The direction of Windows

[TheGrantFitz]

Windows is heading in the mobile direction, with under powered mobile PCs for outrageous prices. RT makes me shiver, and the next OS could even force me to a Mac.

But then again, begging for a start menu won't bring it back. MS isn't accepting the idea, and 8 would look strange without metro and the flattened look.

Officially, we're not getting aero. The point of buying 16 GB of RAM has been ruined, other than for gaming. People have gone out of there way for aero graphic cards. But why?

Is it going to get better, or worse?

TheGrantFitz
:winkey:

PS: I loved 8 in every beta, but where is my eye-candy?

 

[pparks1]

If you bought 16gb of ram for gaming, than that is sad.

 

[phailyoor]

16GB of ram is for stuff like photoshop and matlab. Consumer graphics cards are for games. Workstation graphics cards are for cad/compute/photoshop/whatever. Aero for windows 7 will run on any new not very nice laptop now, with almost no memory or graphical overhead. Totally miss the eye candy though.

 

[cluberti]

Those "under powered mobile PCs" have pretty expensive screens and rather expensive, thin, and large batteries on them - the parts that actually matter to most business persons and everyday consumers alike (what does it look like and can I stare at it for a long time, oh and how long can it stay on before I have to plug in again). If you consider that a decent smartphone actually costs the handset manufacturer a few hundred US dollars a unit to design and manufacture, and those are then sold for more by carriers (either up front off-contract or over time with a phone/data plan), getting a computing device that can do those everyday tasks with a relatively easy on the eyes (and larger) screen with a battery that puts out a charge for 8-10 hours (and doesn't weigh a metric ton) is not that unimpressive.

But I think as a whole we've slowly been conditioned that these "tablet thingies" should cost around 200 USD simply because they use lower-powered RISC devices rather than the traditional screaming CISC design, without realizing what that means in terms of build quality, component quality, design goals, and other limitations at the bottom, is where that perception and reality start to diverge into oblivion. For example, I don't use a Kindle fire to do anything but read eBooks and play the odd game when I grab it off the table, but I wouldn't take it with me to try and do work on when I'm at a customer, have it be good enough to do that compared to a laptop 3x it's size and weight, and then still have the capability and battery life to also survive the 4 hour plane ride home while I use it to watch a movie, finish up the day's reports, and have a quick go at browsing the internet (with some juice to spare, no less).

It's OK for anyone out there to feel like somehow the devices like the Surface and other Win8 or WinRT tablet/convertible designs are overpriced and that they are somehow getting screwed at the register during check-out, but it doesn't make it a reality.

 

[SIW2]

I don't know about the manufacturing costs in that industry.

However, I did read mini ipad costs about $49 to make.

There are a lot mark ups after that.

Whatever it is, it is a fraction of the retail price.

 

[jbfoster]

Just about every thing is over priced these days.

 

[area 66]

Just about every thing is over priced these days.

I don't agree, computers are cheap these day, I remember the day a floppy drive was the price of a recent notebook. A 22" monitor is $ 100 - 120, this is very cheap. A DVDRW is $ 16 , did you see the parts in a dvdrw ?

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Just about every thing is over priced these days.

I don't agree, computers are cheap these day, I remember the day a floppy drive was the price of a recent notebook. A 22" monitor is $ 100 - 120, this is very cheap. A DVDRW is $ 16 , did you see the parts in a dvdrw ?

Most items are overpriced because of inflation these days. It's eating all of us alive.

But when it comes to electronics, it starts out a little high, but drops after a short time. Here's an exert from Wikipedia on the first desktop PC:

The Programma 101 was the first commercial "desktop computer". Produced by Italian manufacturer Olivetti, it was launched at the 1964 New York World's Fair, volume production started in 1965. A futuristic design for its time, the Programma 101 was priced at $3,200 ($23,000 if adjusted to 2011). About 44,000 units were sold, primarily in the US.

 

[phailyoor]

A 24'' IPS cost $300-500 4 years ago. A 24'' IPS costs $300-$500 today. Steady march of progress, right?(end unrelated monitor rant)

It's OK for anyone out there to feel like somehow the devices like the Surface and other Win8 or WinRT tablet/convertible designs are overpriced and that they are somehow getting screwed at the register during check-out, but it doesn't make it a reality.

