7 ms·

Apple Can Finish What Microsoft’s Sinofsky Started

74 points by phaet0n 14y ago

j_baker 14y ago
It's worth pointing out that you should take Gassée's views with a grain of salt. Gassée is a former Apple exec who led the Mac team, thus I'd imagine that he still has a significant amount invested in Apple (although there is a question of whether that investment is psychological or financial). Ultimately, I think Gassée is taking the easy way out on this. It's far too easy to jump on the "Windows 8 sucks" bandwagon with the likes of people like Dvorak (who has never wrongly predicted the demise of a tech product). Far more difficult is to examine the reasons why Windows 8 is unpopular. I think a lot of the reason why Windows 8 is unpopular is simply because it's different. Was Sinofsky unfairly scapegoated for problems at Microsoft? I suspect so. Will this give Apple a chance to "finish what Sinofsky started"? I think Apple has its own set of problems to deal with that have nothing to do with what Sinofsky did at Microsoft. Thus, I think linking Sinofsky's departure to Apple is a disingenuous marketing plug.
- Anechoic 14y ago
  Gassée is a former Apple exec who led the Mac team Wasn't he fired from Apple? edit: A quick wiki lookup indicates that he was "forced out" at Apple. The article also reminded me of the issues he had when Apple made some changes to Macs in the late 90's that made it difficult to dual-boot BeOS which caused difficulties for Gassée (nevermind the whole issue of Amelio choosing to acuire NeXT over Be). I think there is just as much reason for Gassée to hold a grudge against Apple as to be "invested" in Apple. (of course his argument may be wrong/right on other grounds, but I don't think it's certain that any allegiance to Apple really plays into the argument at this point)
  - ChuckMcM 14y ago
    I'm sure he left for "personal reasons" :-) But more seriously yes he left in 1990 per Wikipedia. I disliked his marketing claims of 'firsts' for Apple things that were shipping on the Amiga but certainly respected what he tried to achieve with BeOS.
  - j_baker 14y ago
    Well, either way you look at it, it's hard to imagine that Gassée is unbiased and objective. That doesn't mean he's wrong, but it does mean that you need to read it differently. Rather than accept the text as objective reality, you should view it as a perspective on reality that a former Apple executive who was forced to resign is willing to say publicly about Apple's relationship to the firing of Steven Sinofsky at Microsoft (while conveniently not mentioning Apple's firing of Scott Forstall). That is an incredibly shaky foundation to build an opinion on, is it not?
    - meanJim 14y ago
      He gives a quick little mention "We’ll give a quick but deep hat tip to its ferocious and now deposed champion, Scott Forstall, and leave the discussion of his own exit for a future Monday Note."
    - pooriaazimi 14y ago
      @meanJim: You've been hall-banned for almost a year... Just thought you need to know! > meanJim 7 minutes ago | link [dead] [-] [collapse whole thread] > He gives a quick little mention "We’ll give a quick but deep hat tip to its ferocious and now deposed champion, Scott Forstall, and leave the discussion of his own exit for a future Monday Note."
    - contextfree 14y ago
      I have yet to encounter an unbiased and objective commentator. I think he's wrong about this, but not because of his history with Apple. Actually I think your whole mindset here is totally backwards. You don't need a reason to not listen to someone on some topic, you just need to not have a reason to listen to them. I don't know why we should think Gassee has any particular insight into Microsoft today.
- Toshio 14y ago
  > "Far more difficult is to examine the reasons why Windows 8 is unpopular. I think a lot of the reason why Windows 8 is unpopular is simply because it's different." I think we have a pretty good idea by now why windows 8 is going to fail in the marketplace. Usability professionals have already chimed in.
  - j_baker 14y ago
    Oh. Well if "usability professionals" have offered opinions, it must be settled, right? They are the authorities on OS business models.
- gojomo 14y ago
  You say, "take with a grain of salt". I'd say, "enjoy the seasoning provided by Gassee's decades of relevant industry experience".
  - j_baker 14y ago
    I will give you one thing: euphemism is an artform. :-)
  - IheartApplesDix 14y ago
    Or "enjoy the chocolate from my fudge factory!"
- streptomycin 14y ago
  He was also the founder of Be, which was trampled by Microsoft's anti-competitive monopolistic practices.
  - kabdib 14y ago
    Really? What evidence do you have regarding tramping of BeOS specifically? I thought that BeOS was interesting, but not compelling enough to make a switch to (much like the NeXT stuff).
    - streptomycin 14y ago
