Windows 8 Release Expected in 2012 article says that Windows 8 will be with us in 2012. Windows 8 Features And Release Date article expect Windows 8 to be launched sometime in mid-late 2012. For details how Windows 8 looks take a look at Building “Windows 8″ – Video #1. For latest details check also Microsoft Newsroom on Windows 8 and Windows-ARM.Com.
The biggest changes in underlying technology is that Windows 8 is supposed to run on either the x86 or ARM architectures. Microsoft is in the process of rebuilding Windows for the post-PC era, by stepping back from its core roots (Intel processors) and embracing ARM. Windows-on-ARM Spells End of Wintel article tells that Brokerage house Nomura Equity Research forecasts that the emerging partnership between Microsoft and ARM will likely end the Windows-Intel duopoly. ARM-based chip vendors that Microsoft is working with (TI, Nvidia, Qualcomm) are now focused on mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.).
Making the Windows to run other platforms than x86 seems to be a big change, but this is not the first time Microsoft has tried that (there has been once Windows NT for DEC Alpha and still Windows Server 2008 for Itanium). ARM is now hot and Microsoft is active pushing Windows 8 to use it. Sinofsky shows off Windows 8 on ARM and Office15 article tells that Windows boss Stephen Sinofsky has ended months of speculation with the first (fairly) detailed drilldown into Windows 8 on ARM (WOA) platform, and says it should be ready for a simultaneous launch with its x86/64 counterpart. WOA includes desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. WOA is, as Sinofsky said, “a new member of the Windows family,” but it’s not Windows 8. It’s entirely new, and because it works only on ARM devices. Windows on ARM software will not be sold or distributed independent of a new WOA PC. In other words, WOA is to Windows as iOS is to Mac OS X.
Devices running WOA will come with both a Metro touch-based interface and the more traditional desktop, and will run Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote applications with full document compatibility with x86/64 systems. One thing was made crystal clear by Microsoft: Windows 8 on ARM will not be the same experience as Windows 8 on Intel-AMD.
How the two flavors of Windows 8 will be different article gives some details how Windows 8 on ARM is different from Windows 8 on X86. Windows 8 on ARM will not be the same experience as Windows 8 on Intel-AMD.
Building Windows for the ARM processor architecture article from Building Windows 8 blog is a goldmine to all you who are interested in more details on Windows 8 on ARM (WOA) platform. This post is about the technical foundation of what we call, for the purposes of this post, Windows on ARM, or WOA. WOA is a new member of the Windows family, much like Windows Server, Windows Embedded, or Windows Phone.
WOA builds on the foundation of Windows, has a very high degree of commonality and very significant shared code with Windows 8. Many low level details needed to be rewritten, but there is a significant portion of Windows that is generally built with code that can be made to work on ARM in a technically straightforward manner. These subsystems include the Windows desktop and applets and supporting APIs, though those needed to modified for better resource and power utilization. Enabling Windows to run well on the ARM architecture was a significant engineering task.
Here are my collection of the most important points I found from How the two flavors of Windows 8 will be different and Building Windows for the ARM processor architecture articles.
Windows 8 ARM devices will run on ARM processors from Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Nvidia, all running the same Windows OS binaries. WOA PCs use hardware support for offloading specific work from the main processor to integrated hardware subsystems to improve performance and battery life. ARM SoCs for WOA have DirectX capable GPUs (DX) for accelerated graphics in Internet Explorer 10, in the user interface of Windows, and in Metro style apps. WOA PCs are still under development, and thee goal is for PC makers to ship them the same time as PCs designed for Windows 8 on x86/64.
Windows 8 on ARM will not run traditional Windows 7 stuff (WIN32 x86 applications) because the processor is completely different and WOA will not support any type of virtualization or emulation. WOA does not support running, emulating, or porting existing x86/64 desktop apps.
Labeling to “avoid confusion”: When a consumer buys a Windows on ARM PC, it will be “clearly labeled and branded” so as to avoid potential confusion with Windows 8 on x86/64. Device makers work with ARM partners to create a device that is “strictly paired with a specific set of software (and sometimes vice versa), and consumers purchase this complete package, which is then serviced and updated through a single pipeline.”
Windows on ARM devices don’t turn off: You don’t turn off a WOA PC, according to Sinofsky. WOA PCs will not have the traditional hibernate and sleep options. Instead, WOA PCs always operate in the Connected Standby power mode, similar to the way you use a mobile phone today. Read Engineering Windows 8 for mobile networks for more details.
WOA supports the Windows desktop experience including File Explorer, Internet Explorer 10 for the desktop. Out of the box Windows on should ARM will feel like Windows 8 on x86/64. Sign in, app launching, Internet Explorer 10, peripherals, the Windows desktop and Windows Store access are the same. You will have access to the intrinsic capabilities of Windows desktop with tools like Windows File Explorer and desktop Internet Explorer if you want to use your mobile device in this way. Or you can use the Metro style desktop and Metro style apps (like what you see on Windows phone smartphones) if you like that more.
Metro style apps in the Windows Store can support both WOA and Windows 8 on x86/64. Developers wishing to target WOA do so by writing applications for the WinRT (Windows APIs for building Metro style apps) using the new Visual Studio 11 tools in a variety of languages, including C#/VB/XAML and Jscript/ HTML5.
Together talking on launching Windows 8 Microsoft also talks about new Windows Mobile Phone 8 and it’s integration with Windows 8. Windows Phone 8 Detailed article gives some details what integration with Windows 8 means. Windows Phone 8 won’t just share a UI with the next-generation desktop and tablet OS, apparently: it will use many of the same components as Windows 8, allowing developers to “reuse most of their code” when porting an app from desktop to phone. The kernel, networking stacks, security, and multimedia support as areas of heavy overlap.
Windows Phone 8 is the version of the platform currently being referred to by codename “Apollo” (the one scheduled for deployment after the upcoming Tango update). Microsoft insider Paul Thurrott has published a post confirming many of the details.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
What you need to know about developing for Windows on ARM (WOA)
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jasonz/archive/2012/06/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-developing-for-windows-on-arm-woa.aspx
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lots of news on new Microsoft tablets:
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Where Microsoft’s New Surface Tablet Fits in PC Ecosystem
http://allthingsd.com/20120618/microsoft-ceo-steve-ballmer-on-where-microsofts-new-surface-tablet-fits-in-pc-ecosystem/
In a brief chat after the event, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that PC makers have known for an unspecified period of time that Microsoft would be doing its own hardware.
Ballmer noted that there will be a lot of PCs sold that will be made by companies other than Microsoft.
“If you look at the bulk of the 375 million machines that get sold (next year), they probably aren’t going to be Surfaces,” Ballmer said. “On the other hand, we could have a sizeable business.”
“It’s an important companion to the whole Windows 8 story,” Ballmer said. “It’s an important piece. It’s not the only piece.”
“Our PC partners knew in advance we were announcing something today in this space,” Ballmer said.
So how did they feel about it? “No comment.”
Ballmer said Microsoft’s goal is that Surface “gives people a full range of things to think about, sort of primes the pump for more innovation around Windows 8, (and) brings new technology to the Windows PC platform.”
Microsoft Finally Has A Tablet Business Model With Surface
http://www.splatf.com/2012/06/microsoft-surface-windows/
Microsoft just unveiled its new tablet, Surface. It actually looks pretty nice, though I obviously have no idea if it works well or is worth buying. You can find the details, as they become available, on Techmeme. But the shift in strategy is most interesting to me.
Why is Microsoft making its own Windows tablet? Isn’t its decades-old business model to sell OS licenses to companies like HP and Dell, and rely on them to make and sell the hardware?
Yes, but times have changed.
Apple has proven that the best computers — which rely on tight software integration more than ever before — are made when one company is in charge of designing both the hardware and the software, so they’re built in harmony and just work. Microsoft seems to have figured this out, too, via the Xbox and now this Surface tablet. That’s why the Surface is able to ship with a cool cover with a built-in keyboard.
