2 ms·

Ok but wait there are two points to consider here. First off, Mundie said that he wasn't sure whether the big screen (12"+) tablet market would remain successf

by dotBen 16y ago

Ok but wait there are two points to consider here. First off, Mundie said that he wasn't sure whether the big screen (12"+) tablet market would remain successful. That's a fair question as we're seeing a lot of other companies put their resources in the smaller 7"-9" screen market (Kindle, being the most popular if you consider it a tablet). Not sure I buy it, but with that statement he's not saying all tablets. Secondly, I'm minded that everyone in the mainstream world thought that the NetBook was the next big thing - and that market has practically evaporated (in the Western World, at least). Same could happen to tablets, especially like NetBooks they don't actually replace an existing machine but instead try to create a new tier of need. For Microsoft their biggest market is still enterprise and I'm yet to be convinced tablets have a massive value there given that we're seeing tablet usage orientate around content + information consumption not productivity. Ultimately, however, I do think this is a foolish decision if it represents Microsoft's official position - they just cannot afford not to hedge their bets and have something in the tablet market even if they think the future is ultimately gloomy.

po 16y ago
Good points. I'm reminded of the palm pilot form factor. I used one for a while. Thought it was great. Then after about a year I stopped using it. I think a lot of people did that and therefore for a good two or three years it looked like the future of computing. I read Daring Fireball a lot and one thing I think he gets wrong consistently (although he's not the only one) is pointing to the popularity of the iPad as proof that it's not just a fad. The problem is that some fads are quite popular. I think in the case of the iPad it probably isn't a fad but only time can determine that conclusively. And you're right... even if it's not "The Official Future" you can make a ton of money selling them and Microsoft should be there. There's hype and then there are fads. You can sell a lot of Handspring Visors and Palm Pilot cases based on a fad.

by dotBen 16y ago

po 16y ago

Good points. I'm reminded of the palm pilot form factor. I used one for a while. Thought it was great. Then after about a year I stopped using it. I think a lot of people did that and therefore for a good two or three years it looked like the future of computing. I read Daring Fireball a lot and one thing I think he gets wrong consistently (although he's not the only one) is pointing to the popularity of the iPad as proof that it's not just a fad. The problem is that some fads are quite popular. I think in the case of the iPad it probably isn't a fad but only time can determine that conclusively. And you're right... even if it's not "The Official Future" you can make a ton of money selling them and Microsoft should be there. There's hype and then there are fads. You can sell a lot of Handspring Visors and Palm Pilot cases based on a fad.