Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 8th Jan 2013 23:27 UTC
So, a rudimentary jailbreak for Windows RT made its way onto the web these past few days. Open source applications were ported right away, and it was confirmed that Windows RT is the full Windows - it's exactly the same as regular Windows, except that it runs on ARM. Microsoft responded to the jailbreak as well.
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Member since:2009-03-17
Microsoft has a three good things going for it that Apple (and Android) doesn't: OEM relationships in the PC space, Enterprise support/integration in the PC space, and size in the PC space.
There, fixed.
Otherwise 2 out of 3 do not apply for the mobile/low power space: Apple is arguably larger than MS from a valuation standpoint, and Google has far more traction with Phone/Tablet OEMs.
Microsoft still has the enterprise market, which is a nice chunk... but it's hurting for growth.
Edited 2013-01-09 07:08 UTC
RE[3]: Comment by saso
by Bill Shooter of Bul on Wed 9th Jan 2013 15:29
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by saso"
Member since:2006-07-14
Actually a large PC manufacturer is giving my company a windows RT based tablet Gratis, in the hope that we find it to be awesome and order a gazillion more. The company in question has never done this before with any product.
So that counts for something, I think. I imagine some companies will take them up on their offer to order more.
Member since:2005-07-12
Microsoft has strong relationships with the likes of Lenovo and Dell, who make good convertables, and will likely move past just convertables, as the full-on PC market is slowing in growth.
Though, I concede the Enterprise point as it relates to Windows RT. I had thought Windows RT would integrate with Active Directory; I now know that it doesn't. It can't join a domain, so GP settings can't be applied systematically.
However, this won't apply to many x86-based tablets.
Member since:2007-04-18
With a wide range of OEMs able to make Windows RT systems, prices will drop far below what Apple will sell their gear for (while hopefully some will maintain high-end quality), and be in the range of Android devices.
Except that Microsoft is going full-ahead in alienating their OEMs by selling a tablet that is vastly more popular the OEM offerings. If I were in business, I'd be very suspicious if my supplier were competing with me in my sole area of business.
Next, Microsoft has strong Enterprise relationships. If they buy tablets, they'll probably end up buying Microsoft tablets, for a couple of reasons. First, Microsoft has long supported the Enterprise, and has a reputation of maintaining compatibility for a long time.
Sure, hardly anything beats being golf buddies with the CIO of a Fortune 500, but then, these aren't real points of merit, but simply back room deals.
Second, there are these little things called Roadmaps that Microsoft makes easily available.
And that's an argument for buying a Windows tablet how? Remember the Windows Phone 7.5 -> 8.0 "no upgrades for you suckers" debacle? Yeah, they'll tell you all about the features you're not going to get.
Windows RT has tight integration with existing management tools that come with Windows Server.
Care to provide references? I'm not aware of any.
Equivalent tools for iPads and Android tools just aren't as good in Windows-centric environment.
Both iOS and Android have full ActiveSync support with remote policy management, remote wipe, etc. What tools does Windows RT have more?
Now, one thing that will effect that previous point is the shift towards people bringing their own device. This is a relatively new thing, and as it becomes more commonplace, I expect it to actually accelerate. Once companies get used to supporting devices brought from home, they'll probably insist on it as a way to save money. This could halt enterprise adoption in the long run, more than just unfamiliarity with a new platform would in the short term.
Yes, and you know what platforms they are authorizing for bringing into the enterprise? Android and iOS - I work on exactly such a project for a bank. They want their front-office people to use their own devices rather than the bank having to buy the devices for them, and as a consequence, *the bank* has to adapt to Android and iOS devices their employees own, and not the other way around.
Finally, Microsoft is a behemoth, and they surely recognize the value of the markets that they aren't really participating in. Remember how everybody said there was no room for the XBox, that having Nintendo, Sony, and Sega was crowded enough? Well, Sega is gone, and Nintendo is being increasingly relegated to the handheld market. If Microsoft plays the same strategy, they have a good chance at success.