      I'm not entirely sure what you're asking for (obviously I have no new evidence of ancient history), but I'm generally referring to this type of thing: http://www.birdhouse.org/beos/byte/30-bootloader/ http://www.birdhouse.org/beos/byte/30-bootloader/
    - rbanffy 14y ago
      I don't think Microsoft ever addressed BeOS specifically, but pretty much everything they did to ensure no PC manufacturer has any financial incentive to install anything but DOS or Windows on their PCs was as effective against BeOS as it was against OS/2, DR-DOS, DesqView etc...
    - shawn-butler 14y ago
      Be alleged in a lawsuit[0] that ms settled without admitting wrongdoing for US ~$23 million that Hitachi, Compaq and others vacated agreements in place to ship pcs preloaded in dualboot configurations with BeOS and Windows due to ms anger and resulting anticompetitive threats. Be was pretty much a shell company by the time the lawsuit was filed and resolved. [0] http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Microsoft+Pays+$23m+to+Settle+BeOS+Antitrust+Suit.-a0107384535 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Microsoft+Pays+$23m+to+Settle+...
- ladzoppelin 14y ago
  The other problem is saying "Windows 8 sucks" is wrong making the whole article one big marketing gimmick.
  - rbanffy 14y ago
    If you use 8 after using 7 along with Android tablets and iPads for a while, you'll perceive it as a huge improvement. If you come from a Mac or Linux background with iPads and Android tablets, you'll find it unbearable (a bit less than 7, but, still, a horrible experience). If you come from a straight XP-Vista-7 sequence with little non-deskop experience, Windows 8 will feel like a mixed bag.
- Aaronontheweb 14y ago
  What data do you have showing that Windows 8 is actually unpopular in terms of sales volume, given that it's only been in market for three weeks?
  - rbanffy 14y ago
    If it were a huge success, Microsoft would be exhaustively celebrating the fact, showing the sales numbers everywhere. The lack of numbers is a bad sign.
    - jussij 14y ago
      Windows 8 seems to working for well for Nokia - http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/052980-a-senior-sony-executive-has-revealed-the-company-is-developing-a-new-android-based-flagship-smartphone-aimed-at-competing-against-the-apple-iphone-and-samsung-galaxy-s3-in-an-interview-with-financial-times-deut-3.html http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/052980...
  - cremnob 14y ago
    Paul Thurrott has said Win8 sales are below Microsoft's internal targets. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57551433-75/windows-8-sales-well-below-projections-report-claims/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57551433-75/windows-8-sale...
    - Aaronontheweb 14y ago
      Cool, unverifiable rumor from a single anonymous source. Sounds credible to me.
recoiledsnake 14y ago
Meanwhile, Windows 8 sold 4 million upgrades in four days. And surpassed Android in web traffic in just 10 days. So much for the post-PC world. http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/30/3576512/windows-8-upgrade-sales-four-million http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/30/3576512/windows-8-upgrade... http://www.techspot.com/news/50745-statcounter-data-says-windows-8-has-overtaken-android-in-web-traffic.html http://www.techspot.com/news/50745-statcounter-data-says-win...
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  > surpassed Android in web traffic in just 10 days The fact of the matter is, there's a huge number of people who aren't aware you can browse the web on a smartphone (Android or iOS), or just don't use the feature very often. I know a lot of people who spend pretty much all their time on their phone inside the Facebook app, some games, and the SMS app. Many of them were very surprised to learn that there was a full-featured browser available on their phones.
  - recoiledsnake 14y ago
    Perhaps, but a core premise of the post-PC world is that people will be increasingly using tablets and smartphones to surf. I doubt that many Windows RT/8(which is supposed to be not selling) tablets have been sold, so it must be PCs(which are supposedly dying off) a few of which were upgraded overtaking the biggest mobile OS in a matter of days. And it must be consumer PCs too, since enterprises aren't deploying Windows 8 in any large number.
    - stcredzero 14y ago
      > Perhaps, but a core premise of the post-PC world is that people will be increasingly using tablets and smartphones to surf. That's a weakly formulated definition. Post-PC is really the new use cases opened up by mobile form factors. Of course it's going to start by evolving from the way we used PCs. But anyone who's surfed on a smartphone out in public will realize that it's something to do "in a pinch" or it's good because some access is better than no access at all. How we end up using mobile in 7 years will be more different from now than how we used the web in 1998 was different from 2005.
Steko 14y ago
