Anonymous
Unregistered
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/enterprise/375526/microsoft-tablets-will-outsell-desktop-pcs-in-2013
Microsoft: tablets will outsell desktop PCs in 2013
Sales of tablets will surpass traditional desktop PCs next year, according to Microsoft.
Speaking at TechEd Europe in Amsterdam, Microsoft’s vice president for Windows Web Services, Antoine Leblond, reiterated Microsoft’s philosophy that touch will become the dominant interface over the next couple of years.
Pixiey
Member
I wonder about this. It may be for the casual person. However until the tablet can do the work a pc does I do not see this. I know they are trying to make games be able to run on them, but for me a tablet cannot replace a keyboard for typing...even the new one coming out that has a "keyboard". I think there is a place for both. Also as far as I understand I do not see businesses going the way of the tablet in the workplace due to theft.
Interesting article though!!
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru
I agree with you Pixiey. Then again, it all depends on what you want your computer/netbook/laptop/tablet for. The tablet seems to be a great piece of hardware for someone on the go or just doing basic things like email, surfing the web or simple graphics manipulation and word processing. If that's all you use your computer for then i'd suggest moving to a tablet, but if you are playing high end games, working in animation, or where you require serious power the PC is still the way to go (IMO).
I can't see a tablet being able to run the likes of Battlefield 3 in Hi definition any time soon. Maybe once they solve the problem of heat dissipation in graphcs and cpu chips then we will see much smaller systems being able to cope with the heat created when playing such games. The heat dissipated by my dual card set up and cpu heats up the study even in very cold weather. I have to have two external fans going just to keep the room feeling cool and that's with no heating on in the rest of the house.
mikiem2
Moderator
Purely FWIW as always :)
Microsoft is just doing proper marketing... The end game is their App Store -- always has been. If it's profitable, cool, but even if it isn't, every sale &/or download, every bit of ad revenue, every bit of valuable data/metrics captured, is something the competition will be deprived of. The weaker your enemy, the less you have to fear. The more cash they have to burn, the more they can burn you. Why else would Google for example sink all those resources into Chrome &/or Android? Tech-speaking Flash is a PITA, but that's not the only, or perhaps main reason tech giants like MS, Apple, Google etc. banded together against it -- it potentially made/makes Adobe stronger. [Apple, Google, & Microsoft greatly disliked Flashes dominating video delivery for example -- MS has tried several times to overtake it with their alternatives, Google's firmly behind their own format, & Apple's Quicktime was once a real contender.]
Now Microsoft saying tablets will outsell PCs in 2013 is likely correct -- think about it... How many people already own PCs/laptops, & how many already own tablets? How many build or assemble their own PCs? Being relatively new to market, how many people have never tried using a tablet, discovering for themselves what's hype, what's not? I've seen tablets on sale for as low as $20, see several daily for $100 or less, & a somewhat higher end Android tablet sets you back $200-$300 -- what kind of PC or laptop can you get in those price ranges? Microsoft very intentionally does not mention any of that stuff, hoping you'll jump to the conclusion that tablets will sell because they're the future, that they're somehow superior. MS is also relying on a practical principle of Marketing 101 -- people want to be popular, are hard-wired to be herd animals, wanting very much to be part of the crowd. When it's 2014, we'll see. :)
Tablets have 2 strengths -- portability almost as good as a cell phone, & a larger screen size than a cell phone. You could say tablets & smart phones are in fact just 2 form factors for the same device -- a point of view or perspective becoming increasingly common, & supported by the evolution of tablets, which were originally conceived to solve the problem of smart phone screen sizes being [of necessity] too small for some tasks. As a PC/laptop alternative both tablets & netbooks already had/have essentially failed -- it's not a matter of too little horsepower as much as it is just basic, inherent limitations of the smartphone, tablet, & netbook physical form factor. Serious work (like serious gaming) just benefits too much from having a keyboard, mouse [&/or a similar input device], & a larger screen, with added benefits if/when you devote a desk or table top to the whole affair. Being able to hook your laptop up to a bigger monitor has always been a common feature, & there's a whole class of laptop mice & keyboards -- it's not that the traditional desktop PC arrangement is archaic, used by those who don't know any better, but rather it's just something, just a setup that works, and has proven to work best. Portable alternatives can [be made to] work when you can't have/use that more permanent setup, whether you're on the road or on your porch/patio -- you lose a lot of features/capabilities but there isn't a practical alternative.
Touch screens themselves have 2 strengths -- you don't need physical buttons/keys [or touchpads etc.], so whatever device is more compact, & they're pretty much idiot proof... they use touch screens for language studies etc. with apes. Touch screens are not some new innovation -- they've been around for decades in one form or another -- though the tech behind them, how they work & how they're made has greatly improved. Touch screens can also have a WOW factor with [usually less experienced] users of whatever device, e.g. video or still cameras designed for consumers [not pros] with plenty of cash to spend.
