3 ms·

in terms of interface, all tablets are the same. How true is this? I thought some tablets have navigation buttons while others do not. I also thought that th

by pohl 15y ago

in terms of interface, all tablets are the same. How true is this? I thought some tablets have navigation buttons while others do not. I also thought that there was some variation in screen sizes, and therefore screen real-estate. I also thought that Microsoft, in particular, seeks to support older windows software (I'm getting this notion from the Win8 video that was released the week prior to WWDC), and therefore has additional user interface concerns. Isn't there at least one tablet out there that has a stylus? I understand how easy it is to think "glass rectangles; how different can they be?" but I think that's a big mistake. Because of this, I disagree with the notion that the author contradicted himself.

wvenable 15y ago
I stand by my argument. While some tablets have more or less buttons, that is hardly a significant factor. In some new Android tablets, where the OS demands dedicated back and menu buttons, are implemented on screen in software. It's really just not that much of differentiating factor. Screen size is a bigger factor but we've already seen that play out on smartphones. And despite a number of 7" tablets, the market is clearly leaning towards a 10" form factor as standard. Microsoft does seek to support older windows software but the user interface concerns comes from the fact that they're bringing that to touchable glass rectangle hardware.
- wonderzombie 15y ago
  Unless we're speaking very narrowly in terms of hardware, I disagree. I've never used Android on the tablet, but I've owned Android phones for years. I own an iPod Touch and an iPad. The device's interface and the way it influences apps & app developers makes a huge difference. On Android, menu is functionally equivalent to right-click, which means it either hides complexity or it's a dumping ground, depending on your perspective. I don't care for it. The lack of a OS-level back button on iOS means most apps put a back button somewhere on screen, or there's page-swiping. Generally you know where pressing that button will take you. The vast majority of the time it will never take you out of your current application. That is not the case on Android; you can dump yourself back to the home screen from a web browser if you hit Back one too many times. And then there's the "activity stack," an OS-level concept that interacts with the Home and Back buttons. Maybe the buttons themselves are not differentiators, but they imply or enforce different assumptions which in turn inform the way people use and develop for the device.
  - wvenable 15y ago
    You mention hardware in your first line but absolutely everything else you said has to do with the software only.

by pohl 15y ago

wvenable 15y ago

I stand by my argument. While some tablets have more or less buttons, that is hardly a significant factor. In some new Android tablets, where the OS demands dedicated back and menu buttons, are implemented on screen in software. It's really just not that much of differentiating factor. Screen size is a bigger factor but we've already seen that play out on smartphones. And despite a number of 7" tablets, the market is clearly leaning towards a 10" form factor as standard. Microsoft does seek to support older windows software but the user interface concerns comes from the fact that they're bringing that to touchable glass rectangle hardware.

wonderzombie 15y ago
Unless we're speaking very narrowly in terms of hardware, I disagree. I've never used Android on the tablet, but I've owned Android phones for years. I own an iPod Touch and an iPad. The device's interface and the way it influences apps & app developers makes a huge difference. On Android, menu is functionally equivalent to right-click, which means it either hides complexity or it's a dumping ground, depending on your perspective. I don't care for it. The lack of a OS-level back button on iOS means most apps put a back button somewhere on screen, or there's page-swiping. Generally you know where pressing that button will take you. The vast majority of the time it will never take you out of your current application. That is not the case on Android; you can dump yourself back to the home screen from a web browser if you hit Back one too many times. And then there's the "activity stack," an OS-level concept that interacts with the Home and Back buttons. Maybe the buttons themselves are not differentiators, but they imply or enforce different assumptions which in turn inform the way people use and develop for the device.
- wvenable 15y ago
  You mention hardware in your first line but absolutely everything else you said has to do with the software only.