“The release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is a week away, and consumers are in for a shock. Windows, used in one form or another for a generation, is getting a completely different look that will force users to learn new ways to get things done,” Peter Svensson reports for The Associated Press. “Judging by the reactions of some people who have tried the PC version, it’s a move that risks confusing and alienating customers.”
“The question is whether the new version, which can be run on tablets and smartphones, along with the traditional PC, can satisfy the needs of both types of users,” Svensson reports. “‘I am very worried that Microsoft may be about to shoot itself in the foot spectacularly,’ said. Michael Mace, the CEO of Silicon Valley software startup Cera Technology and a former Apple employee. Windows 8 is so different, he said, that many Windows users who aren’t technophiles will feel lost, he said.”
Svensson reports, “Technology blogger Chris Pirillo posted a YouTube video of his father using a preview version of Windows 8 for the first time. As the elder Pirillo tours the operating system with no help from his son, he blunders into the old ‘Desktop’ environment and can’t figure out how to get back to the Start tiles… There’s additional potential for confusion because there’s one version of Windows 8, called “Windows RT,” that looks like the PC version but doesn’t run regular Windows programs. It’s intended for tablets and lightweight tablet-laptop hybrids.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “GetMeOnTop ” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Windows 8ista.
Tim, with so many new treasures to plunder, it’s time to revive the “Get a Mac” ad campaign!
As we wrote on June 1, 2011, the first time we saw Windows 8:
Our initial impression is that Microsoft, in trying to cram everything into Windows 8 in an attempt to be all things to all devices, will end up with an OS that’s a jack of all trades and a master of none (which, after all, ought to be Microsoft’s company motto)… We simply do not see the world clamoring for the UI of an iPod also-ran now ported to an iPhone wannabe that nobody’s buying to be blown up onto a PC display.
From what we’ve seen so far, Windows 8 strikes us as an unsavory combination of Windows Weight plus Windows Wait.
Not to mention that probably no one on earth knows how much or what kinds of residual legacy spaghetti code roils underneath it all (shudder). Is Microsoft giving up on backwards compatibility? [They are with Windows RT (Windows on ARM).] So, people might as well get the Mac they always wanted. If not [as with Windows 8], then Microsoft’s unwilling to do what it takes to really attempt to keep up with the likes of Apple or even Apple’s followers. No matter what, if Microsoft’s going to ask Windows sufferers to “learn a whole new computer” (and that’s exactly how they’ll look at it, regardless of how Microsoft pitches it), millions will simply say, “Time to get a Mac to match my iPod, iPhone, and iPad!”
As if they needed it: More good news for Apple.
Related articles:
USA Today reviews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: One big cat that you’ll want on your computer – July 25, 2012
Daring Fireball reviews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: Apple’s attention to detail is evident – July 25, 2012
Ars Technica reviews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: Improves upon OS X Lion’s foundation – July 25, 2012
PC Magazine reviews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: The world’s best desktop and laptop OS; Editors’ Choice – July 25, 2012
TIME Magazine reviews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: Much bang for the buck – July 25, 2012
CNET reviews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: ‘A worthy upgrade, very affordable’ – July 25, 2012
World’s most advanced operating system: OS X Mountain Lion now available via Apple’s Mac App Store – July 25, 2012
Infoworld reviews Windows 8 review: Yes, it’s that bad – August 15, 2012
Microsoft forced to kill off ‘Metro’ name due to trademark infringement – August 3, 2012
Gartner’s one-word review of Windows 8 on the desktop: ‘Bad’ – July 23, 2012
Ballmer: Uh, yeah, ‘Surface is just a design point,’ you know – July 10, 2012
Microsoft’s Buffoon, er… Ballmer throws down gauntlet against Apple – July 10, 2012
Microsoft reportedly dumps ‘VaporMg’ chassis, will use ‘VaporMg’ only as ‘surface treatment’ – July 9, 2012
Microsoft’s downfall: Inside the executive e-mails and cannibalistic culture that fueled Microsoft’s lost decade – July 7, 2012