But Microsoft has also learned that the best business model in today’s mobile industry — tablets and smartphones — is to the sell the actual hardware to consumers, not just license an operating system. Given today’s economics, the only way to potentially earn a profit of more than $100 per tablet is to sell the actual tablet. There’s no way Microsoft could earn that just selling Windows licenses to HP. Especially as it’s primarily competing with Android, which is sort-of free.
Microsoft Surface tablets: the differences between Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro models
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/18/microsoft-surface-tablets-the-differences-between-rt-and-window/
Surfaces. Turns out, the plural form of Microsoft’s new tablet range rolls off of the tongue with ease, but understanding the differences between the first two models may not be quite as easy — particularly for the everyman, or folks intimately familiar with Microsoft’s other Surface. Two editions — Surface for Windows RT and Surface for Windows 8 Pro — were unveiled today in Los Angeles, and while the exterior of each one looks nearly identical, the innards expose major differences in architecture. Let’s break it all down after the break, shall we?
We’re guessing that the company will try to push the user experience instead of focusing on pure specifications, and it’s frankly about time the industry started moving in that direction. Pure hardware attributes only get you so far, and judging by the amount of integration time that went into this project, Microsoft would be doing itself a huge disservice to launch anything even close to not smooth-as-butter.
Microsoft Surface with Windows RT hands-on pictures and video
http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/18/3095335/microsoft-surface-hands-on
Here it is, Microsoft Surface, the all new, Microsoft-made tablet. We just had our hands on the sleek new device, and we must say — it does feel incredibly well designed.
Microsoft is only showing off the Windows RT version of the Surface, which means ARM CPU and a thinner, 9.3mm form factor. The design and build of the tablets the company has here feel very polished, with tight, clean lines. The device was also surprisingly light, barely feeling like it reached the full 1.5 pounds Microsoft is quoting. The 10.6-inch, 16:9 display also looked crystal clear at a variety of angles.
On the software side, reps are demoing much of what we’ve already seen in Windows 8, but the attractive housing does make us want to spend just a little bit more time playing around. If you were expecting any software surprises, we have yet to find them. As far as specs go, Microsoft is saying it will come in 32GB or 64GB versions, and we’ve also learned that it is using an Nvidia Tegra processor.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Announces Surface: New Family of PCs for Windows
June 18, 2012
Microsoft-made hardware to be available starting with release of Windows 8 and Windows RT.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2012/jun12/06-18announce.aspx
LOS ANGELES — June 18, 2012 — Today at an event in Hollywood, Microsoft unveiled Surface: PCs built to be the ultimate stage for Windows. Company executives showed two Windows tablets and accessories that feature significant advances in industrial design and attention to detail. Surface is designed to seamlessly transition between consumption and creation, without compromise. It delivers the power of amazing software with Windows and the feel of premium hardware in one exciting experience.
Two models of Surface will be available: one running an ARM processor featuring Windows RT, and one with a third-generation Intel Core processor featuring Windows 8 Pro.
One of the strengths of Windows is its extensive ecosystem of software and hardware partners, delivering selection and choice that makes a customer’s Windows experience uniquely their own. This continues with Surface. Microsoft is delivering a unique contribution to an already strong and growing ecosystem of functional and stylish devices delivered by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to bring the experience of Windows to consumers and businesses around the globe.
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx
Microsoft announces new 10.6″ Microsoft Surface tablets, running Windows 8 in RT and ‘Pro’ flavors
http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2012/06/19/microsoft-announces-new-microsoft-surface-tablet-lineup-running-windows-8/
Tomi Engdahl says:
My quick reaction to the Microsoft Surface tablets
http://gdgt.com/discuss/my-quick-reaction-to-the-microsoft-surface-tablets-1a4l/
1. Microsoft needs to know when to stop when it’s naming stuff. Just call it the “Surface” and “Surface Pro” and be done with it. “Microsoft Surface for Windows RT” and “Microsoft Surface for Windows Pro” might be more descriptive, but it isn’t sexy.
2. It shows that the OEMs don’t have anywhere else to go. If you’re HP, Acer, ASUS, Dell, etc., are you happy that Microsoft is coming out with a tablet? Absolutely not. But what are you going to do
3. It also shows that Microsoft is scared enough by the iPad that they don’t want to leave countering it entirely up to the OEMs. Windows 8 is a big bet on tablets as the future of PCs (or at least where the future growth — and profits — will be), but I can’t help but think that its dual UI’s are symbolic of what must be a growing tension within Microsoft between its consumer and enterprise businesses.
4. The attention to detail and the quality of engineering shows that Microsoft gets how important design is now.
5. That said, I will gripe about the lower resolution screen that’s going to be in Surface for Windows RT. Unlike with the Pro, which they’ve said will sport a 1080p display, I haven’t seen anything about the resolution of the RT’s screen except that will be “HD”, which means at least 720p.
6. Two big unknowns right now are pricing and release date, and Microsoft better get these right. Announcing these Surface tablets in June and then not releasing them until October or November would be bad.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s Not Competing With the iPad — Not Entirely
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/microsofts-not-competing-with-the-ipadnot-entirely/
Microsoft’s new Surface tablet computer is not an iPad competitor. It’s an ultrabook competitor.
I mean, of course it’s an iPad competitor, but it would appear Microsoft is going after other segments of portable computing as well. The company announced the new device on Monday afternoon in Los Angeles.
If Microsoft can deliver a satisfying PC experience through its devices and accessories, then all those manufacturers who pegged their hopes on the super-thin, super-light “ultrabook” model have something to worry about.
See, therein lies the difference. Last week, Apple announced some new laptops. This week, Microsoft announced something that it hopes can replace some laptops.
Is that a bolder vision, or a more misguided one?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Below The Surface: Microsoft Shifted Samsung LCD Product To Grab Name For New Tablet
http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/18/below-the-surface-microsoft-shifted-samsung-lcd-product-to-grab-name-for-new-tablet/
It looks like Microsoft’s new Surface tablet is not the first Surface to surface at the company. Before it, there was a large LCD panel, made with Samsung, which could be mounted as a table, or on a wall, that enables people to “share, collaborate and explore together using a large, thin display that recognizes fingers, hands and other objects placed on the screen.” The last update for the product was released at the beginning of 2011, during the CES show.
Customers for that version, Surface 2.0, included Dassault Aviation, Fujifilm Corp., Red Bull GmbH, Royal Bank of Canada and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Surface Touch Cover has a full multitouch keyboard and touchpad
http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/18/3095396/microsoft-surface-cover-multitouch-keyboard
As part of its announcement of the Microsoft Surface tablet, the company just revealed that the Surface Touch Cover will contain an integrated multitouch keyboard and trackpad. As Steven Sinofsky said when introducing the product, “typing is twice as efficient as typing on glass.”
The cover itself only adds 3mm to the Surface’s thickness, and also unsurprisingly attaches to the Surface with a magnetic connector. Perhaps most notably, the Touch Cover uses pressure-sensitive technology which “senses keystrokes as gestures,” which Microsoft claims will make for a faster typing experience.
There’s no word yet on whether this accessory will be an additional, optional purchase or whether Microsoft will bundle it in with the Surface tablet
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who is the Microsoft Surface for, exactly?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57455730-1/who-is-the-microsoft-surface-for-exactly/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=readMore
The new Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets could be a bridge for Windows fans… maybe.
Surface is a bit larger than an iPad with an HD display, full-size USB port, Microsoft’s next-generation operating system, a built-in kickstand, and a detachable cover that doubles as a flat keyboard and touch pad. That’s what we know from today’s unveiling, but there’s much more that we don’t know.
The biggest question mark — the price.
The company says Surface will be competitive with comparable ARM tablets for the RT device and the Windows 8 Pro version will hold its own against ultrabooks with similar specs
That brings us to another of those questions — who is this thing really for?
Knowing what little we do right now, it seems that low-end tablet might be a hard sell to anyone but the Windows faithful, and we all know how that approach worked out for RIM and its PlayBook.
