Microsoft is known for introducing some products late and
some products too early. But that is very common for a company of that size. I
remember in 2003, I purchased my first Toshiba tablet loaded with Windows XP
Tablet edition. It was a 13 inch with 4GB RAM and plenty of storage. I loved
flipping it as a tablet and use pen and ink to write on it. I remember taking
it to meetings, writing notes on it and later coming back to my desk and work
on it. What you can OneNote today was already on this tablet.
I believe that was too early for a tablet. I am not sure why
but Microsoft stopped it. Or was it some political decision some
ex-Microsoft employees are talking about. Whatever the reason may be, but
it was a big mistake.
Ten years later today, all we see is tablet. Laptops are
tablets. PCs are tablets and even your phone is pretty much a Tablet. Give
credit to Mr. Jobs and his iPod, iPhone and iPad products and they got it
right.
On Oct 26, Microsoft started selling Windows 8 and its first
tablet, Surface. Surface runs Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro operating systems.
Surface Windows 8 Pro is expected to be available on Feb 9.
![Surface.jpg]()
When I visited Microsoft Store, all I saw was latest laptops
from vendors including Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Sony, HP and others loaded with
Windows 8 and touch screens. The question is, Do
people really want to touch their laptop screens (via Business Insider)?
![Surface-Pro.png]()
Well, I have two theories. One is good (for Microsoft) and
one is not so good. Again, these are my personal theories.
If I am a typical tablet user who loves using a tablet to
browse the Internet, manage emails and demo some products, YES. I do want to
touch my screen. I do like to touch my screen while I am traveling. I don't
have room to open my laptop on an Airplane. I like to touch my laptop screen.
Size? Smaller is better.
If I am a regular laptop user, I could careless. I personally
hate touch. It is so not productive.
Alright, I have been using Windows 8 for over a year now. If
you ask me, I have never used so called “metro mode” besides starting my
laptop. Right away, I go to traditional Windows mode and that is where I have
my applications installed with shortcuts and that is where I spent my most of
the time. I hate when I build a Windows 8 app and it goes to metro mode and I
have to be switch back to the traditional mode. But one thing I have noticed
is, Windows 8 is much superior operating system its predecessors. It handles
resources very well and I have never *never* seen a blue screen or crash.
I think where Microsoft got it wrong is dumping everybody on
same train. They want me (a developer) to use to a touch screen laptop. They
took away my productivity in Windows 8 (metro mode).
Will there be time when I need a touch PC? Not sure. But
today, I do not want a touch screen laptop.
May be Windows 8 is for next generation where they will be
used to touch and swipe. May be in near future, Visual Studio will be designed
to work for touch and swipe actions. May be when Visual Studio will understand
my voice commands and write code for me and do what I am thinking.