At some time in the recent past, Microsoft decided all of us really want to touch our screen rather than use a mouse. They looked at the success of the iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets and decided touch is the way to go for everything. Well, I am here to tell you it isn’t.
What follows is my experiences with touch-based tablets, phones and computers. It is my opinion only, but based upon Microsoft’s recent earning statement, I think I am not alone in my feelings. I hope my experiences will be of help in the future.
As mentioned here before, I own a an iPhone, an iPad, a laptop computer running Windows 8 (not touch), and a desktop running Windows 7. I will admit that the idea of having a touch screen laptop at one point sounded interesting. But now, having used one, let me tell you I don’t like it at all!
Let me explain…one of the first purchases I made after buying my iPad was a keyboard so I could do some work while not in front of my desktop. So, in effect, I turned my iPad into a working laptop.
It works, and I use it occasionally, but early on I discovered that reaching over the keyboard to touch my iPad is a pain. Even though the iPad sits elevated only a few inches away from me, it is still a nuisance. Remember, you can’t use a mouse on an iPad.
Now, image yourself on a laptop or even a desktop having to reach across to touch things on the screen…like to do a copy and paste or delete text or some other such chore. The mouse is a much better way to go in these situations.
Now, when I use my iPhone or iPad without a keyboard, which is most of the time, a touch screen is wonderful…but only when holding the iPad in my lap or my iPhone in my hand. It works incredibly well and is a joy to use.
But when I use a keyboard to do serious work, a touch screen is a pain-in-the-bottom. I guess Microsoft never figured that out. They wanted all the devices in the future to be touch driven, hence Windows 8 and Windows RT. Sorry guys, it is not what we want. Oh yea, and one last thing…touch screens cost much more than regular screens.
There are more good stories awaiting you here. Apple reported good earnings today. And be sure and read the article #4 on Microsoft’s RT plan and how it resembles the South Park Underpants Gnomes. It is quite funny, and all too sad for Microsoft. But wait, there is more…read on! -JRC
Touch: Where Microsoft Went Wrong
Outside of its business and enterprise offerings (which delivered relatively good results), Microsoft just doesn’t have any products right now that consumers want to buy.
Funky Friday: More than $32 billion in Microsoft stock value wiped out
Shares suffer biggest one-day percentage sell-off since 2000 as investors fret over weak demand for Microsoft's latest Windows operating system and Surface tablet.
Apple earnings beat with $35.3 billion in sales, 31.2M iPhones
Company's third quarter results come in slightly stronger than expected, fueled by the iPhone. iPad and iPod sales are far below what Wall Street expected.
Surface RT: A plan worthy of the South Park Underpants Gnomes
The plan for Surface RT was written by the Underpants Gnomes. Phase one: Apple is successful because it has a tablet, we build Windows tablets. Phase Two: ? Phase three: Profit.
Microsoft delivers Office 2010 Service Pack 2
Microsoft officials said that SP2 consists of updates that improve security and compatibility. Specifically, SP2 provides improved compatibility with IE 10, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 and Office 2013.
OpenOffice 4.0 arrives
OpenOffice 4.0 comes with a new, more modern user interface, improvements to Microsoft Office interoperability, enhanced graphics support and many other enhancements.
Google starts placing ads directly in Gmail inboxes
Trying a new method of making money off its free e-mail service, the Internet giant has begun putting ads in Gmail's "promotions" category.
The Internet’s greatest disruptive innovation: Inequality
The logical consequences of Silicon Valley capitalism: Social stratification and class antagonism
How to Find Out If You Are Secretly Connected to the Internet
Want to know which programs on your PC are connecting to the Internet? Ever have the disconcerting experience of your PC suddenly engaging in mysterious Internet activity? Find out what is going on with a free utility from NirSoft called CurrPorts.
How To Pick A Camera: The Basics You Need To Know
Nowadays most of us make pictures with cell phone cameras. Still, every now and then a person sees a picture that couldn’t have been made with a cell phone, or they see a good camera and wonder what it is they’re missing.
Get Organized: More Powerful Email Forwarding
It's a life hack of sorts to repurpose email forwarding from being a way to redirect message when you want to abandon an account to using it to manage email more effectively. Here's how to do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment