The tech world is quick to forget history - Windows 8's growing pains

I just finished reading an article today about the upcoming Windows 8.1, codename Windows Blue, release. It irks me that people are so quick to judge the new user interface without even giving it a chance. Yes, it irks me, a Mac fanboi that the press hates Windows. Why does it, do you ask. Well, the criticism is unfair, that's why.

Microsoft made the bold move of casting Windows, it's flagship product, into a new mould. It spent millions on research to ascertain how people will use computers 10-years into the future, and set the ball in motion. This is not very different from how Apple recast Mac OS into the X dye about 10 years ago. The first few releases of OS X were universally panned for being unusable garbage. But in 2013, I can't think of anyone that would want to go back to Classic; in fact, the new crop of Mac OS users are actually iOS users that bought Macs. These folks wouldn't know what to do with Classic at all.

Similarly, I cannot think of any Windows 8.5 user (launched in 2017) that would interact with Windows using the Desktop. It's a matter of helping the current Windows users adapt how they interact with a PC; it's about changing their muscle memory. Anyone that tells me that affecting such change can be done in tiny increments is kidding themselves. Windows 8 is the way of the future - you can argue with the drastic nature of how Microsoft brought this change to its user-base, but you cannot argue with the need for a change. For once Microsoft took a chance, and its paying the price. But it took a chance, and that is a huge cultural change for the company.

Now, if only Apple had the balls to give a much needed facelift to its core platforms...

HP Elitepad 900

I am the proud owner of an HP ElitePad 900 64GB tablet. Yay! The machine is speedy, responsive to touch and Windows 8 has some innovative features.

Like I am wont to doing, I am going to use this post as a running list of things I like and don't like about Windows 8. I couldn't say enough about the Elitepad device - it's sleek and has heft. Though it looks like another iPad clone, this is a true enterprise tablet - it comes with Windows 8 Pro and features a TPM chip to fully encrypt content. Bravo.

Windows 8 Likes:
1. Share feature
2. IE 10

Windows 8 Dislikes:
1. Could not discover the search feature in the Microsoft App Store
2. The Start Screen does not have a Clock - WTF? Must I lock to tell time?
3. Cannot set the Clock from the Metro UI. My machine thought it was March 7 when it actually is April 11

People have spoken with their wallets

I wrote about the Surface's pricing strategy a few months ago that led to an interesting discussion on Hacker News. My hypothesis was the Surface would fail, regardless of its technical virtues, if it was not priced appropriately. The post was aptly titled, The dilemma of pricing...

The first quarter numbers of the Surface RT are out, and Microsoft sold less than 750,000 units over what is considered the busiest quarter of the retail year. It's a shame because the device has received positive reviews. Some say that their channel strategy was broken, that the ecosystem sucks, etc. I still maintain that it's the price-point.

The Distribution Channel myth

There are ZERO, NONE, NADA physical stores from which people can buy the Kindle. Microsoft has both a physical and an online presence. It should surely sell more Surface RTs than Amazon did Kindle Fire HDs.

Wrong!

Canalys inferred that Amazon sold 4.6 million Kindle Fire HDs in the last quarter. So it's not channel or distribution related.

Myth, busted!

The It's the ecosystem, stupid myth

Surface RT has more features than the Kindle Fire HD
Surface RT has an equally rich ecosystem as the Kindle Fire HD

Myth, busted!

So what is it? It's the price, stupid!

Say that again - Being slightly obese could be good for me?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the following excerpt in The Economist:

Dr Flegal included studies of general populations, not just those in hospital or with specific conditions. But her findings add new fuel to the debate over what is called the obesity paradox. Those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart conditions seem to show an inverse relationship between BMI and mortality—that is, being moderately overweight seems to have a protective effect.

I read further because I had to know,

Just why this is true remains unclear. It may be because the overweight receive life-prolonging medical care, such as treatment for diabetes and drugs to control heart conditions. It may be that they are better equipped to endure surgery. Among those who sought angioplasty for coronary artery disease, a higher BMI was linked with a higher rate of survival. Or, as Wolfram Doehner argued in 2010, chronic illness—of any sort, not just that linked to obesity—may be a metabolically demanding state, with the overweight having more energy reserves to meet that demand.