A WinRT tablet has almost arguably inferior hardware to the iPad, and has practically equivalent hardware with cheaper Android tabs. But since it's running "windows," I'm not getting screwed over at all.....

 

[Kebero]

Windows is heading in the mobile direction, with under powered mobile PCs for outrageous prices. RT makes me shiver, and the next OS could even force me to a Mac.

But then again, begging for a start menu won't bring it back. MS isn't accepting the idea, and 8 would look strange without metro and the flattened look.

Officially, we're not getting aero. The point of buying 16 GB of RAM has been ruined, other than for gaming. People have gone out of there way for aero graphic cards. But why?

Is it going to get better, or worse?

TheGrantFitz
:winkey:

PS: I loved 8 in every beta, but where is my eye-candy?

OSX and iOS are merging as well. Furthermore, with few exceptions, it won't be long before 'desktop computing' as we know it is gone, replaced by devices connecting to either public or private clouds. As things stand now, Citrix, Microsoft and VMware all have technologies which allow a server to handle the graphics processing for a remote desktop instance.

 

[area 66]

that's what I call the cloud terminals conspiracy. Conspiracy because they plan to rent everything we gone use. If it's not pay per usage.

 

[TheGrantFitz]

OS X and iOS are merging as well. Furthermore, with few exceptions, it won't be long before 'desktop computing' as we know it is gone, replaced by devices connecting to either public or private clouds. As things stand now, Citrix, Microsoft and VMware all have technologies which allow a server to handle the graphics processing for a remote desktop instance.

This, is the mobile revolution

 

[Coke Robot]

Windows RT tablets, so far, have better hardware than the ipad. The only thing that is arguable there is the retina display, which I think I might sue apple for using that name as my body does not approve. The Surface RT has a quad core processor and two gigs of RAM along with expandable storage. The ipad does not. For a base of 500, the Surface is WAY better of a deal than the ipad, which is all honesty just the ipod touch x 4. Speaking of such, the Surface RT itself only costs roughly 270 to build, the touch cover is like 16 dollars. So Microsoft is actually getting some money off the tablets themselves and KILLER profit off of the touch cover.

I call BS on touch PCs in general, especially mobile touch PCs. The average price of a Windows 7 PC at its launch is much lower than the average Windows 8 PC is now. Seriously, it's a tad difficult to find a touch enabled laptop under 1,000 dollars. Yet, touch AIOs are around 800 for better hardware specs. There is some serious markup going on here, as I'm still betting that OEMs are making the argument that their Windows 8 PCs are both tablets and laptops and therefore can charge a higher price that is lower than buying the two separately.

But as for the future of Windows and eye candy, I'd like more metro eye candy. I want more digital motion, and just more modern ooze throughout. Glassy window frames that take up less than 10 percent of the total UI is irrelevant to me. I was using 7 the other day and I felt weird. The window UI controls glowed when I hovered over them, everything glowed, there were these gradient like textures on something that is meant to look like glass. It was just strange that this was the latest cool thing years ago. Honestly, I really don't really think Microsoft originally intended Aero design to be means of focusing less on the window chrome itself and more on the content of said window, seems more like to keep up with mac os more or less. After using Windows 8 for all this time and going back and using 7, I found myself looking more at the window chrome than anything. Maybe I was just dumbstruck by the faux design or something. With Windows 8 however, I've found I notice the window chrome less and less. Odd.

Now I have to say, if you were running vista and had 16 gigs of RAM, that would be understandable as vista was radioactive pit of poo that even the developers that built vista didn't even run it on their personal machines. Even still with Windows 7, 16 gigs of RAM to run Aero is WAY overkill as they made the DWM more efficient and therefore use less VRAM and system RAM. I once ran 7 in a VM that only used one underclocked core of my CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and I believe I only dedicated 16 MB for video RAM. Aero worked fine as well as Windows itself. I think I also did that on the host system and set my motherboard's dedicated VRAM allocation to be 32 MB, worked great. It seems as long as the WDDM driver was current, Aero would work.

 

[pparks1]

The hardware might be better in the surface, but it doesn't have the cool factor, the app ecosystem and will be hindered by the Windows name...that some find synonymous with crashes, viruses, spyware and malware.

