively" (and, judging from the premium feel Microsoft is trying to give off, probably less than competitively). It could just fade into irrelevancy like many of the Android tablets. The "pro" version is more viable if people see it as able to serve as their main device, but that's coming three months after (October?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree man. That marketing & deployment strategy is gonna ruin them. Microsoft needs to remember they aren't the only people in industry anymore & companies are watching each other's every move. What they introduce that's so groundbreaking today will be matched or surpassed by that October launch.
Its the APPS that we all should be worrying about.....
Good marketing, surface possible iPad killer!!!!!
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515a using XDA
i will buy it when it was available in store
Higher quality version of the vid from page 1...
I don't care how good this thing is. The marketing on it is absolutely horrible. Incompatible OS' between the two brother tabs. The pro coming out months after the regular. That seems like either they want everyone to buy the regular, have buyers remorse and then purchase the pro. I also heard they had a deal with Dell that made that happen. not sure.
Even the presentation was bad. Hardly any smiling. As if they're not proud of their product.
They also stole their own name. Lol.
A windows 8 tablet could be amazing. But it's probably no iPad killer. The marketing isn't there to make it be so. Unless when the commercial marketing comes, Microsoft pulls something incredible out of their butt holes.
They've also been quite vague with pricing details. Comparing it similar to an ultra book. More than an iPad. We know Microsoft customers. They want what's cheap. If this will compare to an iPad, the pricing needs to be spot on.
Also, 200th post.
I hope they will offer a low price and drive the whole tablet market prices down with them !
Awesome, simply awesome. I really love the Windows 8 Metro GUI!
I can see it being widespread in the corporate environments, since it runs Office and most native Windows softwares...
Interesting debate. While the surface DEFINITELY beats the ipad in the hardware front with its Intel version containing ultra book class hardware, it still does not have an app ecosystem that can dream to even rival apple's. With 128gb of space and the 3mm keyboard its somewhere in between a laptop and tablet, not a clear placement in either also, it will be really expensive. That said, with the right price, it might be a very good option for those who need some pc- class processing and browsing on the go, cause after everything, ipad is still just a mobile device. Don't expect it to be an ipad killer though I guess I can sum it up in one question.... Would you recommend it for someone who doesn't have a laptop and a tablet? Cause that will be this devices prospective market.
Thank me if I helped.... You know I'll do it again Oh, and by the way, Sent from my HTC One X
Take a look at the Chart Below. It shows Marketshare by manufacturer. Going by that chart its easy to think Apple is Killing it. Actually they are killing it. (Have you seen the margins on an iphone sale?) They’ve got an incredible revenue stream and an abundance of cash in the coffers.
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So why should Apple be worried? Well, Apple and Google appear to compete in the same space but there is one huge difference. Apple is a Hardware company. Google is and advertising company. Apple, like most hardware manufacturers have to come up with innovative ways to keep those margins. They must do this even in the face of CRT’s (Cost Reduction Technologies) that reinforce the belief that new technology should be cheap while making old technology even cheaper. I’m not sure if cost cutting has happened in other areas of the process, but it should always be noted that if Verizon, Sprint or AT&T only sold iphones , they would operate at a loss. The carriers made this “deal with the devil” because at the time it was the device that brought in the most new subscribers. The reasoning was that the landscape would eventually change and the costs could be partially mitigated by subscription revenues. The reality is that we can now very easily breakdown exactly what it costs to build a mobile device. Thus providing us with the most important piece of the picture when determining Apple’s Margins. If component prices are falling and new technology is presented daily, how does Apple explain its rising profit margin while consistently delivering “less” technology in it’s offerings? They’ve decided you don’t need to worry about that.
Here is where the “evil empire” references begin to sound plausible….. Apple (not an ad company) is in fact the undisputed “King of Spin” in the tech world. This is not an opinion. The Cupertino company has provided us with more than enough factual proof of their fantastical abilities:
Jobs -”You’re Holding it Wrong”
Jobs – ”if you see a stylus, they blew it. In multitasking, if you see a task manager… they blew it.”
People (read: isheep) used this rational in defense of their overpriced products with the zeal of religious pundits. If an Phandroid is literate enough to tell you why they love their device, you’re going to hear about some apps, some customization and probably an example of how it makes their life easier. Ask the most literate iphone user the same question. Most likely you’ll hear “I love how it just works.” Unfortunately the more information we are provided the more we find that Apple “Just isn’t working” as well as the other guys. Anyone who is familiar with Apples technology life-cycle is aware that since the success of the original “Droid” on Verizon and subsequent rise of Android, Apple has unsuccessfully attempted to duplicate android features like the Notification bar, “True Multitasking,” and Augmented Reality Mapping (Navigation). Google, in the meantime, has the most downloaded application on IOS (Google Maps). Additionally, Google’s voice assistant application which includes “Google Now” is described by most users as being a more advanced, intuitive and useful application than Siri which is Apple’s most advertised mobile application. This is hitting Apple where they Live.
If you really want to see an example of Android Just working while Apple fails compare Google Music to Itunes
Now, based the chart above the landscape still looks very positive for Apple. The chart below gives you a hint as to why Apple should absolutely ignore the chart above when thinking long term.
I can hear the ios enthusiasts already– “Shipments have nothing to do with actual sales” Right…..and perception has nothing to do with reality. Remember when the iphone held so much wait people wouldn’t switch to Verizon until they got it? Imagine if Verizon then decided –”You know what? We had the 4, but we’re gonna skip the 4s, and maybe we’ll carry the 5.” How many people at that time would have left Verizon for another carrier? Unfortunately for Apple the perception has changed. Who knows exactly when it started, or what the biggest nail in the coffin was. I think awareness of Samsung phones shot up ten fold when Apple called them a copycat. The problem with calling someone out is that everyone is gonna want to find out if your full of ****. I’m sure there were millions who would have never even picked up an Android phone before. Now every iphone buyer who is 95% sure about the purchase is gonna ask…..”What about that galaxy phone?” Have you seen an iphone screen next to a Galaxy S3? Its laughable. I can’t imagine the difference when comparing to the HTC One or Galaxy S4. Lets be honest, when you’re dealing with noobs and sheep a bigger brighter shinier object is usually going to win.
So back to the second chart vs the first one. Apple is doing its thing in the US. They’re even moving more units. Whats the problem?
Apple is a hardware manufacturer that has its own software. Google is an Advertising company. Not a hardware manufacturer with an advertising wing. Not a software designer with an advertising wing. Hell they aren’t even you’re average ad company as they don’t make ads for others. Google is an advertising company that makes things for you to advertise in, on and around. The perception is that it’s Apple vs Google. How many ios products are there on Android? How many Google products are there on ios? When people say that market share doesn’t matter they forget what business Google is in. The better Apple does….the better Google does. The more people that buy android phones the less people that are invariably buying iphones. It should also be pretty telling that Apple’s tactic of using high-profile litigation against its competitors did not include a lawsuit directly aimed at Google.
It is my opinion that the Android operating system has more to offer users than ios does. Whether or not this has lead to Android’s success is certainly up for discussion. What is painfully obvious is that if ios and Android are competitors then apple will constantly have to redefine its measure of success. They have effectively lost the worldwide smartphone market as it relays to market share. This only bolsters the perception that its competitor Google is delivering a better product, even if that product delivers a fraction of the revenue of Apple’s product. The part that should really scare Apple is that Google’s Primary product includes every iphone on the planet.