One of the best reactions to the Sinofsky departure I've seen has been from Jim Fallows at the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/the-wheel-of-karma-microsoft-division/265250/ http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/the-wh...
ldesegur 14y ago
Gassee is the only executive I know who will actually try something before talking about it. It's evident that he reports on his personal experience with products and software before writing about those. He walked to the Stanford shopping center store to buy a copy (I did too and got similar experience.) See his previous post on iOS maps with hands-on feedback. I like his witty somewhat cynical (French?) writing style too. It reminds me of 'Mac the Knife' column on MacWeek (Gassee's period at Apple). It makes me smile.
KaoruAoiShiho 14y ago
It really doesn't matter how well Surface RT does. Windows 8, even if it's another Vista, will sell a stupendous number. This will cause a tide a W8 apps that will be RT compatible, dramatically raising its viability. RT sucks now because it's a V1 and because Surface Pro's not out yet. When Surface Pro gets penetration RT's time will come. It's classic microsoft, to translate their monopoly in PC OS into tablet marketshare.
- SoftwareMaven 14y ago
  I'm not convinced Surface Pro is going to be a hit. I think it will be too close to "laptop" to convince people to purchase it over an ultrabook. With its Intel processor, it will be faster, but heavier, hotter and will likely have worse battery life. I think the decision process will then be "is the touch screen and a little less weight worth giving up the performance of a real laptop?" And (as much as I love my tablet), I think the answer to that won't be a resounding "yes".
  - Breakthrough 14y ago
    Do you honestly think one of the largest players in this market (and arguably, the smartest) would release a tablet that's heavier, hotter, and with worse battery life than an Ultrabook? Have you even looked at the specifications of the Surface Pro? Microsoft knows exactly what they're doing. And I agree, due to it's similarity to a conventional laptop, they won't sell as much as they could. That being said, the Surface Pro is a bad-ass piece of machinery, and probably going to be hard to beat any time soon. Aside from those points, I agree with what you said. From my perspective though, who in their right mind wouldn't want a tablet with a dual-core hyperthreaded Core i5 with 4GB of RAM and a beautiful 1080p screen?
    - nilsbunger 14y ago
      I think the patent post probably meant hotter with worse battery life than other tablets. I would want a tablet with a core i5, 4gb ram and a 1080 screen, IF it still feels light, runs cool, and battery lasts as long as an iPad.
kybernetikos 14y ago
I think there's a window for developers to move en-masse to a new OS. It's a shame that at just the same time as developers are finally waking up to the fact that OSX and Windows are both moving in a worrying direction, there's no clear champion with mainstream (dev) appeal in the linux/bsd firmament either.
- antidoh 14y ago
  As long as Word/Excel are seen as required by business and consumers, Windows will always be with us, and that's where the serious money will be for developers and Providers of Enterprise Excess. It's frustrating to me, because most of the Word documents I see do not need or use the vast caverns of Word utility. I'm guessing 90% (probably 99%) or more of docs I see and produce could be satisfied with text, or rtf at most. We spend hundreds of dollars individually on Office and get locked into Windows because we might someday need to do a mail merge. Similar for Excel. Excel is an excellent product that most people don't need. Most of what we produce with Excel could be done with csv and a basic presentation layer. For the serious stuff, we would have been better off with SQL databases and presentation products decoupled from the database.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
drivebyacct2 14y ago
So, we use reviews from 4 months before the stable release to then dovetail into a completely disjoint "apple can do it better" rant that somehow involves Snap and iCloud? What? Seriously, I'm just in awe that this is on the front page.
- brianpan 14y ago
  I read it more as "Apple has an opportunity to do it better". He points out 2 areas of weakness that Apple still needs to overcome in order to do it better- usability of multitasking (Windows does it with Snap), and cloud syncing (Apple's iCloud offering leaves something to be desired). Both seem me like relevant things to point out.
contextfree 14y ago
His chronology is wrong; Windows 8 was planned as a "reimagining" from the start of the project in mid-2009. It was never intended to be an incremental update.
programminggeek 14y ago
You know, Win 8 and OSX are both moving towards a merged mobile/desktop OS, while Ubuntu and Android are going to stay quite separate. I think it might actually work out to Ubuntu's benefit over time to just stick with the desktop.

