3 ms·

>Microsoft contends that the Surface hybrid, now in its fourth iteration, is the best-of-both-worlds that their customers want. Microsoft contends this because

by IBM 10y ago

>Microsoft contends that the Surface hybrid, now in its fourth iteration, is the best-of-both-worlds that their customers want. Microsoft contends this because the market forced their hand. They have no presence in smartphones or tablets so having a separate operating system for them is untenable. They tried very hard to get developers on board and it didn't work.

bhauer 10y ago
Surface didn't work? Its current generation is making a profit and is well-reviewed by users and tech journalists alike. For what it's worth, Surface products are exactly what I want in a portable computer. I find both traditional tablets (such as Android tablets and iPads) and legacy-style laptops (including the new Macbook Pro) unexciting and ultimately not worth my money.
- prodigal_erik 10y ago
  They had to go back to hardware that runs Win10 x64 apps, because nobody wanted to ship WinRT ARM apps.
  - bhauer 10y ago
    Oh is that what we're talking about? Yeah, WinRT was needlessly limited. But it's also a distant memory. Speaking about it today is about as relevant as discussing iOS 6 or Android 4.1.
    - fencepost 10y ago
      Possibly. Still, when you think about the death of Windows RT, remember that there's still a version of Windows running on ARM, and the ecosystem of applications that run on it is now called "Windows Universal apps." Windows Phone may be moribund in the market but that ARM capacity and the admittedly not ready for prime time Continuum (phone + monitor /keyboard /mouse) desktop could lead to a better supported and accepted descendant returning to the market currently dominated by Chromebooks.
  - vezycash 10y ago
    Microsoft had to go back to x86 apps for two reasons. 1. WinRT devices couldn't run x86 (win32) apps. Thus customers who were frustrated and returned the products in droves. 2. Product name - if Microsoft had not named WinRT OS Windows, customer expectations would have been clear. 3. Lack of Emulator - Apple shipped an emulator whenever they changed processor platform but Microsoft did no such thing with WinRT, believing that security was more important than usability for their customer base - they were wrong and have still not learned the lesson. Apparently, the company's now working on an win32 Emulator for ARM * One reason Microsoft didn't do well in countries with poor internet penetration is because all apps MUST to be downloaded from the store on the device in question. Heck, even IOS allows an alternate download means through iTunes. Even after putting an option to sideload apps on both Windows 10 desktop and mobile, it's impossible for normal users to download and store the apps offline for later use. Stability on windows 10 mobile is far worse than on WP8.1. E.g - I've reset my own windows 10 phone more times in three months than I ever did in WP8.1
- nilkn 10y ago
  I think the poster meant that Windows Phone didn't work, so they doubled down on Surface instead, which is all Windows 10 for all form factors (so there's no need to get developers to make special apps anymore).

by IBM 10y ago

bhauer 10y ago

Surface didn't work? Its current generation is making a profit and is well-reviewed by users and tech journalists alike. For what it's worth, Surface products are exactly what I want in a portable computer. I find both traditional tablets (such as Android tablets and iPads) and legacy-style laptops (including the new Macbook Pro) unexciting and ultimately not worth my money.

prodigal_erik 10y ago
They had to go back to hardware that runs Win10 x64 apps, because nobody wanted to ship WinRT ARM apps.
- bhauer 10y ago
  Oh is that what we're talking about? Yeah, WinRT was needlessly limited. But it's also a distant memory. Speaking about it today is about as relevant as discussing iOS 6 or Android 4.1.
  - fencepost 10y ago
    Possibly. Still, when you think about the death of Windows RT, remember that there's still a version of Windows running on ARM, and the ecosystem of applications that run on it is now called "Windows Universal apps." Windows Phone may be moribund in the market but that ARM capacity and the admittedly not ready for prime time Continuum (phone + monitor /keyboard /mouse) desktop could lead to a better supported and accepted descendant returning to the market currently dominated by Chromebooks.
- vezycash 10y ago
  Microsoft had to go back to x86 apps for two reasons. 1. WinRT devices couldn't run x86 (win32) apps. Thus customers who were frustrated and returned the products in droves. 2. Product name - if Microsoft had not named WinRT OS Windows, customer expectations would have been clear. 3. Lack of Emulator - Apple shipped an emulator whenever they changed processor platform but Microsoft did no such thing with WinRT, believing that security was more important than usability for their customer base - they were wrong and have still not learned the lesson. Apparently, the company's now working on an win32 Emulator for ARM * One reason Microsoft didn't do well in countries with poor internet penetration is because all apps MUST to be downloaded from the store on the device in question. Heck, even IOS allows an alternate download means through iTunes. Even after putting an option to sideload apps on both Windows 10 desktop and mobile, it's impossible for normal users to download and store the apps offline for later use. Stability on windows 10 mobile is far worse than on WP8.1. E.g - I've reset my own windows 10 phone more times in three months than I ever did in WP8.1
nilkn 10y ago
I think the poster meant that Windows Phone didn't work, so they doubled down on Surface instead, which is all Windows 10 for all form factors (so there's no need to get developers to make special apps anymore).