HP said to dump Microsoft over Surface; to cozy up to Google Android for tablet efforts – July 2, 2012
Bad news for Microsoft’s iPad killer? – July 2, 2012
Dear Microsoft, Steve Balmer and Bill Gates: What is up with your obsession with keyboards? – June 28, 2012
Jason Schwarz: Top 10 reasons why Microsoft’s Surface is DOA – June 22, 2012
Why I love Microsoft’s vaporware Surface tablet – June 22, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface tablet said to be Wi-Fi only at launch; no 4G, no 3G, no 2G, not even 1G – June 22, 2012
Microsoft outsources Surface assembly to Pegatron; prices above $799 for Windows 8, above $599 for Windows RT expected – June 21, 2012
Acer founder: Microsoft will quit making tablets soon – June 21, 2012
Devastating video shows Microsoft’s Surface event aping Steve Jobs’ iPad unveiling (with video) – June 20, 2012
Thanks to Apple, Microsoft is doomed in the era of mobile computing – June 20, 2012
Why wouldn’t Microsoft let anyone touch its Surface tablets’ keyboard cover? – June 20, 2012
The cost of Microsoft’s Surface tablets – June 20, 2012
Apple’s revolutionary iPad vs. Microsoft’s anti-tablet ‘Surface’ – June 20, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface tablets provokes ‘sense of betrayal’ among Windows PC assemblers – June 20, 2012
Fox News: Copier Microsoft is doomed to fail with Surface tablet – June 19, 2012
Microsoft’s Surface tablet destined to be as successful as the Zune – June 19, 2012
Surface: Why Microsoft’s big mystery turns out to be a big mistake – June 19, 2012
Microsoft’s Suicide, er… ‘Surface’ – June 19, 2012
ZDNet Sr. Tech Editor Perlow: Microsoft’s Surface has catastrophe written all over it – June 19, 2012
Microsoft previews own ‘Surface’ tablet – June 18, 2012
Microsoft touts ‘major’ June 18 event said to showcase Windows RT tablets – June 15, 2012
ZDNet’s Kingsley-Hughes: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is an awful, horrible, painful design disaster – June 8, 2012
Analyst meets with big computer maker, finds ‘general lack of enthusiasm’ for Windows 8 – June 8, 2012
Dvorak: Windows 8 an unmitigated disaster; unusable and annoying; it makes your teeth itch – June 3, 2012
The Guardian: Microsoft’s Windows 8 is confusing as hell; an appalling user experience – March 5, 2012
More good news for Apple: Microsoft previews Windows 8 (with video) – June 1, 2011
Svensson may be
very worried that Microsoft may be about to shoot itself in the foot spectacularly
I’m not at all worried, I am counting on it. This should be fun to watch (from the outside).
Is this a good argument for gun control? Ummm, no.
I’m in favor of allowing them bigger guns so they don’t leave themselves legs to stand on.
“It was very difficult to get used to,” he said. “I have an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, and they never got used to it. They were like, ‘We’re just going to use Mom’s computer.'”
When the tech savvy kids hate it…
The Metro Backlash has barely started. This is going to be FUN! 😆
😆
The Definition Of User-Hostility:
“There are many things that are hidden,” said Raluca Budiu, a user experience specialist with Nielsen Norman Group. “Once users discover them, they have to remember where they are. People will have to work hard and use this system on a regular basis.”
oh dear! 😕
Yes, this is truly the worst part. Especially on the tablets. It is an amazingly horrible user experience. I couldn’t believe it when I first started testing with it.
When 90+ year olds could use Apple’s iPad easily the first time it’s a victory for Apple. But when I think of 90 year olds looking at Surface the first time I think of the colorful Jack Nicholson Joker in the first BATMAN: “Wait’ll they get a load of me.” (And by load I mean of course a steaming bag of doggie doo set on fire).
And Batman twirls a bat gizmo, gets away and Joker asks “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” Not from Microsoft apparently
One windows to rule them all and in the darkness bind them… Those in the darkness of the great tower of Mordor, err rather Microsoft shoulda beware the hobbits err, school children that is. They are armed with iPhones.
Thank God I switched to the Mac a coupla years back.
OS X has suffered its own blunders and missteps causing user frustration and head scratching. MS’s venture is worse by several orders of magnitude. MS will drive more people to Apple in the next 12 months than Apple accomplished with half a decade of advertising.
I agree, I’m still using Snow Leopard on my Mac Pro!