The Windows 8 Pro Version could be a little more interesting, even with a higher price tag, provided that it does really deliver the same level of performance as an ultrabook and top flight iPad rolled into one. An awful lot of people in the world still live their lives in Windows
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told the Verge after the unveiling that the idea behind Surface is to “prime the pump” for Windows 8 and get more of those developers and partners on board.
But Redmond didn’t even seem to get the memo about Surface to all of its own departments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Five key takeaways from Microsoft’s Surface event
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57455754-75/five-key-takeaways-from-microsofts-surface-event/
Not to be confused with its table-top cousin, the new device isn’t just aimed at iPad and Android tablets.
1. Don’t confuse this with the table thing.
2. This isn’t just aimed at the iPad and Android tablets.
3. This thing is high-tech.
4. You can’t buy it yet
5. This is just the start.
Microsoft is positioning Surface as the beginning of a family. Instead of the giant, difficult to differentiate wall of computers the company has demoed at CES the last couple of years — this is simple. There are just two ideas from the get go: a Windows RT version and one running Windows 8 Pro.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Surface touches the right keys, but not a complete picture
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33642_7-57455743-292/surface-touches-the-right-keys-but-not-a-complete-picture/
It’s not an Xbox. It’s not a Kindle Fire-quencher. But while Microsoft’s Surface reveals some unknowns about Windows 8 tablets, it has yet to address other important questions.
One important unknown is price. If Microsoft wants the ARM-powered Windows RT Surface to be competitive, it will have to be in the $500 range for an entry level device
The Windows 8 Pro, Intel-powered Surfaces will have to be comparable to the Ultrabook entry point of around $700-800.
Another important question is apps. The Windows Store made dramatic leaps of improvement from the Windows 8 beta to the Windows 8 release candidate, but app development will naturally lag behind the Windows 8 public availability for some time — maybe even years.
Third, what in the system of Sol will Microsoft’s manufacturing partners think of the tablets?
The Surface line of tablets are an excellent start for connecting innovative hardware to Microsoft’s big push to reimagine its OS with Windows 8.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft May Be Late to Tablet Fight, But Has the Cash to Keep Sparring
http://www.wired.com/business/2012/06/msft-may-be-late-to-tablet-fight-but-has-the-cash-to-keep-sparring/
On one level, Microsoft’s likely introduction of its tablet Monday is just sad. No matter how cool, the effort seems doomed to feel half-hearted, simply because it came so late. The iPad launched more than two years ago—eons in tech dog years—and with it a category of computing in which Microsoft wholly failed to participate until now.
Or did it?
Microsoft was never in the business of increasing its hipster cachet. The company never convincingly set out to delight customers. For decades, they have made software that works well enough for businesses. Except for possibly the Xbox, Redmond’s best minds have continually come out on the wrong side of the innovator’s dilemma. But Microsoft abides.
For all I know, Microsoft’s new tablet could be a game-changing paradigm shifter of disruptively innovative proportions that causes us to question the very nature of our existence. But probably not. Certainly that hasn’t worked out for them so far on the mobile front on the mobile front.
How long Microsoft can keep throwing darts at tablets, mobile and social would seem to depend on how long companies depend on the boring old laptop-desktop-server IT model to do their work. While they do, Microsoft will continue to sell them boring old Windows, Office and SQL Server and keep its status as the friendly old uncle of computing who may not know where the cool restaurants are but never has a problem picking up the tab.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft posts video of Surface event online
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57455851-75/microsoft-posts-video-of-surface-event-online/
The company will allow visitors to watch its entire presentation showcasing the company’s new tablet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Liveblog: Meet ‘Surface,’ Microsoft’s New Windows 8 Tablet
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/06/live-blog-microsoft-la/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft kept PC partners in dark about Surface
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/19/us-microsoft-windows-tablets-asia-idUSBRE85I1NL20120619
Microsoft Corp kept its personal computer partners largely in the dark about its plans to launch a competing tablet computer, with some long-time collaborators learning of the new gadget only days before its unveiling, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Surface tablets: Reading the fine print
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-surface-tablets-reading-the-fine-print/12965
Here are a few more hidden tidbits about Microsoft’s new Surface tablets, launched in Los Angeles on June 18.
Tomi Engdahl says:
With the Surface, Microsoft just started writing its next chapter
http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/19/3097726/surface-microsoft-next-chapter
After yesterday’s announcement of the Surface tablet and its accessories, it seems like the company is ready to bring some of its wild thinkers out of hiding.
Microsoft just decided to enter the tablet game in a big way by introducing its own hardware to the market, designed to run Windows 8 (both ARM and x86 versions)
Those keyboards — one a pressure sensitive, 3mm touch surface, the other a traditional, tactile version — were designed by Bathiche and his team.
In fact, the entire tablet was designed in-house by Microsoft’s teams, and if you believe what was said in the presentation yesterday, design and functionality in hardware has suddenly become a big deal in Redmond.
That’s a big shift, and it’s an important one. The announcement of the Surface shows that Microsoft is ready to make a break with its history — a history of hardware partnerships which relied on companies like Dell, HP, or Acer to actually bring its products to market.
That may burn partners in the short term, but it could also give Microsoft something it desperately needs: a clear story.
I know what you’re going to say: Microsoft is just ripping off Apple.
Yes, that’s true — they learned something from Apple.
So did Google — that’s why the Galaxy Nexus exists and it’s why the company will probably announce a Nexus tablet this month.
Since the introduction of the Metro UI and Microsoft’s talk about a “no compromises” operating system, there has been plenty of speculation on exactly what kind of product a Windows 8 PC would be. The combination touch interface and traditional desktop have continuously felt like a jarring mashup of ideas
But the Surface seems to solidify the message of Windows 8, and it puts the evolving OS into a package that makes sense. An attractive package, at that.
But the Surface seems to solidify the message of Windows 8, and it puts the evolving OS into a package that makes sense. An attractive package, at that.
there are three things that have to happen for the Surface to really be a viable alternative to the iPad (or a standard laptop, for that matter).
The first is that Microsoft needs to evangelize the hell out of this product to developers and convince them there’s an opportunity to make money on its platform.
Secondly, the price has to be right.
Finally, Microsoft needs to deliver on the hardware promises it made 24 hours ago. It’s easy to say you made an awesome product, but it’s a lot harder to actually make that product.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Surface Just Made the MacBook Air and the iPad Look Obsolete
http://gizmodo.com/5919521
Microsoft has guts. It’s what you get when you’re the underdog; either that or you curl into a RIM and die. Microsoft is the underdog because no matter how many hundreds of millions of people use its software, the cool and the future belong to Apple. Or belonged.
After yesterday’s Surface event—assuming they don’t fumble the execution—Gates’ children may have found the weapon to stop the heirs of Jobs and turn the tide. Or at least make things exciting for everyone again.
That weapon is Microsoft Surface. And it is beautiful. Beautiful and functional and simple and honest.
Good design principles for both hardware and software
Excited? You should be
If Microsoft delivers—which means that the price and the battery life should be competitive with Apple’s offerings, and that keyboard lives up to its billing—it has a real chance of stopping the seemingly unstoppable Apple empire. Or at least slowing it down.
If it fulfills its promise, if Microsoft Surface Pro is $800 or $900 and can pull six or seven hours of battery life, then things will change. It’s going to be hard, since they don’t have the app ecosystem yet, but that will come eventually. Microsoft has the user base, the developer base, and the deep pockets to make sure of that.
The only thing Microsoft was missing until yesterday just was a better platform. Now all the pieces are in place for a well-fought war, just like the good old days.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Microsoft’s Surface Tablet Shames the PC Industry
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-19/why-microsofts-surface-tablet-should-shame-the-pc-industry
Let’s be clear, though: Microsoft making hardware is not a natural action. It’s what the company does in times of desperation.
With the release of Windows 8 looming, Microsoft was indeed desperate for a hardware company to do something to blunt Apple’s runaway tablet machine.