I got to the end of the article, and felt vindicated.

Relatively plump citizens may indeed pose a particular burden on the state. On the one hand, they run a higher risk than those who are less fat of developing chronic ailments such as heart disease and diabetes that require expensive treatment. On the other, corpulence may extend life, meaning such treatment may be needed for many extra years. Expanding waistlines could be making people live longer, but sicker.

All that time spent working out was time spent well, indeed!

Huawei launches 6.1 inch Ascend Mate at CES

The phone, er Phablet, could very well be 7 inches at this point because no one in their senses is going to carry this in their back pocket (no chance for a front pocket fit) or hold it to their ears to place a phone call. Read more of Yahoo's coverage :here:.

To quote the end of the article:

what exactly is the motivation behind making larger smartphones instead of smaller ones? Jaycox said the tablet and smartphone markets are going through a test phase as consumers search for the sweet spot, looking for a portable device that meets all their computing needs.

"What's that device size where people truly feel like they have an all-in-one?" he said.

Translation: We don't know what to make so we are throwing everything we can against the wall. Let's see what sticks.

Please start writing again...

I used to write every day. It used to be about nothing. It used to be about everything. I talked about squash, about code, about discoveries, about love lost. I used to fill every living minute with some activity - a workout, a squash match, a coffee, a girl, a blog post. And then I fell in love.

It's taken me a full two weeks to realize the degree of contentment I now experience when I am with Puneet. I am not compelled to venture out of my zone, to chase new escapades and adventures, to even work out like I used to. In 2013, I have resolved to tweak that ever so slightly. I want to start writing and working out again...

It will take me a few weeks of trying and failing to get back into the groove again. Ideas will start flowing again, the words will make sense when strung into a sentence, I will capture the gestalt of situations again. Until then, bear with a man whose fingers can type but whose mind has gone on a walkabout.

Ken Segall succinctly articulates my thoughts on the Surface ad campaign

Ken Segall, over on his blog wrote a piece on the Microsoft Surface ad campaign that captures both my initial and now reaffirmed reaction to the campaign. In my opinion, the tactile "Click" sound is an anachronism in this age of touch surfaces and keyboards. When was the last time you "Clicked in" to anything? Even car doors, especially those of the luxury brands, are doing away with the click sound. Why not showcase the key differentiating features of the device? To quote Ken,

Assuming that any or all of these features are enough to do battle with the titans of tablets (iPad and Android), you might expect to see mention of them in Surface advertising.

Not really.

Instead, Microsoft has opted for the gimmick.It seems that Surface makes an audible click when you attach the keyboard/cover to the tablet. And along the way, someone decided that the click would make a nice “hook” for the campaign. That led to a launch commercial based entirely on the click.

Puneet, my partner in crime, liked the commercial because it had a catchy soundtrack and piqued her curiosity sufficiently for her to want to try one out at one of the many Microsoft stores. Sorry, I couldn't resist that bit of sarcasm. We live in New Jersey, known by many as the Mall capital of the World. Yes, even Minneapolis does not have as many malls or mall-rats as New Jersey does. In the great Bergen County of NJ that boasts 6 malls, there is only one Microsoft pop-up store. In contrast, there are about 3 Apple stores around these parts. Microsoft's retail unit does not recognize the extreme buying power of this county where most retail purchases are in cash. I have seen customers buy a new MacBook Pro in cold, hard cash. Only in Bergen County!

Back to the Microsoft campaign then. Maybe there are two (2) classes of viewers then. The kind that have flipped the bit on Microsoft and look at all of its advertising with a toxic eye. The other kind that see merit in their advertising. Ken and I are clearly in the first camp. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the second camp relies on the reviews and the perspectives that folks in the first camp tend to espouse. This my friends is the reason why no one is buying the Microsoft Surface despite its potential merits and "appealing" advertising campaign.