74 points by phaet0n 14y ago

It's worth pointing out that you should take Gassée's views with a grain of salt. Gassée is a former Apple exec who led the Mac team, thus I'd imagine that he still has a significant amount invested in Apple (although there is a question of whether that investment is psychological or financial). Ultimately, I think Gassée is taking the easy way out on this. It's far too easy to jump on the "Windows 8 sucks" bandwagon with the likes of people like Dvorak (who has never wrongly predicted the demise of a tech product). Far more difficult is to examine the reasons why Windows 8 is unpopular. I think a lot of the reason why Windows 8 is unpopular is simply because it's different. Was Sinofsky unfairly scapegoated for problems at Microsoft? I suspect so. Will this give Apple a chance to "finish what Sinofsky started"? I think Apple has its own set of problems to deal with that have nothing to do with what Sinofsky did at Microsoft. Thus, I think linking Sinofsky's departure to Apple is a disingenuous marketing plug.

Anechoic 14y ago
Gassée is a former Apple exec who led the Mac team Wasn't he fired from Apple? edit: A quick wiki lookup indicates that he was "forced out" at Apple. The article also reminded me of the issues he had when Apple made some changes to Macs in the late 90's that made it difficult to dual-boot BeOS which caused difficulties for Gassée (nevermind the whole issue of Amelio choosing to acuire NeXT over Be). I think there is just as much reason for Gassée to hold a grudge against Apple as to be "invested" in Apple. (of course his argument may be wrong/right on other grounds, but I don't think it's certain that any allegiance to Apple really plays into the argument at this point)
- ChuckMcM 14y ago
  I'm sure he left for "personal reasons" :-) But more seriously yes he left in 1990 per Wikipedia. I disliked his marketing claims of 'firsts' for Apple things that were shipping on the Amiga but certainly respected what he tried to achieve with BeOS.
- j_baker 14y ago
  Well, either way you look at it, it's hard to imagine that Gassée is unbiased and objective. That doesn't mean he's wrong, but it does mean that you need to read it differently. Rather than accept the text as objective reality, you should view it as a perspective on reality that a former Apple executive who was forced to resign is willing to say publicly about Apple's relationship to the firing of Steven Sinofsky at Microsoft (while conveniently not mentioning Apple's firing of Scott Forstall). That is an incredibly shaky foundation to build an opinion on, is it not?
  - meanJim 14y ago
    He gives a quick little mention "We’ll give a quick but deep hat tip to its ferocious and now deposed champion, Scott Forstall, and leave the discussion of his own exit for a future Monday Note."
  - pooriaazimi 14y ago
    @meanJim: You've been hall-banned for almost a year... Just thought you need to know! > meanJim 7 minutes ago | link [dead] [-] [collapse whole thread] > He gives a quick little mention "We’ll give a quick but deep hat tip to its ferocious and now deposed champion, Scott Forstall, and leave the discussion of his own exit for a future Monday Note."
  - contextfree 14y ago
    I have yet to encounter an unbiased and objective commentator. I think he's wrong about this, but not because of his history with Apple. Actually I think your whole mindset here is totally backwards. You don't need a reason to not listen to someone on some topic, you just need to not have a reason to listen to them. I don't know why we should think Gassee has any particular insight into Microsoft today.
Toshio 14y ago
> "Far more difficult is to examine the reasons why Windows 8 is unpopular. I think a lot of the reason why Windows 8 is unpopular is simply because it's different." I think we have a pretty good idea by now why windows 8 is going to fail in the marketplace. Usability professionals have already chimed in.
- j_baker 14y ago
  Oh. Well if "usability professionals" have offered opinions, it must be settled, right? They are the authorities on OS business models.
gojomo 14y ago
You say, "take with a grain of salt". I'd say, "enjoy the seasoning provided by Gassee's decades of relevant industry experience".
- j_baker 14y ago
  I will give you one thing: euphemism is an artform. :-)
- IheartApplesDix 14y ago
  Or "enjoy the chocolate from my fudge factory!"
streptomycin 14y ago
He was also the founder of Be, which was trampled by Microsoft's anti-competitive monopolistic practices.
- kabdib 14y ago
  Really? What evidence do you have regarding tramping of BeOS specifically? I thought that BeOS was interesting, but not compelling enough to make a switch to (much like the NeXT stuff).
  - streptomycin 14y ago
    I'm not entirely sure what you're asking for (obviously I have no new evidence of ancient history), but I'm generally referring to this type of thing: http://www.birdhouse.org/beos/byte/30-bootloader/ http://www.birdhouse.org/beos/byte/30-bootloader/
  - rbanffy 14y ago
    I don't think Microsoft ever addressed BeOS specifically, but pretty much everything they did to ensure no PC manufacturer has any financial incentive to install anything but DOS or Windows on their PCs was as effective against BeOS as it was against OS/2, DR-DOS, DesqView etc...
  - shawn-butler 14y ago
    Be alleged in a lawsuit[0] that ms settled without admitting wrongdoing for US ~$23 million that Hitachi, Compaq and others vacated agreements in place to ship pcs preloaded in dualboot configurations with BeOS and Windows due to ms anger and resulting anticompetitive threats. Be was pretty much a shell company by the time the lawsuit was filed and resolved. [0] http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Microsoft+Pays+$23m+to+Settle+BeOS+Antitrust+Suit.-a0107384535 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Microsoft+Pays+$23m+to+Settle+...
ladzoppelin 14y ago
The other problem is saying "Windows 8 sucks" is wrong making the whole article one big marketing gimmick.
- rbanffy 14y ago
  If you use 8 after using 7 along with Android tablets and iPads for a while, you'll perceive it as a huge improvement. If you come from a Mac or Linux background with iPads and Android tablets, you'll find it unbearable (a bit less than 7, but, still, a horrible experience). If you come from a straight XP-Vista-7 sequence with little non-deskop experience, Windows 8 will feel like a mixed bag.
Aaronontheweb 14y ago
What data do you have showing that Windows 8 is actually unpopular in terms of sales volume, given that it's only been in market for three weeks?
- rbanffy 14y ago
  If it were a huge success, Microsoft would be exhaustively celebrating the fact, showing the sales numbers everywhere. The lack of numbers is a bad sign.
  - jussij 14y ago
    Windows 8 seems to working for well for Nokia - http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/052980-a-senior-sony-executive-has-revealed-the-company-is-developing-a-new-android-based-flagship-smartphone-aimed-at-competing-against-the-apple-iphone-and-samsung-galaxy-s3-in-an-interview-with-financial-times-deut-3.html http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/052980...
- cremnob 14y ago
  Paul Thurrott has said Win8 sales are below Microsoft's internal targets. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57551433-75/windows-8-sales-well-below-projections-report-claims/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57551433-75/windows-8-sale...
  - Aaronontheweb 14y ago
    Cool, unverifiable rumor from a single anonymous source. Sounds credible to me.

