Linked by snydeq on Tue 6th Jul 2010 15:19 UTC
InfoWorld's Neil McAllister offers 10 reasons why the PC is here to stay despite Steve Jobs' recent pronouncement that the iPad signals the end of the PC era. 'Depending on whom you ask, the iPad will save journalism, rescue the book publishing business, transform the movie industry, change the way we communicate, and make the perfect omelet. But there are plenty of reasons to suspect that at least some of these predictions will prove overly optimistic. Even more dubious is the idea that the iPad signals a true sea change in computing,' McAllister writes. Chief among the reasons the PC is not dead yet are desktops' comparative cost-effectiveness, the lack of versatility of mobile devices, the fact that desktop and mobile OSes don't mix, and limitations inherent to tablet devices' dependencies on the cloud.
Thread beginning with comment 432650
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE: Like anything else overhyped
by viton on Wed 7th Jul 2010 05:48
in reply to "Like anything else overhyped"
Member since:2005-08-09
if they can do it with a 300mhz VIA ARM9 in the 7" form factor for under $80
They can sell these things for cheap, because they do not produce any software, use cheapest components regardless of quality. Apple use their own chips, provide unique well-designed software. That's adds to the value and price.
RE[2]: Like anything else overhyped
by saso on Wed 7th Jul 2010 13:16
in reply to "RE: Like anything else overhyped"
Member since:2007-04-18
The reality is that most of Apple's appeal originates in its easy-to-use software stack, however the software landscape is changing really quickly. Ever since I got a new htc desire with android 2.1 with the sense ui, I believe android really is on-par with the latest iOS 4 in terms of features and quality, and even far surpasses it in many respects (not having to care about managing an app's lifecycle at all, true multitasking, software freedom, etc.).
The hardware side of the story is also taken care of. We have mature high-performance ARM CPUs, cheap RAM, great displays and companies capable of manufacturing all this into quality designs (quanta, asus, etc.).
If HTC, or some other sensible manufacturer, came out with a 7-9'' tabled device with decent hardware specs running android, I'd get one immediately. Let's hope that 2010/2011 will be the year of Linux on the tabled. :-)
RE[2]: Like anything else overhyped
by nt_jerkface on Wed 7th Jul 2010 16:34
in reply to "RE: Like anything else overhyped"
Member since:2009-08-26
They can sell these things for cheap, because they do not produce any software, use cheapest components regardless of quality. Apple use their own chips, provide unique well-designed software. That's adds to the value and price.
I don't think software matters as much for this type of device since they are mostly used for web browsing.
A lot of people like myself could make use of one if it just had a browser and Flash.
Edited 2010-07-07 16:38 UTC
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.More Features »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2005-07-12
It's own hype will be the death of it... since we're all riding around on Segways.
It's funny though, I think the biggest thing that's going to kill it is the size -- the slightly smaller 7" android powered arm knockoffs coming out of china for $160USD or less, and the Atom powered Cisco Cius are a much more practical form factor -- I really think Apple aimed too high on form factor.
I mean, have you tried to use one? It's too big to hold in one hand while trying to type or navigate with the other, it's too big to go in a backpack without smooshing it.
The 7" ones are the size of a 150 page paperback... and seem more feature-rich on simple things that don't cost a damn like in-built cameras.
I really think that android + a 1ghz ARM + a REAL amount of RAM and Flash at a $300 price point would kick some serious ass; if they can do it with a 300mhz VIA ARM9 in the 7" form factor for under $80, at 600mhz VIA ARM9 for around $100, and 600MHZ Rockchip with a 550mhz DSP for $150, I don't see how a real 1ghz dual core ARM, a REAL amount of RAM and flash and maybe a durable case should double the street price.