The Surface tablet represents an indictment of the entire PC and device industry, which has stood by for a couple of years trying to mimic Apple with a parade of hapless, copycat products.
Rather than complaining, PC makers ought to take note of what Microsoft has produced. It has one tablet—a 9 mm thick, 1.5 pounder—that will run on low-power ARM chips and arrive around October.
Later, a slightly bigger Surface tablet will arrive to run on an Intel (INTC) chip, with a stylus and an even-sturdier keyboard/cover.
Tomi Engdahl says:
No Price, No Date, No Apps, No Problem. No Wait — Problem.
http://massivegreatness.com/pens-are-for-pros
Reactions seem mixed, tilting slightly positive or at least hopeful. People seem to want to believe Microsoft can pull this off and that’s understandable — competition is good, and right now, the iPad has no competition.
On the surface — see what I did there? — the thing seems compelling. It’s a tablet that runs Windows, and Office, and has a keyboard. There’s no denying that the keyboard/cover hybrid is a smart thing to try.
Two years ago, I think this thing would have been pretty competitive. Today? Color me very skeptical.
This Surface doesn’t have to just match the price of the iPad, it has to be cheaper. Again, they’re playing catchup. Apple’s margins on the iPad are worse than their other products, but still good.
Also, undercutting Apple here also means undercutting their own OEM partners. Those guys must already be pissed off at the prospect of this device. And getting into a price war with Microsoft will only piss them off even more. Maybe this drives more of them to Android in the tablet space.
Right. Nothing has changed. Nothing at all. These are not the droids you’re looking for.
There are about 16 ways this can turn into a disaster for Microsoft. Their entire business model the past few decades has been built upon software licensing. Now their model is hardware sales mixed with software licensing.
With the purchase of Motorola, the big fear in the mobile industry is that Google will make this jump as well.
With Microsoft now actually doing it, it’s a bajillion times worse. OEMs will be paying Microsoft to directly compete with — wait for it — Microsoft.
Just take another look at the new Surface. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Again, it looks like a goddamn PC. It’s a keyboard and a screen. Sure, it’s thinner
Nothing in that gallery even suggests it’s a touchscreen device. How weird is that?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Surface: Because Microsoft does so well making hardware?
Perhaps they’ll really imitate Apple and go to Foxconn
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/19/microsoft_surface_tablet1/
Analysis If you want a job done right, do it yourself: that’s the consensus on the Windows 8 Surface tablets. Or, put another way: “OEMs, please pay attention. This is how you build a PC.”
It’s easy to draw this conclusion given the world’s largest maker of software has bothered spending money
Microsoft has been banging on about the user “experience” for years, and now it’s putting into practice some of its ideas, without compromise.
Though when you think 30 years and Microsoft history, you don’t think hardware. You might think mice. Or Xbox – though that’s just over 10 years old. Or Windows drivers. But not bottom-to-top PCs.
Surface machines will be built by somebody else – unnamed – and branded as Microsoft, for sale by Microsoft through its US and selected online outlets.
PC makers which Microsoft has traditionally relied upon needed to be taught a thing or two when it comes to tablets.
And Microsoft is taking tough line on Surface. Monday’s announcement set the rules as follows: “OEMS will have cost and feature parity on Windows 8 and Windows RT.”
But while the PC makers are weakened, Microsoft is not in a strong position to dictate terms and it must convince PC manufacturers to buy into the tablet as a mass-market device, rather than simply reverting to type and slapping a new version of Windows on the same old desktops and laptops once Windows 8 is released later this year.
Proof Win8 isn’t another Vista?
The problem is Windows 8 isn’t just new, or unproven: it’s actually proving unpopular among those used to the desktop – or “classic” use and design environments. Microsoft’s throwing everything into convincing users to abandon the existing desktop UI experience and app development model for touch, with apps delivered to the device only online. Existing x86 apps on Windows 8 look like second-class citizens compared to those for Metro while Internet Explorer on the Metro side doesn’t talk to IE on the classic desktop side, making seamless web browsing impossible.
Despite this, Metro is in full swing inside Microsoft. PC makers, however, have been burned by Microsoft’s vision before: Windows Vista left makers and sellers with unsold stock. They would be wise to be skeptical of buying in to another big Microsoft vision, especially coming off the back of their own tablet disasters and in the midst of layoffs – at HP.
Surface as a proof-of-concept theory is a strong idea. PC makers have screwed up, and HP, Dell and Asus have promised Windows 8 on a variety of machines. What Microsoft must demonstrate, however, is that its idea for a Windows tablet is a commercially viable concept.
Microsoft will hope applications on the Windows Marketplace will fuel customer adoption of Surface
The Xbox, now being cited at the moment as the closest comparable to Surface, has been a market and brand share success for Microsoft but it’s a commercial wash. in the most recent quarter the Xbox unit reported revenue of $1.6bn and loss of $229m.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 8 app-based advertisement concepts revealed
http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-app-based-advertisement-concepts-revealed
Windows 8 isn’t just a new PC or tablet operating system from Microsoft. The company also sees it as a way for other companies to get the word out on their products. In a new post on the Microsoft Advertising blog, the company talks about how it is working to create ads that will seamlessly blend into Windows 8 Metro apps.
Microsoft Advertising Unveils Windows 8 AiA Concepts at Cannes 2012
http://community.microsoftadvertising.com/en/marketers-agencies/advertising/b/advertising/archive/2012/06/19/windows-8-aia-concepts-cannes-2012.aspx
Microsoft Advertising is also taking a new approach in how we develop advertising experiences on Windows 8. True to our belief in fostering growth in the ecosystem, we’re partnering with some great creative agencies to ideate and visualize beautiful display experiences across a multitude of marketer goals for the Windows 8 apps ecosystem.
We are excited about the early concepts and possibilities of advertising experiences in Windows 8 apps, and in the coming months we’ll have more to share as we start to outline specifics around offerings for marketers across the world. Stay tuned!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Et tu, Ballmer, or M’soft’s stab at tablets
http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4375615/Et-tu–Ballmer–or-M-soft-s-stab-at-tablets
Pre-announcing your own Windows 8 tablet a few months before your OEM customers are ready to roll out their own products. That’s not gutsy, it’s just gross.
For years, PC makers have slavishly followed your systems requirements, jumped on your bandwagons (like Windows for Pen Computing), and this is their payment.
The scant information on the Microsoft Surface tablet is unimpressive. It looks very much like a me-too system. I fail to see any compelling differences over the Apple iPad.
One source told me he heard Acer engineers describe this as a betrayal. “Microsoft wants to charge $80 to $90 royalty per Windows RT device while bring out this tablet under its own logo—it’s unfair competition which will accelerate more adaption of Android,” he said.
He reports an ODM company saying they feel they have “wasted all the investment [on a] promised [Win 8 tablet] business [and] will have to shift focus again.”
Taiwan’s PC makers have told me more than once they see Android as a better road to tablets than Windows 8. It’s free and it already has a well-established user base and ecosystem of apps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft To PC and Tablet Makers: You’re Not Our Future
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/06/20/049229/microsoft-to-pc-and-tablet-makers-youre-not-our-future
Microsoft’s plan to build its own Windows 8 tablets puts longtime allies in peril — and it may be the right thing to do.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer cited Apple’s advantage (without mentioning Apple) of integrated software and hardware. “Things work better when hardware and software are considered together,” he said. “We control it all, we design it all, and we manufacture it all ourselves.” … Like Apple, Microsoft will hire a few PC makers to do the actual production work.
This maybe the smartest move microsoft made in the last 15 years
If this occurs, then Microsoft has every reason to properly secure the bootloader, so that running other OSs is absolutely impossible.
The golden dream for Microsoft in this is that there are two companies making and selling hardware – Apple and Microsoft.
Two, to avoid anti-trust concerns.
To make a secure device, you need perhaps $1 or $2 extra in hardware, and $100K or so spent on getting it audited by someone with a cryptographic clue.