recoiledsnake 14y ago

Meanwhile, Windows 8 sold 4 million upgrades in four days. And surpassed Android in web traffic in just 10 days. So much for the post-PC world. http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/30/3576512/windows-8-upgrade-sales-four-million http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/30/3576512/windows-8-upgrade... http://www.techspot.com/news/50745-statcounter-data-says-windows-8-has-overtaken-android-in-web-traffic.html http://www.techspot.com/news/50745-statcounter-data-says-win...

w1ntermute 14y ago
> surpassed Android in web traffic in just 10 days The fact of the matter is, there's a huge number of people who aren't aware you can browse the web on a smartphone (Android or iOS), or just don't use the feature very often. I know a lot of people who spend pretty much all their time on their phone inside the Facebook app, some games, and the SMS app. Many of them were very surprised to learn that there was a full-featured browser available on their phones.
- recoiledsnake 14y ago
  Perhaps, but a core premise of the post-PC world is that people will be increasingly using tablets and smartphones to surf. I doubt that many Windows RT/8(which is supposed to be not selling) tablets have been sold, so it must be PCs(which are supposedly dying off) a few of which were upgraded overtaking the biggest mobile OS in a matter of days. And it must be consumer PCs too, since enterprises aren't deploying Windows 8 in any large number.
  - stcredzero 14y ago
    > Perhaps, but a core premise of the post-PC world is that people will be increasingly using tablets and smartphones to surf. That's a weakly formulated definition. Post-PC is really the new use cases opened up by mobile form factors. Of course it's going to start by evolving from the way we used PCs. But anyone who's surfed on a smartphone out in public will realize that it's something to do "in a pinch" or it's good because some access is better than no access at all. How we end up using mobile in 7 years will be more different from now than how we used the web in 1998 was different from 2005.