Yes, I now dread every new release of OSX and every new apple product, wondering what they will take away next or how they will attempt to heard me in directions I don’t want to go. One wonders if both MS and Apple may be so intent on “inventing a future” that some company may yet pop up that will focus on computing – faster, reliable, general.
“some company may yet pop up that will focus on computing – faster, reliable, general”
That would be Linux. And it’s already here. No NEW company would have even a shadow of a hope of eclipsing Linux, so no one’s likely to try.
So they pissed off people in vista… Which is ok since apple changed completely before to OS X… 5 years later they change windows again.. To even more confusing
perhaps it’s to help the sales guys…
sales guy “you want the full windows tablet for 1000 or the Surface RT i.e Retarded Tech for 499?”
“Retarded cause although it LOOKS like Win 8 , it can’t run any legacy Windows Apps… ”
then he gives the customer the ‘raised eyebrow’ meaning ‘you’ll be stupid to go for Retarded Tech’ …
Looks like Microsoft is making an end to its PC-era, all by itself.
Trouble is, they don’t have much of a tablet/smartphone business as a fallback.
I agree. Apple will soon be in the place of MS as the majority system people will use. I said in a comment below that we need a 3rd computer company like Apple using Linux or some other os to complete with Apple. Competition is good.
The bad the big wigs from companies are too chicken sh!t to tell their CIO/IT Demi-Gods to shove it up their keester when they try to keep users locked in previous Windows while strategizing to move to Windows 8. Then ask for bigger budgets to update software and more IT Drones to help migrate users to new Windows 8 and train for new software….goes on and on and on….
The shamans will ever cling to power, though kings fall.
MS seems to have pressed the auto-destruct button. Windows 8 will fail with most consumers and Businesses will just stick with window xp or 7 so this will really hurt MS since they are counting on 8 to unify their computer, phone, and tablet sales. No halo effect for MS and Apple will surge ahead even more now. I think we need another stand alone computer company to replace MS something like a Linux based computer being sold by someone. Competition is good for all.
lot of analysts believe that apple flubbed TRULY cashing in on the Vista disaster.
Although mac sales is growing faster than PC (in the U.S) for years, worldwide mac has only grown form 2% to 5% or so. Even in the U.S its market share is only about 10%.
with the superiority of mac, Vista, iPod, iPhone ‘Halo’ etc surely mac could have grown more?
BUT apple has treated mac especially mac desktop like the unloved ugly step child…
for years it didn’t have a mid tower mac (still doesn’t) to complete it’s ‘headless’ mac line up (Mac Pro too expensive, MacMini for many years too underpowered). (One reason I read: Steve Jobs did not like headless macs as Wires were Ugly)
the top of the line MacPro has not a serious update for YEARS.
In my area I’ve not seen a mac desktop ads for years. Can’t remember when I’ve seen a iMac TV ad…
Never seen a mac mini ad much less a Mac pro Ad (the guys in my local Best Buy probably do not even know a MacPro EXISTS).
The generic mac Pc guy ads have stopped since 2009 without except the ‘Olympic’ ads any replacement!
2009!
I know mobile is the future and mobile is the big $$$ but a complete eco system is better with multiple revenue streams. ( without mutliple strong revneues … Look at just the B.S rumors of iPhone ‘problems’ and the aapl price drops from 700 to 600 .)
If apple had focused Mac marketshare should be 20% or more today…
c’mon apple don’t like Vista just let the low hanging fruit (disillusioned PC customers) slip away…
Mansfield head of future projects and mac hardware is being paid his new salary of 2 million a month, c’mon…
I think it’s impossible for Apple to grow market share very fast. Due to Apple higher quality standards, they’re very picky on who builds their products which in turn limits how fast Apple products can be turned out. Also the higher price of Apple products won’t induce the cheapskates to buy their products. Another thing, due to the higher quality of Apple products, consumers will be able to hold on to a product a longer time and so product turnover won’t be as fast. Practically everything Apple does is geared not to grow fast market share and it was never their goal to do so.
Most tech companies start at the outset by saying they want their product in everyone’s hands. I’ve never heard Apple say something like that. Using partners spreads the product assembly load over many factories which will increase production nearly instantly.
last quarter apple built and sold 26 million iPhones and 17 million iPads and millions of iPod touches.