Microsoft has this money, and the incentive to spend this money.
So now all the PC manufacturers need a non-MS alternative…
Microsoft to PC and tablet makers: You’re not our future
http://www.infoworld.com/t/technology-business/microsoft-pc-and-tablet-makers-youre-not-our-future-195877
Microsoft’s plan to build its own Windows 8 tablets puts longtime allies in peril — and is the right thing to do
With Microsoft’s announcement yesterday that it will make its own Surface tablets running Windows 8, Dell may get its wish to leave the consumer market and HP may no longer have to figure out what role it wants PCs to play in its future.
In announcing the Surface tablets, due to be released this fall, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer cited Apple’s advantage (without mentioning Apple) of integrated software and hardware. “Things work better when hardware and software are considered together,” he said. “We control it all, we design it all, and we manufacture it all ourselves.”
Most telling, Ballmer said nothing about tablets from Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, or all the other PC makers who for years have relied on Microsoft and Intel to do the heavy lifting while they focused on assembling PC components at different price points and sometimes pitching in on original case design work. Instead, he made a mild statement about valuing partners, but it was clear Microsoft will not let others drive the hardware going forward.
Apple has become the only PC maker whose market share is growing — largely because it ruthlessly controls its platform’s destiny. It’s done the same for the iPad, creating the first popular tablet market, and for the iPhone, reinventing the cellphone (knocking out Nokia and Research in Motion in the process).
Google, the third major powerhouse in post-PC devices, is also taking more control of its hardware. Plans to build its own Android tablets may be announced in the next few weeks
If Microsoft’s Surface tablet is a good product, it’s hard to imagine why customers would get someone else’s tablet. After all, when Apple let HP sell iPods under the HP brand, no one bought them, even knowing they were the same under the skin.
Manufacturing sophisticated electronics is a skill requiring manufacturing innovation. But all those branded-but-otherwise-undifferentiated PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones just aren’t needed in the vision Ballmer sketched out yesterday.
Microsoft knows its future in a post-PC world depends heavily on getting Windows 8 — the OS and the devices — right out of the gate, especially given that Apple’s huge momentum with the iPad and iPhone
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows Phone 8 is unveiled with multi-core support, revamped interface
HD screen resolutions, microSD support and Internet Explorer 10 are also onboard
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2185927/windows-phone-unveiled-multi-core-support-revamped-interface
SOFTWARE COBBLER Microsoft has unveiled its next-generation mobile operating system, Windows Phone 8, which will make its debut this Autumn.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone chief Joe Belfiore started by announcing that the Windows Phone 8 operating system shares its core with Windows 8, which means in basic terms that the kernel, networking, multimedia and driver support will be shared between the two operating systems. According to Belfiore, this will offer consumers’ a “much greater choice in hardware, adding that we’ll see a “wider range of phones, form factors, price points and capabilities”.
Along with this major announcement, Belfiore announced eight features that will appear in Windows Phone 8 and which were demoed on a Nokia-built developer device.
First off is support for multi-core processors, and Microsoft said it is focusing mainly on dual-core devices that will be arriving on shelves later this year.
Windows Phone 8 will support two additional screen resolutions, WXGA at 1280×768 and HD 720p at 1280×720.
“All existing Windows Phone 7 apps will run great with no modification on these new resolutions. The resolution change is invisible to developers,” Belfiore said.
NFC
Internet Explorer 10 is also on board
Another not so surprising feature of Windows Phone 8 is the addition of Nokia Maps, which will replace the Bing mapping service that’s offered now.
Belfiore went on to boast that Windows Phone 8 is ready for business, arriving with encryption and secure boot, LOB App deployment, device management and familiar office apps.
Microsoft announced that Windows Phone 8 will be much more customisable than before, thanks to new resizable widgets and additional colours.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Linus Torvards says:
Linux is the the first operating system that has a single Kernel for every single device (from small systems to supercomputers).
Apple has a separate OS for small devices and computers.
Microsoft is claiming that they are merging the Kernel of phones and PC OS in Windows 8, but they are lying. They are not.
Source: Aalto Talk with Linus Torvalds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&feature=youtu.be&hd=1&t=39m35s
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Surface: Zune 2.0, or a return to past greatness?
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/other/4375802/Microsoft-Surface–Zune-2-0–or-a-return-to-past-greatness-?cid=EDNToday
Zune, for all its warts, revealed a rejuvenated Microsoft willing to take chances and reinvent itself, and was as much the victim of the overall decline of the standalone portable multimedia player market (let’s be honest: the iPod touch is a miniature tablet computer) as any other factor.
The Xbox 360, both in its initial form and courtesy of the more recent Kinect-fueled platform reboot, is a case study of Microsoft’s consumer electronics triumph potential.
And similarly, I suspect that Surface will cement Windows 8′s success (both in an absolute sense and relative to Apple-branded and Google-derived competitors), regardless of how many devices Microsoft ends up directly selling.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Announcing Windows Phone 8
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2012/06/20/announcing-windows-phone-8.aspx
Now it’s time to start telling you about the next exciting chapter of our story: Windows Phone 8. Officially announced this morning in San Francisco, it’s the most advanced mobile OS Microsoft has ever made and will arrive on new phones later this year.
Many of Windows Phone 8’s new capabilities come from a surprising source: Windows
Developers, developers, developers
Since we’re talking about apps, I want to tell developers a little bit about what they can expect in Windows Phone 8. Some of the exciting changes on the way include:
Native code support: Windows Phone 8 has full C and C++ support, making it easier to write apps for multiple platforms more quickly. It also means Windows Phone 8 supports popular gaming middleware such as Havok Vision Engine, Autodesk Scaleform, Audiokinetic Wwise, and Firelight FMOD, as well as native DirectX-based game development.
In-app purchase: In Windows Phone 8 we make it possible for app makers to sell virtual and digital goods within their apps.
Integrated Internet calling: In Windows Phone 8, developers can create VoIP apps that plug into our existing calling feature so Internet calls can be answered like traditional phone calls, using the same calling interface.
Multitasking enhancements. Windows Phone 8 now allows location-based apps like exercise trackers or navigation aids to run in the background, so they keep working even when you’re doing other things on your phone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
With Tablet, Microsoft Takes Aim at Hardware Missteps
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/25/technology/companies/with-tablet-microsoft-takes-aim-at-hardware-missteps.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Around the time the iPad came out more than two years ago, Microsoft executives got an eye-opening jolt about how far Apple would go to gain an edge for its products.
The executives were stunned by how deeply Apple was willing to reach into the global supply chain to secure innovative materials for the iPad and, once it did, to corner the market on those supplies. Microsoft’s executives worried that Windows PC makers were not making the same kinds of bets, the former employee said.
The incident was one of many over the last several years that gradually pushed Microsoft to create its own tablet computer, unveiled last week. The move was the most striking evidence yet of the friction between Microsoft and its partners on the hardware side of the PC business. It is the first time in Microsoft’s almost four-decade history that the company will sell its own computer hardware, competing directly with the PC makers that are the biggest customers for the Windows operating system.
For hardware makers, the PC market has long been a struggle because Microsoft and Intel, maker of the microprocessors that power most computers, have long extracted most of the spoils from the industry, leaving slim profits for the companies that make them. Manufacturers pay hefty fees to license Windows from Microsoft, putting pressure on them to make computers as cheaply as possible using commodity parts.
That, in turn, has limited their ability to take the kinds of risks on hardware innovation that have helped define the iPad.
Some who study the technology industry still believe Microsoft will get out of the business of selling its own tablet computer as soon as it can persuade other hardware companies to build compelling devices of their own. “I think once they jump-start it, they plan to make money the way they always have — from licensing software,” said Michael A. Cusumano, a management professor at M.I.T.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft: Apostasy Or Head Fake?
http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/06/25/microsoft-apostasy-or-head-fake/
After the previous false starts — the moribund Tablet PC and the still-born Courier — Microsoft finally took matters into its own hands. Ballmer & Co. could no longer wait for OEMs to create vehicles worthy of Windows 8’s “reimagined” beauty and function, not while the A-team ran away with the tablet market.