So if you consider the strengths [everything else is weakness], disregarding costs for the moment, for most people the ideal tablet is something like a Kindle [particularly IMO the rumored new models], with fairly long battery life, & the ability to do stuff that's a drudge with a cell phone's smaller screen, e.g. reading [books or web pages etc.], & to a lesser extent simple games & video. You can type using a touch screen, but don't/won't want to, & once you add a Bluetooth keyboard you need a tablet stand of some sort, & a flat surface where you can set everything down -- at that point what's the benefit over a laptop you can just set down & open? In fact Microsoft's Surface is supposed to come with its own keyboard attached, so it's less a tablet & more a laptop with a touch screen -- a different take on products that have already been to market & largely failed. MS is hoping Metro [win8] will make all the difference, but they're not *That* confident...
Microsoft has told you again & again why they think they can get rid of the Start Menu, why Metro makes a better alternative, & plenty of fans have drunk barrels full of the Kool-Aid. MS hasn't told you why win8 is going to sell for less, why it will likely not be available on store shelves, why it doesn't look like they'll sell a full version retail product [only upgrade & OEM], why it'll work on most all win7, & a lot of XP hardware, instead of taking advantage of the best new stuff as in years past. Most importantly, Microsoft hasn't told you why the Start menu couldn't still exist in win8's desktop environment -- they've said no one used it, but like many other Windows' features [e.g. Media Center &/or handwriting recognition], not using something has never been a problem.
You see it's not about you, at all -- it's all about potential devs. People game Apple's store & make millions. Same with more honest developers & those taking their 1st plunge into coding. MS wants to tap into as much greed as it can to populate their own app store on the quick -- if it's successful at reaching critical mass, then established mobile devs will port established, successful apps to the platform. Best way to get the greed juices flowing is to promote just how big this new market will be, with millions & millions of Windows users on PCs, laptops, tablets, smart phones etc., *All* using Metro. If any of us upgrade to or buy win8, well that's just as they say, icing on the cake.
Buckleysmom
Member
I can see it happening. I have a Kindle Fire and a lot of days I don't even boot up my laptop... it's so much handier to just use the Kindle.....unless I want to play a real game. I have games on the KF but just small ones. A tablet is at least twice the size of the KF so I can see that being much more usable, In fact I already put one on my "what I want next" list :)
mikiem2
Moderator
I have a Kindle Fire and a lot of days I don't even boot up my laptop... it's so much handier to just use the Kindle.....unless I want to play a real game. I have games on the KF but just small ones. A tablet is at least twice the size of the KF so I can see that being much more usable
From what I've read you may love the new Kindles even more. :)
I've got a 7" tablet [Samsung Galaxy Tab 2] & wouldn't want anything too much bigger -- the case I use (which doubles as a stand) adds a bit of bulk, so it's roughly the size of a paperback, which for my tastes is perfect. Battery life & charging OTOH are a bit of a drag -- charging takes a while, & takes too many amps so you have to use their included wall wart. Running Android ICS [Ice Cream Sandwich] is cool -- my biggest disappointment is unlike PCs/laptops you can't use whatever storage you want, so while you can add a flash memory card, you can't install apps there or even something like a Kindle book you've downloaded. My 2nd biggest complaint is that while it connects to the PC via USB, it's not USB 3.0, so transferring video files that way for example takes a while.
In case it helps anyone, I've found that using Nero Recode 10 or earlier works fast & easy to encode DVD-size video for the tablet including switchable subtitles [you can turn them on/off] -- IMO subs are cool, even if you don't need them, because there are times when the audio would annoy others, yet you don't want to block your hearing by using ear buds/headphones. To play the video with subs I use the VLC mobile beta, which is *almost* as good, almost as fast as the built-in player. That said, I keep the video at std. rez -- no HD -- which looks gorgeous... The tab uses a TI OMAP 4430 processor, & while it can barely handle 720p with the built-in player, the VLC beta cannot.
VLC mobile can also play DVD & Blu Ray format files. For DVDs on your hard drive, rename the movie *.VOB files *.mpg -- the downside is because mpg2 is less efficient than the AVC I get with Recode, you've usually got 4-5 GB total [vs. 1.5 GB or less], & the micro SD card has to be FAT32, so you can't have just one 4-5 GB file. The upside is no re-encoding or anything necessary. For Blu Ray rename the .m2ts to either .mp4 if the video's AVC, or .mpg if it's mpg2. To play all 3 types of video I use the File Finder app, browse to the Micro SD card, & tap the video file -- the VLC mobile beta will [or at least would] not see the external card if you use the normal file open.
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