Ah, well, here we can agree. Microsoft sure knows how to drown a problem in money until it goes away. Why compete on technical merit, if you can just buy your way into a market. But it isn't answering my original question: why should people give Microsoft their money? In essence, your answer here amounts to "because Microsoft will make sure you have no other choice".
Member since:2007-09-22
You are wrong, Windows RT does not have any of the properties you mentioned. Windows 8 on Intel-based devices has these properties.
Their enterprise support for Windows RT currently still sucks, because it does not integrate with the current solution for PCs. And is still very new (read: buggy ?) even newer than Windows 8/RT.
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:33 UTC
Official Apple statement on PRISM and privacy: "Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it." This is basically Apple re-publishing their earlier statement in a more official manner. You either believe it, or you don't.
Linked by Anonymous on 06/18/13 22:26 UTC
The open source Contiki operating system and its commercial Thingsquare distribution are making strides towards the connected home. According to a Computerworld article, a new LED light bulb manufacturer is putting small computers into their light bulbs. Each computer runs the Contiki OS, which gives each bulb an IP address and allows them to be controlled with a smartphone application. To connect the bulbs to the application, the bulbs use both Wi-Fi and the much lower power IEEE 802.15.4 mesh technology.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:25 UTC
"Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. The legal filing, which cites the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, is the latest move by the California-based tech giant to protect its reputation in the aftermath of news reports about sweeping National Security Agency surveillance of Internet traffic." Draining the ditch after the cow has drowned in it.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:45 UTC
"I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:32 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)".
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:58 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:52 UTC
"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 21:03 UTC
Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm: "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 20:46 UTC
"And so it is with Dell's Alienware X51 R2, a small form factor gaming PC in console digs. It's shaped similar to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Slim, and though it's slightly larger than either a 360 or PlayStation 3, the X51 R2 would be right at home in a living room setting nestled next to a large screen TV. Indeed, it's adept at running Steam's Big Picture mode, and if your primary objective is to play games in the living room, go ahead and consider the X51 R2 a hybrid game console." This is obviously not the only machine like this - still, these are very valid console alternatives even for those that don't like being hunched over with a cramped WASD-claw. Also, PC gamers among us: could you get away with the $699 model for gaming?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 17:32 UTC
From Bloomberg: "Microsoft, the world's largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes." The lid has officially been blown off.More News »
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Member since:
2005-07-12
Microsoft has a three good things going for it that Apple (and Android) doesn't: OEM relationships, Enterprise support/integration, and size.
With a wide range of OEMs able to make Windows RT systems, prices will drop far below what Apple will sell their gear for (while hopefully some will maintain high-end quality), and be in the range of Android devices.
Next, Microsoft has strong Enterprise relationships. If they buy tablets, they'll probably end up buying Microsoft tablets, for a couple of reasons. First, Microsoft has long supported the Enterprise, and has a reputation of maintaining compatibility for a long time. Second, there are these little things called Roadmaps that Microsoft makes easily available. I don't think I've ever seen an official Apple roadmap. Remember when Apple abruptly dropped the X-Serve? Windows RT has tight integration with existing management tools that come with Windows Server. Equivalent tools for iPads and Android tools just aren't as good in Windows-centric environment.
A secondary effect of enterprise adoption is that people may pick up the same devices for home. This is part of the success of the IBM PC. When people brought computers home, they would get compatible systems.
Now, one thing that will effect that previous point is the shift towards people bringing their own device. This is a relatively new thing, and as it becomes more commonplace, I expect it to actually accelerate. Once companies get used to supporting devices brought from home, they'll probably insist on it as a way to save money. This could halt enterprise adoption in the long run, more than just unfamiliarity with a new platform would in the short term.
Finally, Microsoft is a behemoth, and they surely recognize the value of the markets that they aren't really participating in. Remember how everybody said there was no room for the XBox, that having Nintendo, Sony, and Sega was crowded enough? Well, Sega is gone, and Nintendo is being increasingly relegated to the handheld market. If Microsoft plays the same strategy, they have a good chance at success.