“Microsoft Corp. needs to shed its image as the world’s biggest purveyor of workplace software and draw on its success selling the Xbox gaming console if it wants a shot at introducing a tablet to challenge Apple Inc.’s iPad,” Aaron Ricadela, Dina Bass and Cliff Edwards report for Bloomberg.
“Microsoft is expected to preview a company-branded tablet at an event in Los Angeles today, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the plans aren’t public,” Ricadela, Bass and Edwards report. “The devices may run Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 8, and different versions may be powered by either processors based on designs from ARM Holdings Plc or x86 chips from Intel Corp., the people said.”
Ricadela, Bass and Edwards report, “As the primary pitchman for its own tablets, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft needs to assemble a compelling lineup of applications at an attractive price, which may be tough given the least expensive current iPad sells for $499. That’s been impossible for challengers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Research In Motion Ltd. that have tried to compete with Apple in the tablet market, estimated to reach $78.7 billion this year.”
“Even as companies including Amazon.com Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. release new tablets running Google Inc.’s Android operating system, Apple’s iPad continues to dominate the market,” Ricadela, Bass and Edwards report. “IDC predicts the iPad will account for 62.5 percent of global shipments this year, up from 58.2 percent last year. Apple’s share could rise even further if it introduces a smaller, less expensive tablet… Tablets based on Microsoft’s Windows operating system have struggled since their initial release in 2002. The company’s current market share? Zero, according to Gartner.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft Corp. needs to shed its image as the world’s biggest purveyor of regurgitated Apple Inc. ideas reconstituted into upside-down and backwards half-assery. There, fixed that first sentence for you.
Eine volk, eine Reich, eine iPad, mien Fuhrer.
Auf richtigem Deutsch heißt es so:
Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein iPad, mein Führer.
U and ü are two different vowels. If you mean to say schwül (stuffy) but you say schwul (gay), you may get unexpected results.
Nowadays you have to ask grampa what it was like during the Diktatur 70 years ago, if he still has his memory, so kudos for remembering that. Remember Kraft durch Freude, Kinder Küche Kirche, and Heim ins Reich, and the parody of the third one, Heim, uns reicht’s?
Vorsprung durch technik ist bereits vergeben.
DU! DU HAST!! DU HAST NICHT!!!
Okay, so I don’t know any German…
——-RM
Who cares.
plagues like anal.ysts
das macht nichts
How many fans on the business professional level x86 tablet?
like where the story states “…the least expensive current iPad sells for $499. That’s been impossible for challengers….” So much for the so called Apple Tax.
“Micro-soft branded Tablet” ? Is that like for the opposite effect of a tablet of Viagra?
Yep, I suggest they call it Mr. floppy.
It has a floppy drive?
Isn’t the least expensive iPad $399 for an iPad 2?
“The devices may run Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 8, and different versions may be powered by either processors based on designs from ARM Holdings Plc or x86 chips from Intel Corp., the people said.”
Or maybe none of the above.
Clueless anal-ysts.
“Microsoft needs to assemble a compelling lineup of applications at an attractive price, which may be tough given the least expensive current iPad sells for $499.”
If Msft’s new tablet doesn’t have a retina-sharp display, it’ll need to beat the $399 price of iPad2.
+1
Yeah I caught that too, you can tell the author is a MS lapdog by his use of the term “current iPad” to cover his ass. MS will bring a half assed, bizaro tablet (superman reference) and all the MS lapdog press will herald it as the best thing since sliced bread and $100 less expensive than the “current iPad” even though it won’t in reality even be competitive with the $399 iPad 2.
Just like they did with every Zune product announcement. Let me ask you zune owners how did listening to the lapdog tech press advice work for you on that purchase?
Microsoft is a huge company with deep pockets to subsidize products until they take hold. They do have talented engineers, but not a lot of creative vision as a company. When they do come up with a tablet, it will have a modest success. Enough to keep them going for a while. It is 50/50 as to whether it will eventually gain ground or go the way of the Zune.
On another point…
Unfortunately, when MobileMe gets shuttered in 2 weeks sp basic functionality will be lost.
However, there is a movement to save some of the soon-to-be-lost features. Check out this link. Just use in the poll to register your vote.
— http://savemefeatures.wordpress.com/
MS is in real trouble skippy. Though they do still have -a few- talented people working there, most of the really talented people have either become frustrated with the totally inept management and structure or have at least seen the writing on the wall and sought higher ground. Thier organization is such a mess it would truly amazing if they could actually produce anything even slightly worthwhile at this point.
Without decades old legacy (and entrenched) products like office and NT (post 98 windows) MS would likely be a dead company walking right now. (like what their management has done to Nokia)
You should read this,
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-xbox-720-presentation-2012-6#-36
Microsofts plan to take over the living room.
While it sound boring but powerful, it also sounds like their magical tablet that never happened, ?? Courier??
Love the MDN take! 🙂
Vapourware. Here’s a 3D pre-rendered video of what the M-pad will look like. Due 1Q 2013….. Yadada heard that before.
You mean like the MS Courier tablet?
Well I, for one, am thrilled that Microsoft is going to preview an example of a device they might someday build, or at least are thinking about. Excitement abounds!
The problem with being excited about Microsoftian announcements is that the anticipation slowly drains your life force over the years you are forced to wait, until such projects are shelved, or they are released and turn out to be scheiß.