It was a terrific performance that hit all the right notes
47 minutes later, Microsoft has jumped to the head of the tablet race. Yesterday’s laggard is now the Big Dog. Thrilling. I want one — probably the lighter Windows RT model.
The live demo wasn’t fumble-free, as a number of critics have pointlessly pointed out.
Fantasy phone call aside, this is an historic event. Microsoft decides to make its own hardware and, straight out of the gate, unveils two attractive products that combine the best features of tablets and laptops, both supported by the huge Windows ecosystem.
After a few hours, a pattern started to emerge:
- Reviewers who weren’t in attendance, unencumbered by direct experience, were more inclined to view the new products through pre-existing biases and to issue clear-cut predictions.
- The privileged few who were invited to the press event in Los Angeles were more nuanced in their analyses, but with a recurring complaint: They didn’t have an opportunity to use the product for themselves, they were hurried along in small groups to look at non-functioning machines.
With these observations in mind, I took another look at the video and realized how many other important details were omitted from the well-oiled presentation: Price, delivery dates, battery life, wireless connectivity, display resolution (could we have an unequivocal definition of the ClearType HD and ClearType Full HD?).
This leaves us with a list of questions.
First: Why now? Microsoft’s agitprop specialists aren’t new to the game. They know what happens when you show up with less than fully-baked devices and refuse to answer simple, important questions.
Second, the Apostasy question. For decades, the Redmond company has preached the Righteous Way of its OEM ecosystem, the wide range of hardware configurations and prices for its Windows platform. Now Microsoft pulls a 180º, they design and contract/manufacture Surface tablets by themselves, with distribution through the Microsoft Stores and online. That’s a whole different religion.
Why?
Is it because, as one supporter put it, “greedy” OEMs have become “obstacles of innovation”, that “the software giant has bled too much for OEMs far too long”? That’s one way to look at it.
For decades, software generated much higher margins than hardware. Microsoft was admired for its extremely high margins, while Apple was criticized for stubbornly sticking to hardware and its lower profitability
If we simply divide revenues by PCs sold we get about $55 Windows revenues per PC and $68 of Office revenues per PC sold [1]. The total income for Microsoft per PC sold is therefore about $123. If we divide operating income by PCs as well we get $35 per Windows license and $43 per Office license. That’s a total of $78 of operating profit per PC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Most “Reviews” I see on the ‘net are just summaries of what you find in the product folder, nothing more.
Witness Ridicules ‘Hands-On’ Reviews of Surface
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/06/24/1852237/witness-ridicules-hands-on-reviews-of-surface
Hands-Off: Microsoft Surface Tablet Review
http://marketingland.com/hands-off-microsoft-surface-tablet-review-15146
Did I have my hands on a Surface tablet? Yes and here’s why it wasn’t for longer
http://marypcb.livejournal.com/584807.html
Did I get to take a Surface and play with it as much as I wanted to? No, and none of the journalists did. At the Surface sneak peak Microsoft took its caution about Windows RT to the point of caginess; perhaps they hadn’t got out of the habits of secrecy they developed in the underground bunker. Or perhaps it’s because this event was the first public reveal of the Windows RT ‘bet the company’ strategy. For all the talk of a plus PC world rather than a post PC one, even Microsoft can’t deny the impact of the iPad.
Microsoft’s response to the iPad is partly Windows RT and partly Windows 8 tablets and both are too important to leave to the OEMs who’ve been screwing up PCs so badly for the last few years. 83 running processes of crapware and duplicate utilities when you turn on a PC? Please… Windows 8 is a bet the company strategy with classic PCs, tablets, Windows RT tablets, servers and Windows Phone all in the same hand of cards (along with Xbox). No wonder senior Microsoft folk looked reserved and scripted on stage, with Ballmer in an intense rather than an energetic mood.
But this isn’t an Apple-style ‘here it is, buy it’ approach; Microsoft believes in giving everyone notice.
I liked the feel of Surface in my hands; I like the balance of it, the way the 22-degree angles of the edges sit in your hand
Would I write a piece that I called a hands on without touching the device I was covering? No. Am I a bit more persistent about getting my hands on things
Hands on: Microsoft Surface tablet review
Our first look at the new player in the tablet race
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/microsoft-surface-tablet-1085839/review
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft to push Windows Phone 8 smartphone launch to 4Q12
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120621PD222.html?mod=3&q=MICROSOFT
Microsoft will push the launch of Windows Phone 8-based smartphones to the fourth quarter of 2012 with Nokia, HTC, Samsung Electronics and Huawei Device being in the first wave of smartphone vendors to join the Windows Phone 8 club, according to industry sources.
Combined market share of Windows Phone- and Windows Mobile-based models in the global smartphone market currently stands at below 2%, which was lower than the ratio recorded in 2011
A recent decline in growth momentum of Nokia’s Lumia lineup has also deepened the concerns of other branded vendors about jumping into the Windows Phone 8 camp, the sources added.
Although Windows Phone 8 has the advantages of sharing core architecture with Windows 8 and Windows RT, some smartphone vendors are also waiting for Microsoft to reveal more details concerning royalty payments for the new platform and its preferential treatment offered to Nokia which may result in unfair competition, said the sources.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft unveiled Surface after seeing partners’ designs, says analyst
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57460133-92/microsoft-unveiled-surface-after-seeing-partners-designs-says-analyst/
Surface saga continues: PC guys are mad at Microsoft for another reason: not only because Microsoft is now competing against them.
“Microsoft looked at what the [PC makers] were doing, seeing if it could meet their Windows 8 needs and then took action based on that,” he said in a phone interview, citing conversations with — and the sentiment of — senior level executives at top-tier PC makers.
Moorhead continued. “If Microsoft had seen compelling enough plans from [PC makers], they wouldn’t have needed to do this,” referring to the Surface launch.
The problem, of course, is that Microsoft received that confidential information about partners’ products before announcing that it would, in essence, compete against those very same companies.
Information that could potentially be used to Microsoft’s advantage.
Hardware partners include companies like Acer, Asus, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Toshiba, and Sony.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How close is Windows 8 to being ‘done’?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/how-close-is-windows-8-to-being-done/13024
Summary: When will Microsoft christen Windows 8 as being “done”? At this point in the game, no one from Microsoft has stated this in any official capacity.
Believe or not, folks, Microsoft execs still have not said when Windows 8 will be “done.”
“Done,” in this case, can mean either released to manufacturing or made generally available — your call. But in spite of any rumors you’ve read, pundits to whom you’ve cleaved, or partners who claim to be in the know, there’s been no officially sanctioned word.
As the @BuildWindows8 account on Twitter reminded everyone today, the official guidance here is on May 31, Microsoft execs said to expect Microsoft to enter the “final phases” of the RTM process “in about two months.” That’s assuming all is seen as progressing well by Microsoft and its partners.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Acer: Microsoft’s tablet only a temporary project
Acer’s founder estimates from Digi Times release that Microsoft is not quite serious about the project. According to him, Microsoft has a clear goal. When it is completed, Surface-tablet may be waived.
He estimates that Microsoft’s goal is only to promote Windows 8 tablets sale.
Once this has been achieved, Surface can be dispensed with, Shih says Digital Times. Tablet no longer be made in new versions.
Shih advises that Microsoft’s action should be welcomed, as the other manufacturers will benefit from Surface marketing campaign.
Source: http://www.tietokone.fi/uutiset/acer_microsoftin_tabletti_vain_tilapainen_hanke
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft Trying To Woo Businesses To Windows 8
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/06/27/2126208/microsoft-trying-to-woo-businesses-to-windows-8
“corporate IT is deeply suspicious. Over at Microsoft TechEd Europe, the company is gamely trying to explain to enterprises why they should switch, with easy-to-write enterprise apps and the ability to stream server-side x86 apps to Windows RT. Not everyone is convinced”
How Microsoft targets Windows 8 for enterprises
http://www.itworld.com/windows/282637/how-microsoft-targets-windows-8-enterprises
Specialized enterprise apps
Microsoft demoed a Metro-style app that handles patient data in a fictional hospital. It gives an overview of a patient’s status, diagrams (e.g. heart transplants) and even lets the patient use pen input to authorize an operation.
