Bill Gates thinks Windows tablets have a big chance against iPad & Android ones

[iJamesH]

Yeah they're off to a strong start aren't they (rolls eyes)!

 

[Kaykaykay]

Honestly, I hope that we see success from windows. To me, it creates competition and allows consumers choices when they are ready to buy. I own Apple products, but also still use Windows based systems for work purposes. Both have served me very well and certainly do not have issues with either

I'm all for competition, but they're late and haven't given most iPad owners enough incentive to switch.

I'm a satisfied Windows user (except for that Vista nightmare), so it's not even that I'm an Apple devotee -- I'm open to something better. It's just that MS (or any other company) has to show me a better product.

 

[KevinJS]

I'm all for competition, but they're late and haven't given most iPad owners enough incentive to switch.

I'm a satisfied Windows user (except for that Vista nightmare), so it's not even that I'm an Apple devotee -- I'm open to something better. It's just that MS (or any other company) has to show me a better product.

The history of personal computing is littered with failures. Competition has never been one of the strengths of the industry, which is why the consumer has been the bit player for so long. Now, we do have real competition. Android and Apple may appear to be locked in a battle for supremacy, but really? Neither of them are going to turn the lights out any time soon.

Microsoft wedded themselves to the PC, and did very well out of it, as did their hardware partners, who did nothing to offer choice to their consumers so long as the money kept rolling in. Now, personal computing has become a little more personal than the PC could ever offer. We all carry the University of Google in our pockets. We demand information, NOW, and we get it. Manufacturers are falling over themselves (no matter what detractors say about locked operating systems) to offer consumers what they want, what they may want and what they haven't yet figured out that which they will want.

 

[Kaykaykay]

The history of personal computing is littered with failures. Competition has never been one of the strengths of the industry, which is why the consumer has been the bit player for so long. Now, we do have real competition. Android and Apple may appear to be locked in a battle for supremacy, but really? Neither of them are going to turn the lights out any time soon.

Microsoft wedded themselves to the PC, and did very well out of it, as did their hardware partners, who did nothing to offer choice to their consumers so long as the money kept rolling in. Now, personal computing has become a little more personal than the PC could ever offer. We all carry the University of Google in our pockets. We demand information, NOW, and we get it. Manufacturers are falling over themselves (no matter what detractors say about locked operating systems) to offer consumers what they want, what they may want and what they haven't yet figured out that which they will want.

Lol. Most industries are littered with failures. Startup Business Failure Rate By Industry | Statistic Brain

I'm not worried about Microsoft, Apple or any other company. If they can't survive and thrive, something else will come along.

 

[AQ_OC]

I see myself using Windows PCs until I die. Same for iOS, Android, and Mac OS. I seriously doubt I will let another OS in here, though.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I see myself using Windows PCs until I die. Same for iOS, Android, and Mac OS. I seriously doubt I will let another OS in here, though.

I don't expect to keep using any platform till I die, unless I end up living a sort life, lol. But that said, I won't switch just for the sake of switching.

When it comes to any field, especially when your competitor has such a big head start, you cannot come to market and not offer a significant differentiator -- in features, price, convenience, etc. If people have already invested time, money, know how, etc., into another product, and that product has already established itself as a relatively reliable and convenient one, you're not getting them to switch just because you joined the market. And the more momentum a competitor already has, the harder it is for you to gain a foothold, even among people who are buying for the first time.

In tablets, MS isn't offering enough to differentiate so far -- in price, features or convenience. And just having Bill G say something like a keyboard is a differentiator is a joke, especially when there are plenty of choices for iPad keyboards for those who want them.

 

[Deleted member 247820]

I'm all for competition, but they're late and haven't given most iPad owners enough incentive to switch.

I'm a satisfied Windows user (except for that Vista nightmare), so it's not even that I'm an Apple devotee -- I'm open to something better. It's just that MS (or any other company) has to show me a better product.

Hi Kay Ka . . .
I have had every MS OS since 95.
Vista gave me 3 years of trouble free computing.
So I don't think it was a disaster, even if MS does
I currently use W8 for the heavy lifting and it is super, almost as good as an iPad!

 

[Deleted member 247820]

I see myself using Windows PCs until I die. Same for iOS, Android, and Mac OS. I seriously doubt I will let another OS in here, though.

Hi AC, you seem to cover all bases! Good one!

 

[Kaykaykay]

Hi Kay Ka . . .
I have had every MS OS since 95.
Vista gave me 3 years of trouble free computing.
So I don't think it was a disaster, even if MS does
I currently use W8 for the heavy lifting and it is super, almost as good as an iPad!

I'm still on Win 7 and see no need to switch for what I do. I upgrade laptops every couple of years or so normally, so I'll switch when I upgrade hardware. I use Win 8 on my husband's system sometimes, and it works fine for my uses. He's got this ginormous setup with multiple PCs and monitors, and I hop from time to time when I need more than my laptop.