It sold 4 million macs.
so if they can build 10 times the number of iOS surely build constraints can’t stop them from increasing mac build by a lot IF they can sell them … ?
Also why the dearth of mac advertising? (like I said personally I’ve NEVER seen a mac mini TV ad — although at launch it was one of the biggest selling PCs in europe a few years ago. It seems like apple just LOST INTEREST… ),
only reason I can think off is that as apple is run by a very small group senior SVPs and Jobs was very into mobile that’s where apple went.
also Msft spends WAAAAAY more on advertising than Apple. In 2009 the last year I have stats Msft spent three times more on advertising (in spite of being a big corporate supplier) than apple.
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2009/10/28/apples-2009-ad-budget-half-a-billion/
Msft is going to spend 1 billion on Win 8 launch alone (twice apple entire 2009 ad budget).
I hope that cook has seen the light and wants to balance things out from his recent re org of apple by promoting Mac software guy federighi to SVP.
(there also now two hardware SVPs: mansfield and Riccio).
@ Please Apple
Why produce 10,000,000 macs if 4,000,000 is all you’re going to sell?
What? WTF are you talking about?
I’m asking why don’t they TRY harder to sell more not just BUILD more. (seriously WTF are you all smoking?)
I;m asking:
where the imac ads?
where the mac mini ads etc?
(I don’t see them on TV or in the papers)
I just saw a Kindle Fire ad on TV and I live in a small town.
Amazon made 7 million net last quarter, apple made 8800 million, so Apple can’t afford more ads?
look at my posts, I already said Msft spends more on ads than apple and gave the link, in 2009 msft spent than 3 TIMES apple in advertising. Msft will spend 1 billion on Win 8, have you seen a single Mountain Lion ad saying Mt . Lion is the best os around?
No generic mac ads since Mac PC guy since 2009.
And where the major Mac Pro upgrade after more than 2 years? etc. (In the old days when mac sales were lower. the Mac Pro could get updates but not now when its higher?) Surveys showed years back during the VISTA era (when mac minis and imacs were underpowered) many people wanted mid tower macs but apple never built them and many stuck with PCs (telling people to jump OS is hard but telling them to use something different than their headless PCs and try a monitor included imac is even harder.. )
Mac sales have been better than PC for years but I’m saying it could even be better. Climbing from 2% to just 5% worldwide in 15 years (10% U.S) … perhaps it could be 10- 20% now if they pushed it harder.
All the data supports my contention that for years Apple has treated Macs (vs iOS) as the neglected step child. (Look at how many iPhone, iPad tv ads there are. I see there all the time. Not one iMac ad… )
(Cook has finally promoted a Mac guy Federighi to SVP. Forstall head of iOS was SVP for years. Forstall is a genius and deserves to be there but macs need a push).
at the end what I’m saying is..
lots of people will find Win 8 horrible, so apple please dont just let the opportunity fade by not even running a mac ad…
as one analyst said apple missed really cashing in on Vista, mac market share only climbed one percent or so during the time….
(and like I said just sticking on iOS for growth is dangerous, iOS is now 60-70% of apple profit. rumors of iPhone problems knocked aapl from 700 to 600… )
“perhaps it could be 10- 20% now if they pushed it harder”
No, one of the reasons why Apple is “better” is because the entire sector is worse as folks migrate to mobile devices. Plus, you’re throwing out percentages as if climbing a few more points is easy. When you’re talking about the number of devices as worldwide PC shipments, each percentage point gain is an order of magnitude MORE difficult. Even getting from 5% to 6% would require an enormous amount of effort.
This would be an enormous amount of effort on top of time and money spent focusing on where the puck WAS instead of where the puck WILL BE… in mobile. I can understand your point of view, I’d like a new Pro myself… one with multiple Thunderbolt ports (been waiting a loong time, still have a Dual G5 🙂 but I see the handwriting on the wall. Desktops are falling and will continue to fall. Anyone expending effort NOT trying to get a coherent mobile vision out there is doomed to failure.