The idea seems to be that by building very easy to use Metro-style apps, the less-tech savyy users (think nurses, secretaries, receptionists, etc.) wouldn’t need to struggle with a full-blown and generally complicated Win32 application.
I’m not sure how many business will actually think about developing a specific Metro-style application. They probably got all their LoB applications from a single provider who’s specialized in their field
The desktop is still there
Microsoft tells businesses that the classic Windows 7 desktop is still there.
Windows To Go
Using a simple wizard, admins can create a full-blown and BitLocker-protected portable version of Windows 8 and put it on a bootable USB stick. Windows To Go runs completely from this USB stick
That’s probably the coolest thing for businesses yet! Unfortunately, it’s only available in Windows 8 Enterprise.
Windows RT to feature “Company Apps” and better business connectivity
Obviously, Windows RT (which can’t run x86 programs) has been declared DOA for businesses. Your IT line-of-business apps just wouldn’t work.
Well, apparently Microsoft doesn’t think so: In tandem with Windows Server 2012, Windows RT devices can connect to a server and use RemoteApp to stream x86 software to ARM devices over the company network
Finally, Microsoft revealed its “Company Apps” side-loading feature which admins could use to distribute corporate Metro-style apps to Windows RT devices.
RemoteApp is a great workaround for ARM machines, but it all depends on IT’s willingness to deploy Windows Server 2012 alongside Windows RT devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ARM Versus x86: Which Will Achieve Windows Success?
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/other/4376403/ARM-Versus-x86–Which-Will-Achieve-Windows-Success-?cid=EDNToday
Rumor has it that pricing for Surface with Windows RT will begin at $599, while that for Surface with Windows 8 Professional will start at $999 (the entry-level New iPad is $499, albeit with half the resident storage of the Windows RT alternative). Rumor also has it that Surface with Windows RT runs on a Nvidia Tegra 3 SoC variant, while Surface with Windows 8 Professional is powered by an Intel “Ivy Bridge” Core i5 CPU. Note, by the way, that Microsoft has not yet released battery life estimates for either system.
Supposedly, Surface with Windows RT will be available commensurate with the Windows RT RTM (release to manufacturing), which it bears noting is not necessarily (nor likely, given the comparatively low-key and undeveloped Windows RT presence at the recent Computex show) the same as the Windows 8 RTM (which is supposedly September-ish). To wit, Surface with Windows 8 Professional will begin shipping 3 months after Windows 8 RTM
And here’s one final unverified rumor; first-generation Surface units will reportedly be Wi-Fi only, with no option for a built-in cellular data transceiver.
On that point, by the way, while I have little doubt that Microsoft has a just-in-case “Office for iOS” build in development, I highly doubt that the company will bring it to market … unless Windows RT is a flat-out failure.
Getting back to my Surface-vs-Surface comparison, if you’re willing to tote a slightly thicker and heavier form factor, as well as pay a few hundred dollars more for the privilege, Windows 8 will give you access to a full range of x86-compiled Windows applications that the Windows RT variant can’t comprehend, including the ability to use browsers other than Internet Explorer … along with a higher-resolution display, a beefier allocation of resident storage, the ability to access a larger amount of microSD expansion capacity, USB 3 connectivity, etc.
Getting back to my Surface-vs-Surface comparison, if you’re willing to tote a slightly thicker and heavier form factor, as well as pay a few hundred dollars more for the privilege, Windows 8 will give you access to a full range of x86-compiled Windows applications that the Windows RT variant can’t comprehend, including the ability to use browsers other than Internet Explorer … along with a higher-resolution display, a beefier allocation of resident storage, the ability to access a larger amount of microSD expansion capacity, USB 3 connectivity, etc.
But there’s at least one other hardware variant not represented in Microsoft’s current Surface public plans that greatly intrigues me. Intel’s “Medfield” 32-nm Atom-based SoC has proven itself an able competitor to mainstream ARM-based SoCs in a number of recent tests. Note that Intel also has a higher-end tablet-targeted model, called Clover Trail, available in sample form and slated for production late this year commensurate with the Windows 8 launch. And by this time next year, the company plans to be shipping samples of its first 22-nm-fabricated Atom SoCs.
Perhaps obviously, Intel is highly motivated to establish a beachhead of iPad-targeting competitors based on Clover Trail and its 22-nm successor. Such systems would presumably be comparable in form factor, weight and performance to Surface with Windows RT, although still performance- and hardware feature set-differentiated from Surface with Windows 8 Professional.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows 8 Upgrade Plans Unveiled — Legacy OS Users Won’t Be Totally Hosed
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/06/windows-8-upgrade/
People looking to upgrade to Windows 8 this fall are thirsty for details. How will the process work, and what’s the deal for each specific legacy version, from Windows 7 to Windows Vista to (gasp) even Windows XP? Apparently, Microsoft is already sending some partners Windows 8 upgrade details, according to ZDNet sources.
We already know that people purchasing Windows 7 devices between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013 will be able to get Windows 8 Pro as a $15 upgrade.
As for the rest of PC users — even those still on Windows XP — here’s what’s in store.
If you want to upgrade to the consumer version of Windows 8, you’ll be able to keep all of your existing settings, files, and applications only if you’re upgrading from Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Home Premium.
And, finally, for a Windows 8 Enterprise upgrade, users with Windows 8 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise will be able to keep all of their existing settings, files, and applications.
If you’re running Windows Vista or Windows XP, don’t worry. You’ll still be able to get Windows 8. But there is bad news: Windows Vista and XP users will only be able to maintain personal files — that is, settings and applications will have to start off fresh
The company, however, has yet to announce pricing details on most upgrade options.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Microsoft Killed the Windows Start Button
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/06/28/1656240/why-microsoft-killed-the-windows-start-button
“Microsoft claims it took the controversial decision to remove the Start button from the traditional Windows desktop because people had stopped using it. The lack of a Start button on the Windows 8 desktop has been one of the most divisive elements of the new user interface, and was widely assumed to have made way for the Metro Start screen.”
Why Microsoft killed the Windows Start button
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/375550/why-microsoft-killed-the-windows-start-button
The lack of a Start button on the Windows 8 desktop has been one of the most divisive elements of the new user interface. It had been widely assumed that Microsoft removed the Start button to force people to familiarise themselves with the new Metro Start screen, which is the centrepiece of the Windows 8 overhaul. However, speaking to PC Pro at TechEd in Amsterdam, a senior Microsoft executive told us that the old Start menu had already fallen out of favour with users of Windows 7.
“We’d seen the trend in Windows 7,”
“When we evolved the taskbar we saw awesome adoption of pinning [applications] on the taskbar. We are seeing people pin like crazy. And so we saw the Start menu usage dramatically dropping”
Tomi says:
Windows 8 operating system to supply the company’s partners, mainly original equipment manufacturers will begin in August.
Windows 8 arrives on shops in October.
