The REAL tablet wars are about to start

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

I think Microsoft will struggle. They are late to the market, and have so much to make up against Android and Apple, I don't see how it's possible. I also think their branding is awful. The average consumer doesn't know or care about the difference between Windows 8 and Windows RT. It introduces confusion that's going to hurt in the long run. They might find a niche in the enterprise area, but I don't think you'll see them approach any healthy market share.

I agree 100% with your post except for the part quoted... here I agree to an extent. I agree on RT and the confusion factor but I disagree on true Windows 8 tablets. Imagine a laptop that does EVERYTHING you want it to do but can also be a tablet. I have one of the older versions of this and it's nice but so damn thick and old that it isn't the best tablet. Also, it has Windows 7 which isn't the best OS for tablets. BUT if it was light and thin and the OS was more tablet friendly and there were more tablet optimized apps.. it would be PERFECT. That is what Windows 8 tablets promise to do. Though I am a skeptic as to how well MS will deliver on that promise and if they can price them competitively.

In the end, I really think it's all gonna be about price for the next few years.

This really reminds me a lot of the earlier days of PCs when Dell and Gateway and others drove prices to the ground and the market exploded.. then once things settled down you started to see the niches break out for different pricing structures and such. I think we are just on the edge of entering that phase of the tablet market.

[WoodDraw]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

I agree 100% with your post except for the part quoted... here I agree to an extent. I agree on RT and the confusion factor but I disagree on true Windows 8 tablets. Imagine a laptop that does EVERYTHING you want it to do but can also be a tablet. I have one of the older versions of this and it's nice but so damn thick and old that it isn't the best tablet. Also, it has Windows 7 which isn't the best OS for tablets. BUT if it was light and thin and the OS was more tablet friendly and there were more tablet optimized apps.. it would be PERFECT. That is what Windows 8 tablets promise to do. Though I am a skeptic as to how well MS will deliver on that promise and if they can price them competitively.

I guess I don't see the market. Everything is becoming so cloud based now that these things matter less and less. I don't see the market for a "tablet that can do anything" beyond a few industries. People want iPads; they have computers for the rest. Microsoft Office will be dead within a few years, replaced by web solutions. Apps are increasingly becoming web and cloud based.

The future will come from the internet and not from proprietary software running on a tablet. I want to be able to do my work everywhere and anywhere. And if MS says to do that I have to buy a Windows 8 tablet, I'll find a different service. And a lot of companies are already moving that way.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

I guess I don't see the market. Everything is becoming so cloud based now that these things matter less and less. I don't see the market for a "tablet that can do anything" beyond a few industries. People want iPads; they have computers for the rest. Microsoft Office will be dead within a few years, replaced by web solutions. Apps are increasingly becoming web and cloud based.

The future will come from the internet and not from proprietary software running on a tablet. I want to be able to do my work everywhere and anywhere. And if MS says to do that I have to buy a Windows 8 tablet, I'll find a different service. And a lot of companies are already moving that way.

Yes apps are becoming cloud based but there is still a massive market for actual x86 apps. We are years and years away from phasing out all "desktop" apps. Great example, I develop mobile and cloud based apps and I'd be in a world of hurt if I couldn't use desktop apps to do so. It could be done, but it certainly wouldn't be nearly as easy. The other area that will take time is games. It will be awhile before you could ever run Warcraft on your Android tablet (and probably NEVER on an iPad)... on the other hand, you should be able to play any game on any high end Win 8 tablet. Also there are plans for tablets built specifically for gaming...


http://www.razerzone.com/projectfiona/tech_specs

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

I guess I don't see the market. Everything is becoming so cloud based now that these things matter less and less. I don't see the market for a "tablet that can do anything" beyond a few industries. People want iPads; they have computers for the rest. Microsoft Office will be dead within a few years, replaced by web solutions. Apps are increasingly becoming web and cloud based.

The future will come from the internet and not from proprietary software running on a tablet. I want to be able to do my work everywhere and anywhere. And if MS says to do that I have to buy a Windows 8 tablet, I'll find a different service. And a lot of companies are already moving that way.

Wile the clients using the cloud might not be running Windows, the cloud itself often IS. Last time I saw any data, just about 2/3 of the virtual machines running in the Gartner-designated "leaders'" clouds were running Windows Server.

[HC_Chief]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Wile the clients using the cloud might not be running Windows, the cloud itself often IS. Last time I saw any data, just about 2/3 of the virtual machines running in the Gartner-designated "leaders'" clouds were running Windows Server.

That trend will continue. VMware is the next Netscape.

The W8 tablets, known as "Surface", will dominate. They are true laptop replacements, not merely consumer toys (see: iPad).