Surface 2013: good bye iPad?

[egbert]

Surface and Surface Pro 2 tip up. More on the Reg.

[IncarnateX]

They are even appealing directly to mucians now, take a look a this:

http://surfaceremixproject.com/

However it will be a long road because any fancy music oriented hardware won't get us far without music apps

[robogone]

I think they've lost the plot if they're trying that approach. If they had sold a large number of units and had a well stocked app store that might be a different story.

[fmr]

I think they've lost the plot if they're trying that approach. If they had sold a large number of units and had a well stocked app store that might be a different story.

Again, the Windows applications out there are the best "app store" one can get. And we are talking about real/full/completely featured applications, not crippledware.
I can't understand this fixation in "app stores". I have two smartphones, and I just visited the "app stores" once or twice and never bought anything. I got tired by just navigating through all those pages filled with "apps" that basically do the same thing. I couldn't care less.

[Aural Chaos]

I think they've lost the plot if they're trying that approach. If they had sold a large number of units and had a well stocked app store that might be a different story.

???. The Pro runs Windows programs, no App Store needed....

[IncarnateX]

Do not know what your experiences are guys, but I have a fine Asus touch screen 11' laptop and controlling my windows programs like Orion and Reason including my VSTi per touch screen is a PITA! I have given up on that apprach and returned to my mouse as far as these "apps" goes. Don' t want to generalize but to me an app obviously has to be touch optimized to make sense in windows 8. Would have been lovely it it all was so simply as just to apply touch control to usually mouse driven apps, but it surely ain't to me.

[robogone]

I think they've lost the plot if they're trying that approach. If they had sold a large number of units and had a well stocked app store that might be a different story.

Again, the Windows applications out there are the best "app store" one can get. And we are talking about real/full/completely featured applications, not crippledware.
I can't understand this fixation in "app stores". I have two smartphones, and I just visited the "app stores" once or twice and never bought anything. I got tired by just navigating through all those pages filled with "apps" that basically do the same thing. I couldn't care less.

1. That's your opinion - if you have to keep saying it again, perhaps it's the case that your statements don't resonate with most people who don't look at Windows apps as being in any way "the best app store out there".

2. If you don't get the point of app stores, you might want to look into it - it's the direction the world is going now and you can't hold back that kind of tide.

[fmr]

2. If you don't get the point of app stores, you might want to look into it - it's the direction the world is going now and you can't hold back that kind of tide.

I am not holding back anything. I am in this business for almost 30 years, and I've seen many "tides". Tides come and go. We'll see what's in the sand in a couple of years. But I am very, very sceptic about "apps and mobiles" as a productive platform. For me, it's just a fashion (or a tide, if you prefer).
That's why I am more into some kind of "hybrid" that can work both as a mobile platform (if and when needed) but also as a good desktop machine, running a complete OS. The new Surface Pro, with it's docking options, may very well suit. And it runs Windows (not RT, the full Windows), and all the applications that run in it.

[IncarnateX]

But I am very, very sceptic about "apps and mobiles" as a productive platform. For me, it's just a fashion (or a tide, if you prefer)

Don't you have a problem explaining why more and more music apps are released by big as well as small companies, why more and more iOS music sites are born, why developers spend time developing such things as audiobus and IAA, and not at least why several sound cloud accounts and even labels specialize in iOS music? Add to this those who work with the android platform and not at least Image Line's new touch app for windows 8, which both in structure and price tag adapt to the iOS standard. To me that equals complete ignorance in the same manner as if you had predicted the personal computer to be a a temporary gadget in the 80's or the internet to be a temporary hype in the 90's. Of course it makes sense if you just want to be provocative to iOS/iPad fans but if you truly can not read the writing on the wall, I'd say you surely need glasses. And you have been in the business for 30 years? Let me guess: It has not made you rich, has it?

[robogone]

App stores, the migration to mobile devices, etc. is not in any way a trend that is going to go away. While there might be a few crackpots out there who get publishing space to say so, the vast majority of analysts in the technology and finance arenas are embracing the changes in technology without a thought to the possibility that this might be ephemeral.

Things are changing, and it makes no sense to hang on to the past at a time like this.

[IncarnateX]

Things are changing, and it makes no sense to hang on to the past at a time like this.

+1

However with every innovative change we will always have to face the usual bunch of reactionary buttheads who in deeply lack of imagination and in existential angst to even the smallest change of life will try to teach us why development will fail and lead us back to status quo. And that is apparently the only thing that isn't going to change.

[fmr]

And you have been in the business for 30 years? Let me guess: It has not made you rich, has it?

Nope

[Image-Line]

They are even appealing directly to mucians now, take a look a this:

http://surfaceremixproject.com/

However it will be a long road because any fancy music oriented hardware won't get us far without music apps

Well there is FL Studio Groove ...

http://www.image-line.com/documents/flstudiogroove.html



Regards Scott

[IncarnateX]

Well there is FL Studio Groove ...

http://www.image-line.com/documents/flstudiogroove.html

I know. See my rant to FMR above. Have also praised your efforts in other threads. Good work

[ericj23]

App stores, the migration to mobile devices, etc. is not in any way a trend that is going to go away. While there might be a few crackpots out there who get publishing space to say so, the vast majority of analysts in the technology and finance arenas are embracing the changes in technology without a thought to the possibility that this might be ephemeral.

Things are changing, and it makes no sense to hang on to the past at a time like this.

The problem I have with this is the assumption that everything will go this way. I agree these trends are not going away - for mobile devices, but for plenty of cases people don't need mobile devices.

If you work in an office where some of your job involves administrative tasks you need a keyboard - it is that simple. 0 wiggle room here, as talk control isn't good enough, neither is handwriting recognition.

An Idevice with a flat keyboard is in breach of UK VDU regulations, so it ain't going to be one of them. An yes there are other keyboards and stands and things, but the bottom line there is they are no cheaper than desktops/laptops and the only advantage is touch, which really isn't that useful when doing admin tasks and the disadvantages are many - small screen, no in house software, no standard office apps, less flexible security etc. So the PC as is is staying.

As for app stores go and tell me why they are the future? They don't offer any advantage I can see to the end user other than having all the software in one place - but because of the restrictions required by such models (i.e. no plug-ins, no updates, 30% cut to a company who did little for it etc) they will not be taken up by some large companies - amazon have their own, adobe have their own etc.