Source:
http://www.tietoviikko.fi/msareena/msuutiset/kaikkiareenauutiset/windows+8n+aikataulu+tarkentui++kumppanit+saavat+elokuussa/a821661?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-11072012&
Tomi says:
Microsoft Is In Serious Danger Of Flying Straight Into A Mountain With Windows 8
The critics who have been using Windows 8 are extremely negative on the new look and feel of the operating system:
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-8-has-bad-reviews-heres-why-it-matters-2012-6#ixzz21ytADXF9
“A Gartner analyst made headlines after describing Windows 8 desktop as: ‘in a word: bad.’ After web reaction, including one story asking why anyone bothers to listen to the consultancy firm anymore”
http://it.slashdot.org/story/12/07/24/1224220/gartner-analyst-retracts-windows-8-is-bad-claim
Windows 8 nears the finish line: What’s good, what’s bad
Microsoft lifts the Windows 8 kimono one last time before the finish line. Here are the improvements and inconsistencies
http://www.infoworld.com/d/microsoft-windows/windows-8-nears-the-finish-line-whats-good-whats-bad-195127
Tomi says:
Microsoft’s Lost Decade
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/2012/08/microsoft-lost-mojo-steve-ballmer
Once upon a time, Microsoft dominated the tech industry; indeed, it was the wealthiest corporation in the world. But since 2000, as Apple, Google, and Facebook whizzed by, it has fallen flat in every arena it entered: e-books, music, search, social networking, etc., etc. Talking to former and current Microsoft executives, Kurt Eichenwald finds the fingers pointing at C.E.O. Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates’s successor, as the man who led them astray.
As for announcements of quantum leaps into the technological future: nothing.
The media response was dismal—the company’s last presentation, a prominent blogger wrote, was a “cruel joke.”
Microsoft’s low-octane swan song was nothing if not symbolic of more than a decade littered with errors, missed opportunities, and the devolution of one of the industry’s innovators into a “me too” purveyor of other companies’ consumer products. Over those years, inconsequential pip-squeaks and onetime zombies—Google, Facebook, Apple—roared ahead, transforming the social-media-tech experience, while a lumbering Microsoft relied mostly on pumping out Old Faithfuls such as Windows, Office, and servers for its financial performance.
Amid a dynamic and ever changing marketplace, Microsoft—which declined to comment for this article—became a high-tech equivalent of a Detroit car-maker, bringing flashier models of the same old thing off of the assembly line even as its competitors upended the world. Most of its innovations have been financial debacles or of little consequence to the bottom line.
Tomi says:
Valve’s Gabe Newell on the Future of Games, Wearable Computers, Windows 8 and More
http://allthingsd.com/20120725/valves-gabe-newell-on-the-future-of-games-wearable-computers-windows-8-and-more/
Newell, who spent 13 years at Microsoft working on Windows, is not well-known outside of the videogame industry, but the company Valve he has built in Bellevue, Wash., cannot be overlooked.
“I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we’ll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people. If that’s true, then it will be good to have alternatives to hedge against that eventuality.
“We think touch is short-term. The mouse and keyboard were stable for 25 years, but I think touch will be stable for 10 years. Post-touch will be stable for a really long time, longer than 25 years.
Tomi says:
Windows 8 is now ready and in production.
According to Microsoft, the first pilot users to try the new system 15. August.
Windows 8 is released to dealers for distribution in early September.
Winbeta.org site claims that Windows 8 is already available in the “wild version” on some file sharing sites.
Source:
http://m.tietoviikko.fi/Uutiset/Windows+8+tulee+pian+myyntiin+-+%22villiversio%22+levi%C3%A4%C3%A4+jo
Tomi says:
Microsoft confirmed Friday that it rejected the Metro name by which it has called the new Windows 8 UI for more than a year. The company’s internal memo, the name change is the result of “discussions with a European partner,” which forced the name change, The Verge website revealed.
Source: http://m.tietoviikko.fi/Uutiset/T%C3%A4m%C3%A4n+takia+Microsoft+hylk%C3%A4si+Metro-nimen
Tomi says:
The largest PC manufacturer Acer calls within Microsoft, so it still would consider your own Surface-tablet publication. Acer’s CEO says the Financial Times newspaper that Microsoft’s own tablet caused “a huge negative impact.” Acer threat to Microsoft from the consequences.
“If Microsoft moves to the manufacture of equipment, what should we do? Should we continue to use Microsoft, or should we look for other options?”
Source: http://www.tietokone.fi/uutiset/acer_vaatii_microsoftia_peruuttamaan_surface_tabletin
Tomi says:
Microsoft: It’s not Metro, it’s Windows 8
That clears everything up then
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/09/metro_to_be_called_windows8/
Microsoft has racked its collective brains to come up with a replacement name for what it had formerly called its Metro user interface, and after much deliberation, its new moniker will reportedly be … Windows 8.
The switch should help quell some of the confusion Microsoft caused last Friday when it declared that it was dropping the word “Metro” from its vocabulary, after having repeated it almost incessantly since the first details of Windows 8 were announced.
Microsoft has tried to spin the change by claiming that Metro had only been a code name used by developers all along, and that it had never intended to use the term with the general public. But rumor has it that Redmond was forced to make the change when it failed to come to terms with giant German retailer Metro Group, which owns the Metro trademark.
Even the Windows Phone UI, which was where the name Metro first appeared to describe Redmond’s new design sense, will be known as a Windows 8-style UI going forward.
Tomi says:
Microsoft RTMs final Windows 8 and Server 2012 code
Shuts the gate on final changes
1st August 2012 17:37 GMT
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/01/windows8_rtm/
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 8 and Server 2012 have gone RTM and the final code is now in the hands of OEMs, ready to be tested and installed onto new systems.
Tomi says:
CowboyNeal Weighs In On the Windows 8 “Metro” GUI
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/08/09/1417210/cowboyneal-weighs-in-on-the-windows-8-metro-gui
With the availability of RTM builds of Windows 8 this past week, it’s become clear that at least for the initial release, they won’t be providing a way to disable the controversial new “Windows 8 style UI,” formerly known as “Metro.” While I think this issue is a long way from being fully resolved one way or the other, it will be something that will hound both the release and adoption of Windows 8.
By far, the most visible new “feature” in Windows 8, is it’s new UI, which takes inspiration from smart phone and tablet devices. The old start menu is now full-screened, with large icons for all apps, and apps run in full-screen by default, changing a desktop PC into a very large tablet minus touchscreen with a keyboard and mouse added on.
This is a sharp turn for Microsoft from their previous UIs. Aero, found in both Windows Vista and Windows 7, allowed users to disable it if they didn’t agree with it’s aesthetic, or wanted to reallocate the memory from the UI to applications.
It’s this difference that’s key here. For companies that have Windows deployments with hundreds or thousands of seats, changing the way a Windows UI works is not an option. Regardless of how easy to use the Windows 8 UI may be, it’s still not the same as what users have been trained to use since 1995.
With no clear path to turn it off as there is with Aero, it also makes it more likely that administrators around the world are less apt to adopt Windows 8 quickly.
Windows 8 has already suffered from its share of bad press even before the official release.
Sure, undoubtedly some third party will create a drop-in shell replacement eventually. That’s been done in past versions and will likely be done again for Windows 8.
Tomi says:
Microsoft: It was never ‘Metro,’ it was always ‘Modern UI’
A bit of search and replace should sort this out
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/10/metro_is_modern_ui_now/
After another long night at the whiteboard, the deep thinkers at Microsoft’s marketing department have come up with a new replacement for the verboten word “Metro.”
From now on, it seems, the blocky, touch-centric user interface of Windows 8′s new Start Menu will be known as the “Modern UI.” Apps written to take advantage of the new UI features will be known as “Modern UI-style apps.”
On Thursday it emerged that Microsoft was planning to use the term “Windows 8″ to replace Metro in consumer marketing materials. The “Modern UI” term appears to be intended for developers who plan to build software based on Redmond’s new design principles.
If Microsoft was forced to drop the name Metro because of a trademark dispute, as rumor has it, is the phrase “Modern UI” unique enough that Microsoft can trademark it?
Tomi says:
Nvidia signs a deal with Lenovo for a Windows 8 RT device
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2198150/nvidia-signs-deal-with-lenovo-for-windows-8-rt-device
CHIP DESIGNER Nvidia has signed a deal with Chinese computer maker Lenovo for a device running an ARM-based version of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system (OS).
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 chip will power a Windows RT device developed by Lenovo that converts from a notebook into a tablet.
Lenovo said it “does not comment on rumour or speculation” when approached for comment.
Lenovo announced on Thursday that its first Windows 8 tablet will be available in the US in October.