There are 2 ways to win in business. Market share or profit share. Apple builds products that people value and they charge a fair price for their products which, because they control most of the supply chain, allows them to also generate tremendous profits. One can argue what is a fair price but it would be difficult to argue Apple puts profit generation before market share. You might also want to research sustainable growth and think how Apple will fair over the next 10 years compare to “competitors”.
@ohmy
where the heck did i talk about apple should charge LESS for macs or erode their profit margins?
I didn’t mention ONE word that apple should try to charge less for market share.
(before you start spouting ‘oh my’ on people’s thread please read carefully or I’ll think you stupid like a PC fan)
I’m saying apple seems to have lost interest in some desktop macs (for example not building a mid tower which many people wanted. the mac mini at that time was way underpowered) and not promoting them agressively which is leaving low lying fruit on the tree.
No generic mac ads since mac pc guy from 2009 (unless you count the few days of olympic macs are for dumbo ads), few laptop ads.
(I tell you some people do NOT even know that apple builds mac minis or mac pros … )
where the imac ads? where the mac mini ads?
(where does THAT come in into your marketshare profit share stuff? )
where the mac pro upgrades? (I understand mac pros don’t have big market share but years for an upgrade?)
and as for your profit stuff like I said if iOS takes 60-70% of your profits if something happens to a single product like iPhone your stock tanks. Big investors are aware of this thats why they don’t buy aapl enough and the P.E is 15 (10 minus cash) vs 300 for amazon…
so if apple increases market share will keeping margins that’s bad?
“lot of analysts believe that apple flubbed TRULY cashing in on the Vista disaster”
I know and Apple’s doing so terribly now, what with NOT being the largest tech company in the world. 🙂 If that’s not CASHing in on the Vista disaster, I don’t know what is.
“apple has treated mac especially mac desktop like the unloved ugly step child”
That would be because, in a PostPC world, desktops are going away. Maybe not as quickly as Apple would like and not as slowly as some users would like, but desktop isn’t and won’t be where growth will come from ever again.
“If apple had focused Mac marketshare should be 20% or more today”
And someone else would have run off with the huge profits from phone and tablet devices. Noo, I think Apple focused on the right thing here. Heck, without those profits, there might not have even still been an Apple around to bemoan about the lack of progress on the old paradigm (desktop PC).
I won’t go through all my points as I’m probably talking to a wall…
you guys don’t get my basic ideas.
you have a ONLY hypothesis: apple was right becasue mobile made a pile without thinking perhaps they could have done BOTH, Mobile and more serious over Macs.
(like I mentioned over and over where the imac , mac mini ads? where the mountain lion ads? I not talking RADICAL mac craziness or something HARD but a modicum of maintenence)
desktop etc might be fading but Msft still sold 300 million Win 7 licenses in a short time and makes billions every quarter.
Msft will spend 1 billion on Win 8 ads, how much effort did apple spend on Mountain Lion promotion? Hardly anybody except mac fans understand that M. Lion is superior to Win 7, 90% of computer users think they are the samae (why is that?)
you say there’s no growth in desktops… ? apple ‘s got 5 % world wide market share there’s no room for growth???? why leave billions on the floor when you have superior products (by not pushing them.).
I stand by my contentin that Apple having a very small leadership group didn’t keep their eye on the ball for macs except for laptops (bored?) but let all their attention be sucked up by mobile.
I believe that Cook understands this, thats why he tried to put generic mac ads (Olympic ads) out after YEARS since Mac PC guy and put a mac guy OSX chief into SVP position to balance things out. For many years all the top SVPs were mainly focused on mobile.
But I know that no matter how logically I put things, data points like Msft spending three times more money on ads, that Amazon with 7 million net profit (vs Apple’s 8800 million) can put Kindle Fire ads on TV but apple doesn’t advertise mac minis, that tens of millions of PCs are still sold every quarter etc I will get through.
You extremists will never contend regardlessof the facts apple can make mistakes, still believing the hockey puck mouse was the best mouse out there…
like I said look how rumors of iPhone (50% if apple profits now) hiccups (maps, supply chain etc) knocked aapl from 700 to 600.
like I contented in my FIRST post:
letting msft survive AGAIN with another Vista (win 8) and not putting the screws on (run a few more mac and OsX ads at least!) is foolish because desktop will always (even if no growth) be a cash cow for Msft. and if they keep making quarterly effortless billions they will keep trying to horn into apple’s business like mobile.