 

[Coke Robot]

The Surface might not have a cool factor, yet. It's single handedly been the talk of the tech town since the past summer. Everyone that knows of it would consider it for a tablet. Shoot, it's designed WAY cooler than the ipad and this is without the bias. A built in kickstand is something that has been needed for phablets. A good and convenient is real desired. Even on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when they had a segment about new gadgets coming out and the Surface was shown off, there was a remark that went, "It's like an ipad but better! This was the people need!" That was just about the kickstand. Most people that see the Windows name might associate it with crashes, viruses and other STDs; but most will associate it with work and getting things done. No one goes to best buy in search of a PC to walk out with an ipad, and if you do; you probably will end up with buyer's regret and depression after spending hundreds of dollars of add-ons just to make it act more like a PC; only finally to find out that there was a more cost effective tablet PC running Windows 8. App ecosystem isn't like the ipad, but the Surface carries the Windows name; of which developers pay attention to. Windows is Windows, and Windows is synonymous with apps and developers. It's a time value-added product. Even the iphone's app store started out with only a mere hundreds of apps. Now look at it. Same will happen with Windows 8.

Are Swiss Army knives considered cool?

 

[area 66]

The Surface might not have a cool factor, yet. It's single handedly been the talk of the tech town since the past summer.

Ya people was interested until they see the price, I know a reviewer on a well know forum , who can't wait to have one, when he see the price, he don't even want to make a review.

Are Swiss Army knives considered cool?

This is one of the coolest thing on the market and if you ask me , not that helpful

 

[Kebero]

that's what I call the cloud terminals conspiracy. Conspiracy because they plan to rent everything we gone use. If it's not pay per usage.

You aren't that familiar with the concepts of cloud computing, are you?
Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Board Express

 

[area 66]

You aren't that familiar with the concepts of cloud computing, are you?

so you gone explain me ...

I think a few people here don't understand the purposes of Hyper-V and VMware Workstation.

seem you are good to say peoples don't know anything, but you don't care to explain why.

 

[pparks1]

The Surface might not have a cool factor, yet. It's single handedly been the talk of the tech town since the past summer. Everyone that knows of it would consider it for a tablet. Shoot, it's designed WAY cooler than the ipad and this is without the bias. A built in kickstand is something that has been needed for phablets. A good and convenient is real desired. Even on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when they had a segment about new gadgets coming out and the Surface was shown off, there was a remark that went, "It's like an ipad but better! This was the people need!" That was just about the kickstand. Most people that see the Windows name might associate it with crashes, viruses and other STDs; but most will associate it with work and getting things done. No one goes to best buy in search of a PC to walk out with an ipad, and if you do; you probably will end up with buyer's regret and depression after spending hundreds of dollars of add-ons just to make it act more like a PC; only finally to find out that there was a more cost effective tablet PC running Windows 8. App ecosystem isn't like the ipad, but the Surface carries the Windows name; of which developers pay attention to. Windows is Windows, and Windows is synonymous with apps and developers. It's a time value-added product. Even the iphone's app store started out with only a mere hundreds of apps. Now look at it. Same will happen with Windows 8.

Are Swiss Army knives considered cool?

But yet I don't know anybody personally that has one and aside from talk about the product, I don't know anybody with any plans to buy one either.

 

[Kebero]

You aren't that familiar with the concepts of cloud computing, are you?

so you gone explain me ...

I think a few people here don't understand the purposes of Hyper-V and VMware Workstation.

seem you are good to say peoples don't know anything, but you don't care to explain why.

Because my inner snark is getting a bit sick of FUD, conspiracy theories, or people griping about products not working 'properly' when they are being used for the purposes other than what they intended.

Cloud computing isn't some grand scheme to slowly drain money out of people's pockets. It's a natural evolution of an increasingly interconnected world. The nature of computing is shifting - things are becoming distributed across networks of various sorts. Google Docs, Office 365, webmail, SkyDrive & Dropbox are all various facets of cloud computing, and they aren't all 'rent my space' or 'pay to use me.' Yes, Office 365 has a subscription fee, but you also have the option of buying the stand-alone version of Office or using Office for free via SkyDrive or Google Docs. I can guarantee you that companies like Microsoft and Terramark also keep their data centres secured. They aren't just going to have servers someone can randomly get into whenever they want. This doesn't even begin to address the concept of a private cloud, where a company's internal data centre handles the distributed computing.