Steko 14y ago

One of the best reactions to the Sinofsky departure I've seen has been from Jim Fallows at the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/the-wheel-of-karma-microsoft-division/265250/ http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/the-wh...

ldesegur 14y ago

Gassee is the only executive I know who will actually try something before talking about it. It's evident that he reports on his personal experience with products and software before writing about those. He walked to the Stanford shopping center store to buy a copy (I did too and got similar experience.) See his previous post on iOS maps with hands-on feedback. I like his witty somewhat cynical (French?) writing style too. It reminds me of 'Mac the Knife' column on MacWeek (Gassee's period at Apple). It makes me smile.

KaoruAoiShiho 14y ago

It really doesn't matter how well Surface RT does. Windows 8, even if it's another Vista, will sell a stupendous number. This will cause a tide a W8 apps that will be RT compatible, dramatically raising its viability. RT sucks now because it's a V1 and because Surface Pro's not out yet. When Surface Pro gets penetration RT's time will come. It's classic microsoft, to translate their monopoly in PC OS into tablet marketshare.

SoftwareMaven 14y ago
I'm not convinced Surface Pro is going to be a hit. I think it will be too close to "laptop" to convince people to purchase it over an ultrabook. With its Intel processor, it will be faster, but heavier, hotter and will likely have worse battery life. I think the decision process will then be "is the touch screen and a little less weight worth giving up the performance of a real laptop?" And (as much as I love my tablet), I think the answer to that won't be a resounding "yes".
- Breakthrough 14y ago
  Do you honestly think one of the largest players in this market (and arguably, the smartest) would release a tablet that's heavier, hotter, and with worse battery life than an Ultrabook? Have you even looked at the specifications of the Surface Pro? Microsoft knows exactly what they're doing. And I agree, due to it's similarity to a conventional laptop, they won't sell as much as they could. That being said, the Surface Pro is a bad-ass piece of machinery, and probably going to be hard to beat any time soon. Aside from those points, I agree with what you said. From my perspective though, who in their right mind wouldn't want a tablet with a dual-core hyperthreaded Core i5 with 4GB of RAM and a beautiful 1080p screen?
  - nilsbunger 14y ago
    I think the patent post probably meant hotter with worse battery life than other tablets. I would want a tablet with a core i5, 4gb ram and a 1080 screen, IF it still feels light, runs cool, and battery lasts as long as an iPad.

kybernetikos 14y ago

I think there's a window for developers to move en-masse to a new OS. It's a shame that at just the same time as developers are finally waking up to the fact that OSX and Windows are both moving in a worrying direction, there's no clear champion with mainstream (dev) appeal in the linux/bsd firmament either.

antidoh 14y ago
As long as Word/Excel are seen as required by business and consumers, Windows will always be with us, and that's where the serious money will be for developers and Providers of Enterprise Excess. It's frustrating to me, because most of the Word documents I see do not need or use the vast caverns of Word utility. I'm guessing 90% (probably 99%) or more of docs I see and produce could be satisfied with text, or rtf at most. We spend hundreds of dollars individually on Office and get locked into Windows because we might someday need to do a mail merge. Similar for Excel. Excel is an excellent product that most people don't need. Most of what we produce with Excel could be done with csv and a basic presentation layer. For the serious stuff, we would have been better off with SQL databases and presentation products decoupled from the database.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

drivebyacct2 14y ago

So, we use reviews from 4 months before the stable release to then dovetail into a completely disjoint "apple can do it better" rant that somehow involves Snap and iCloud? What? Seriously, I'm just in awe that this is on the front page.

brianpan 14y ago
I read it more as "Apple has an opportunity to do it better". He points out 2 areas of weakness that Apple still needs to overcome in order to do it better- usability of multitasking (Windows does it with Snap), and cloud syncing (Apple's iCloud offering leaves something to be desired). Both seem me like relevant things to point out.

contextfree 14y ago

His chronology is wrong; Windows 8 was planned as a "reimagining" from the start of the project in mid-2009. It was never intended to be an incremental update.

programminggeek 14y ago

You know, Win 8 and OSX are both moving towards a merged mobile/desktop OS, while Ubuntu and Android are going to stay quite separate. I think it might actually work out to Ubuntu's benefit over time to just stick with the desktop.