So M$ is going to release this disastrous Window 8 without having fixed it? Still incomprehensible? Whoa. Did they even try?
Déja vu Vista.
A new term: Déja Vista!
They are getting it out there late in the game. They should have responded sooner to the shift in technology, but there’s no time left; even a buggy product release deals them in. They’ll do what they can to sidestep the bad reviews. The engineers have done their part, and now Microsoft’s marketing prowess kicks in. Maybe Ballmer the Svengali makes it work.
Windows beta testing is very strange: never once has a major change happened to Windows after the start of beta testing. They essentially ignore all feedback they get from beta testers, because all major features were finalized in advance of letting anyone outside of Microsoft try to use it.
But like petrol powered cars, Microsoft supporters have been hooked on petrol (Windows)
Like electric cars, Microsoft supporters will resist change because they fear it (Apple computers)
In the end Microsoft junkies will quietly hate windows 8 but will still say it is somehow better than Mac.
One thing is for certain: The vast majority of Window 8 victims will have TURNED OFF Metro. It’s easy to find out how via a net search. We’ll be reading statistics about what percentage of W8 users leave Metro running. 😯
As I’ve said before, for current Windows users, especially the substantial number of people still using Windows XP, they will feel MUCH MORE at home by switching to a Mac running Mountain Lion, compared to upgrading to a new PC running Windows 8.
This is the biggest opportunity for Apple’s Mac business since the release of Windows Vista. Microsoft just trashed their traditional PC business because of their fear of iPad. Microsoft’s cash cow is being led to slaughter.
This is all part of Apple’s long-term manipulation (and out-maneuvering) of Balmer and Microsoft.
First, Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign (with Mac and PC) annoyed Microsoft and resulted the scramble to cancel “Longhorn” and get the Vista rush job out the door. During that time, Microsoft virtually ignored their successful Windows Mobile platform and allowed it to stagnate.
Second, Apple released iPhone. After some initial “denial,” Microsoft panicked, basically threw away Windows Mobile, and started over with Windows Phone 7. During that time, Microsoft long-term work in ultra-portable (including stylus-based “tablet”) PCs was mostly ignored.
Third, Apple released iPad. Microsoft had a bloated desktop OS and a PDA-class smartphone OS, with nothing in between suitable for tablets, even through Microsoft had been R&D’ing in the area since before 2000. Microsoft panicked once again and threw everything into Windows 8 for the last two years.
Fourth (today), what has Apple been working on in secret this time? “iPad mini” is one thing (and not very secret), but there must be something more going on. Maybe Apple’s TV initiative will final NOT be a “hobby.”
You make it sound as though Apple has Microsoft dancing like a marionette—hey, maybe that’s the origin of Ballmer’s monkey dance.
Apple may very well be. That would be a great way of getting back at micro$oft for stealing Apples IP…
Reblogged this on davedeaton.
First off… Chris Pirillo is a blow hard here in Seattle… a complete know-it-all who once said that “relationships don’t matter” at a BarCamp event a couple years ago. He’s not the only techie in Seattle… That being said, how on earth would he allow his father to use a Windows machine?!
Based on feedback from my clients, Apple has a real opportunity here to significantly hurt Microsoft. My clients call Windows 8 – Fisher Price Windows.
Apple needs to do the following:
1. Make the Mac a turn key solution – clients want this!
– Include a new version of iWeb (small businesses loved
having an easy web publisher included). Include a
shopping cart through Apple.
– Give all Mac users a .mac account for building web
pages. This was great advertising!
– Include enhanced iWork with every new mac. iWork
needs:
1. Index generation in Pages.
2. Cover pages with ability to center vertically.
3. Mail merge improvements, include an enhanced
flat file database similar to MS Works 4.5
This program is still huge in small business, 15
years later! Currently, there is no acceptable
alternative.
4. Allow screen to be centered in Pages. Offset page
drives MS Word users crazy.
5. Create or purchase an alternative to Quicken.
– Enhance iMovie so it can create AVCHD DVDs. I have
already had several clients ignore the Mac because
they need to distribute HD DVDs. DVDs are cheap
and users of all ages understand how to use them.