Then you just say, “blah blah blah I can’t hear you!”, And get excited about the next thing ms pretends to be making.
To be named Me2 and MeToo where MeToo is for professionals—professional sheep.
zune tablet = zeblat. (similar to the sound of a bug hitting the windshield)
Hilarious onomatopoetic reference. I love “zeblat!” I’m going to find way to introduce it into everyday conversations now thanks to you, MM!
The equivalent of the Home Premium edition would be named MeToo2 (introduced on stage by Steve Ballmer in a pink Tutu; don’t sit in the cheaper seats…)
God, first MM and his “zeblat” and now the imagery and imagined crotch odor of Ballmer dancing around in a pink tutu. Don’t sit too close to the stage or you’ll be overcome by the stench.
Thanks hannaja for capping MightyMouth’s comment! I love you guys..,
They should partner with McDonalds instead. Imagine a Windows 8 tablet in every Happy Meal. Sales would be through the roof!
I’m holding out for the Steve Ballmer action figure
Yes, it throws chairs and sweats profusely (sweat not included; to be added by child – for extra gross effect).
Does it “squirt” ??? Does it come with a cute little “squircle” in some out of the way place?
[okay, sorry for the gutter allusions…]
> which may be tough given the least expensive current iPad sells for $499.
The iPad 2 is MORE “current” than any other tablet on the market, except for “The New iPad.” And it sells for $399. Microsoft might as well call their tablet the “Zune Plus.”
And that “Zune Plus” will be version 1.0. Is anyone these days to buy any 1.0 product from Microsoft?
Or maybe MS will do like they did when the NT was first released with a version moniker of 3.1 (plain Windows was then at 3.1.) But to quote The Who, “We won’t get fooled again”.
Google acquires Motorola. Microsoft pursues control of both software AND hardware, as well? Hardware partners must be worried… Apple ended licensing of its OS long ago, and was ridiculed just as they were when they announced the iPhone.
Now it appears that slow and stead IS winning the race…
I think once again, MS will try to buy themselves into a market by “selling” a tablet that they’ll lose money on. They’ll tout how Apple’s too expensive, etc. They should just call it the Zune Tablet. Or, more likely, the MS Windows 8 Tablet for Mobile 7″ or something equally awful.
I remember we all thought they would do this with the Zune, and they never did. It was plenty expensive, even though they wanted into that marketplace.
Exactly how many other companies have declared profits from selling tablet computers ?
As far as I am aware, the list only has one name – Apple.
I don’t see Microsoft changing this particular statistic. Furthermore, look at the massive sums that some companies have pissed away on failed tablets and then start thinking about why they did it. My explanation was that it was a “me too” project driven by bravado, rather than driven by a sound business idea.
Microsoft has all the right qualities ( idiotic management and no financial discipline ) to make an even more spectacular loss on tablets than we’ve ever seen before.
Here comes the Zune part 2
du da du du du, and it’s all wrong.*
*apologies to the late George Harrison.
Ha, struggled … Oh boy o boy have they have struggled!
It will be wonderful for the user. The software will give a BSOD while the hardware will give the RROD. A perfect combination of excellence and quality.
This is looking like another Microsoft event to hype a nonexistent product. The message will be, “Enterprise, stop buying those iPads because we will have a great product for you real soon now. Really, we will. Here’s a video of a demo of what it could be, maybe. So, cancel those iPads orders!”
Can’t wait to find out how much vapor they’re going to try and blow. Also, if the Head Bullsh**ter Ballmer is presenting – it will be EPIC!!!
Real Soon Now (shades of Byte’s Jerry Pournelle). Exactly. Only problem is, that manipulation routine doesn’t seem to work anymore. Now, it’s just theater, with people looking forward to the latest Ballmerian farce, sure to be good for a few laughs, or for a new dance craze.
Perhaps they can use the tagline, “amateur hour is over. “
Xbox, a success! Yes after years and years of losses in billion and device failure year after year, it’s finally a success! What company is willing to blow wads of cashola to win a market? Microsoft right?
Hmm… maybe MS will call it the xPad or something…
or perhaps “xSlate” or “xTab” – Microsoft products could be to the letter “x” what Apple products were to the letter “i”
Announcement. Microsoft’s Steve Bomber introduces the product that his retail stores have been waiting for.
Announcement. Microsoft’s Steve Bomber introduces the product that his retail stores have been waiting for.
In ye olden days of Ohio Scientific and Altair, everything was vertically integrated. Microsoft introduced a new model of separating the OS from the hardware when it sold MS-DOS 5 to the general public instead of to OEMs.
Apple still sees the OS as a component of the overall product. Apple is not using a peculiar business model or even a new one. Apple shows that sometimes older is better.
I disagree with the first premise but agree with the second. The original hobby computers had virtually no operating systems at all (toggle in Machine code line by line) The first widespread operating system was CP/M (and was the one MS stole for the original MS-DOS) It was offered on a multitude of different hardware and used widely by both hobbyists and in business. Though because Apple II offered a far better and more integrated platform for both software and hardware add ons, the original “killer app” visicalc was developed originally for the Apple II. Though visicalc was later ported to CP/M, it (CP/M) never recovered from the one two punch of Visicalc on the Apple II and Gates stealing the code and cutting the deal for the OS to the original IBM PC
And so, the beginning of the end for Microsoft & Steve Ballmer begins…
Windows 8 has reached a point where they will show a real tablet today. Will it be any good? Probably not.