3 ms·
You're not forward-looking enough. 2012 was the beginning of the end of the laptop form factor. Windows 8 needs to last a good decade or so for Microsoft, so it
by dangrossman 14y ago
You're not forward-looking enough. 2012 was the beginning of the end of the laptop form factor. Windows 8 needs to last a good decade or so for Microsoft, so it better be ready for the form factors that will be popular in the coming years. That's going to be tablets of all sizes you can dock to a keyboard for laptop-like work. With a hard hinge or kickstand, they look and work like the laptop you're used to. They're otherwise undocked or have the screen flipped down over the keyboard for tablet-like interaction.
There's no wrist contortion when using the same computer if you can move the screen flat in a split second to switch modes of interaction. If you're not convinced that using the full internet on a touchscreen PC can't be as fluid, easy and enjoyable as it is on your mobile device or Android tablet, find a store with a Surface Pro tablet on display, hold it in your hand without the magnetic keyboard attached, and tap Internet Explorer 10. It feels like the future, man. If your phone feels fluid, pinch zooming on an Intel Core i5 feels like you're in an Iron Man movie working with Jarvis. No mobile sites required; the only thing that you'll have trouble doing just as easy and accurately as if you had a mouse is menus that have hover states.
- jlgreco 14y agoWe've had laptops like that for a decade. Tablets make sense, I don't doubt that, and laptops that can turn into tablets are fine, but the technology is just silly in regular laptops. If Windows 8 is all about Microsoft getting ready to ditch regular laptops let alone desktops entirely... well besides thinking that is a mistake I think they should have manned up and never pretended it was for regular laptops in the first place. I've used a surface briefly. I walked away from it with that "gee wiz that was neato... but adds no value to my life" vibe that I got years ago from Beryl/Compiz.