– Restore the very popular email greeting cards. PC
users really loved this feature. It was inexpensive
advertising! Build this into iPhoto.
– In OS X:
1. Ability to set a program to open full window or full
screen. Long time Windows users freak out when
they discover they can’t set the program to open
full window or full screen.
2. Bring the option for aero snap to the Mac.
None of these features would make the Mac into a Windows machine. The first several features are restoring popular features that Apple abandoned much to the distress of many of my clients.
The last two features are only options that would make the Windows crowd give the Mac a second look.
Old Tech,
Apple should send you a check or offer you stock options for laying out such a clear vision of the “OPPORTUNITY” road ahead. Hope every member of the INFINITY LOOP boardroom reads and heeds your post.
All good suggestions. My suggestion? Input them here:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/
Bob 2012?
It would be real swell to have Bob back. Who knows? If Windows 8 adoption turns out to be abysmal, Microsoft might become desperate to try anything. Might they resurrect Clippy?
We need MS to do ok with W8. Let’s not get crazy. If MS makes a bigger splat, that leaves Google and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they’re worse than MS was in all their anti-competitive heyday. They can motivate every disenfranchised Windows user to their cause. What’s the saying “the enemy of my enemy is my friend….”
Right. Microsoft used to beat us up on the playground, but these days it’s creepy Google that’s worrying every parent.
The trouble is, Microsoft is doing itself in with their tunnel vision induced by Windows Kool-Aid and by their delusional grandiosity and self-entitlement. With their corporate structure the way it is, there is little chance of a nimble response to such a dynamic market. It’s the 21st century, and they’re still playing the 1995 “Start me up” commercial at the board meetings.
The trouble is, Microsoft is doing itself in with their tunnel vision induced by Windows Kool-Aid and by their delusional grandiosity and self-entitlement. With their corporate structure the way it is, there is little chance of a nimble response to such a dynamic market. It’s the 21st century, and they’re still playing the 1995 “Start me up” commercial at the board meetings.
It’s not a good idea to be making fun of microsoft Windows 8 right now.
Have you seen the new “XPS One 27 All-in-one” 27 inch touch screen computers from Dell folks?
With some really good aggressive TV ad promotions these computers should fly off the shelf. They look like major competitors to the imac’s. Whatever plans Apple have for their imacs it better include a touch screen. Without touch screens imac sales will experience a significant decline.
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-one-27-2710-aio-t/pd?&~ck=mn&dgc=EM&cid=254850&lid=4510679&acd=63EMVK-RNP3PP-MM8ERP-BK8FRD-1850CE-v1
Frankly i dont know how Apple manage to let dell
beat them to the market with an technology like this.
Apple didn’t let Dell beat them to the market with this technology. Jobs rejected it two years ago as a fail, because reaching over to a big screen to use a touch interface is not ergonomic. He felt it was an example of an interface that worked on a small screen device held in hands or rested on the lap, but made no sense as a device to enter data on a laptop or desktop system.
Right. No one wants greasy swipes and fingerprints all over their 27″ IPS display. Touchscreen desktops create a much bigger problem than they allegedly solve.
Hey jsuvexx, can we just call you Gorilla Arm?
How about Loser?
Having sold equipment with a vertical touch screen, I can tell you using it gets very fatiguing, very quickly!
“these computers should fly off the shelf.”
Followed by very quickly flying right back on the shelf. =D
Windows 8 is going to be a disaster for the consumer market… The sad fact is that I have to teach classes for Win8 and personally find it to be crap. Vista 2.0 here we come..!
Even Microsoft apologist Paul Thurrott thinks Microsoft has it wrong …
http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-rt-redmond-problem-144554
Good to see you temporarily removed your head from the sand Paul.
windows 8 see all you do and microsoft knows it and a lot of programs and games will not run on windows 8 microsoft is making it so you have to buy microsoft games and they suck windows 8 is a pc cell phone is all it is they want to know what you are doing and how so they can spy on you and windows 8 is doing that with smartscreen it is built in to windows 8 so i say hell no to windows 8 and there is more do not buy it hp computers that come with windows 8 have no drivers for windows 7 or xp or vista at all they will not let you go down to windows 7 or vista or windows xp do not buy do not buy