With Vista, it came on a new laptop that I got at the time and sucked from the start, so my husband stripped it out for me and installed XP, which I was using on my previous laptop.

 

[Richard Brown]

I'm still on Win 7 and see no need to switch for what I do. I upgrade laptops every couple of years or so normally, so I'll switch when I upgrade hardware. I use Win 8 on my husband's system sometimes, and it works fine for my uses. He's got this ginormous setup with multiple PCs and monitors, and I hop from time to time when I need more than my laptop.

With Vista, it came on a new laptop that I got at the time and sucked from the start, so my husband stripped it out for me and installed XP, which I was using on my previous laptop.

I'm still using XP on the computer. My wife's laptop has Win7

I prefer XP!

Who remembers the early days with Acorn &co?

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[Kaykaykay]

I'm still using XP on the computer. My wife's laptop has Win7

I prefer XP!

XP worked fine for me, and I wouldn't have upgraded if I hadn't upgraded my laptop. My computing needs haven't changed much over the years, other than ripping stuff. For me, a computer is more of a tool. For someone like my husband, computers are a hobby.

 

[Deleted member 247820]

I'm still using XP on the computer. My wife's laptop has Win7

I prefer XP!

Who remembers the early days with Acorn &co?

Sent from my iPad using iPF

HI Richard.
The first "thing" I had was four bits, it used four switches to input data.
I have no idea what it was called!
Then there was a thing with eight bits. Fortunately it had a set of keys 0 -9 and A - F.
No idea what it was either.

 

[Deleted member 247820]

I'm still on Win 7 and see no need to switch for what I do. I upgrade laptops every couple of years or so normally, so I'll switch when I upgrade hardware. I use Win 8 on my husband's system sometimes, and it works fine for my uses. He's got this ginormous setup with multiple PCs and monitors, and I hop from time to time when I need more than my laptop.

With Vista, it came on a new laptop that I got at the time and sucked from the start, so my husband stripped it out for me and installed XP, which I was using on my previous laptop.

Hi Kay Kay . . .
All due respect but in my opinion Vista kills XP.
It has heaps more drivers.
And most PCI sound cards work without an arm wrestle.
And it's more stable.

Er all my own opinion!

 

[The OB]

Hi Kay Kay . . .
All due respect but in my opinion Vista kills XP.
It has heaps more drivers.
And most PCI sound cards work without an arm wrestle.
And it's more stable.

Er all my own opinion!

Your opinion is respected Peter, but I must express surprise that you favoured Vista over XP. The latter was IMO the best Windows OS ever, until Vista came along, and then things started going south. Microsoft knew that, based on numerous criticisms, not just from an amateur life-long MS user like myself, but from professionals, consultants and commercial users.

Microsoft very quickly recognised a problem and went scrambling to get people to keep Microsoft in its good books. It produced Windows 7 which, IMHO, was not a bad OS. But it had to keep meddling without any real plan to offer as a viable alternative to competition that was starting to come pushing down on it. So it produced Windows 8.

Here I can't speak for other Win8 users, but to me this OS just does not cut it. I honestly think it's a dog! Those "tiles" to move around that replaced a perfectly logical Start button, with the old desk top hidden underneath all that chaos, seem daft. Of course it was a way to sell, what do they call them, oh yes, "apps". (Now where did I hear that name?).

I liked the concept of the PC's files. I like the concept of the iOS apps.






Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Kaykaykay]

Your opinion is respected Peter, but I must express surprise that you favoured Vista over XP. The latter was IMO the best Windows OS ever, until Vista came along, and then things started going south. Microsoft knew that, based on numerous criticisms, not just from an amateur life-long MS user like myself, but from professionals, consultants and commercial users.

Microsoft very quickly recognised a problem and went scrambling to get people to keep Microsoft in its good books. It produced Windows 7 which, IMHO, was not a bad OS. But it had to keep meddling without any real plan to offer as a viable alternative to competition that was starting to come pushing down on it. So it produced Windows 8.

Here I can't speak for other Win8 users, but to me this OS just does not cut it. I honestly think it's a dog! Those "tiles" to move around that replaced a perfectly logical Start button, with the old desk top hidden underneath all that chaos, seem daft. Of course it was a way to sell, what do they call them, oh yes, "apps". (Now where did I hear that name?).

I liked the concept of the PC's files. I like the concept of the iOS apps.






Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Agree with you on XP and Win 7. The funny thing about what a dog Vista was, I remember at the time being appalled how crappily it worked and reading how even people at MS thought it sucked, lol. They tried to salvage it later, but its reputation was tainted at that point.

The tiles in Win 8 don't bother me much, but I don't find them an improvement. I don't use it much, though, and see no incentive in upgrading at this point. Personally, I'd rather have a solid OS that just works reliably; I don't need gimmicky tiles or whatnot.