IT Blogwatch

A Daily Digest of IT Blogs from Richi Jennings

Microsoft's Windows 7 iPad is "coming soon" (and PsD)

TAGS:AAPL, Apple, FAM, iOS 4, ios4, iPad, Microsoft, MSFT, Steve Ballmer, Tablet PC, Wall Street, Windows 7
IT TOPICS:Applications, Devices, Emerging Technology, Hardware, Laptops & Netbooks, Macintosh, Macs & PCs, Management, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Operating Systems, Windows

By Richi Jennings. July 30, 2010.

It's official: Microsoft's Apple iPad competitor is "coming soon," with Windows 7 on Intel. At yesterday's financial analysts' meeting, Steve Ballmer made his clearest statement yet on the company's vision for tablet computing. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers reach out and touch the future.

Your humble blogwatcher selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention a Philips-shop disaster...
(MSFT) (AAPL)

Gavin Clarke envisions an insomniac, nocturnal Ballmer:

Microsoft's CEO said Apple has sold more iPads and iPhones than he'd liked and he's suffering sleepless nights in the race to catch up. ... Microsoft's number-one priority is now to deliver touch-based computing pads running Windows 7. ... That's as good as admitting you know you misjudged the competition with a promise you're now committed to catching up.
...
[But he] dismissed Google's Android and Chrome OS. ... Ballmer should be careful. That's the kind of careful competitive analysis that helped open the door to Apple's touch-based computing effort. ... Android's growing fastest of all the smartphone operating systems while OEMs are buying into Android and Chrome on tablets.

Mary Jo Foley knows all about that:

Ballmer didn’t share anything new ... but did assure Wall Street analyst and press attendees that the Softies aren’t burying their heads in the sand. ... So where are they? They’re coming “soon,” Ballmer said.
...
Ballmer mentioned a few times during his keynote the coming [system-on-a-chip] Intel Atom processors ... available to customers in early 2011. ... Oak Trail, according to Intel, delivers a 50 percent reduction in average power consumption with full HD-video. ... Ballmer didn’t mention ARM at all [or] Windows Embedded Compact. ... Ballmer said Windows will be the operating system, Intel will be the processor architecture and that’s that.

Todd Bishop has the money quote:

One analyst pointed out that Microsoft ... is competing against not only Apple but also Google.
...
"If we can’t compete against whatever the weird collection of Android machines is going to look like, shame on us," Ballmer said.

And Paul Lamkin bleats this quote: [groan -Ed.]

With Windows on board, Ballmer said it would be easy for users to print stuff if they wanted to - a sly dig at Apple if ever we've seen one.

But John Paczkowski can't resist poking fun:

Bringing Windows-based slates to market “is job one urgency around here,” said CEO Steve Ballmer ... “We have got to make things happen.”
...
And just how does the company propose to “make things happen”? ... Not entirely clear, but make no mistake, things are definitely going to happen. ... “We’ve got everything on our side if we do things really right.”
...
The problem is, it doesn’t always manage to do things really right. Certainly, it didn’t ... with Windows Vista ... Windows Mobile ... Zune ... Kin.

And Finally...
Philips: Ha ha ha ha divorce

Don't miss out on IT Blogwatch:

Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com.

You can also read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

Email this

Digg this

What People Are Saying

Add new comment

Windows Slate

Submitted by Bob White on August 13, 2010 - 4:15 P.M.

I don't think users want a full blown bloated OS on these devices. I don't need to do all my computing on a tablet. I don't want to do all my computing on a tablet. I've tried it before and got tired of clicking the virtual keyboard. Give me a few well designed tablet apps, some way to sync with the full blown desktop version, give me 12 hours of battery life, a view anywhere screen and I'll be a happy user. Anything else isn't going to compete with iPad.

Reply | Report this comment

Windows 7 Slate - NOT HP

Submitted by manto4 on August 13, 2010 - 1:25 P.M.

EXOPC Windows 7 Slate Update: 11.6” screen, should be on US and Canada shelves within the next 40 days!

http://www.youtube.com/user/EXOPCTV

Reply | Report this comment

But can x86 match ARM in

Submitted by Anonymous on August 1, 2010 - 6:39 A.M.

But can x86 match ARM in performance and Power Consumption?

Reply | Report this comment

Frankly, no. And that's one

Submitted by Anonymous on August 1, 2010 - 10:34 P.M.

Frankly, no. And that's one of Steve's big problems.

Reply | Report this comment

And again, Microsoft is

Submitted by Anonymous on July 31, 2010 - 4:17 P.M.

And again, Microsoft is years behind the market. By the time the Microsoft tablet is ready for prime time these gizmos are yesterday's technology. If all you can do is sleep at the wheel then don't drive a bus like Microsoft. They spend so much money on R&D and buying companies, yet the return is absolutely dismal.

Reply | Report this comment

HP Grape Vine

Submitted by Anonymous on July 30, 2010 - 12:25 P.M.

What does HP do. There are people inside HP that are more committed to Microsoft than HP. They are pushing HP to support Windows on tablets. Others see the issues and push for their own OS (based on Palm). It will be interesting. My experience with HP is that is it a very political organization. If HP caves to Microsoft it will be an indication of political power, not good sense.

Reply | Report this comment

Windows iPad?

Submitted by Anonymous on July 30, 2010 - 8:45 A.M.

Having used all the previous incarnations of windows tablets, I will say that reading the above I can save Steve a lot of money and tell him his tablet is doomed, not because I don't want a Microsoft tablet but because the problem with all the tablets before WAS windows, drop windows, get over it, it is the problem, the windows mobile os for example was so bloated that you could barely use it as a phone. Here is some free advice, develop a skunk works with the directive to use what is best for the device and form factor, don't tie their hands with windows, then you stand a chance, windows was not made for tablets and will never work.

My two cents.

Reply | Report this comment

A skunkworks you say? What a great idea!

Submitted by Richi Jennings on July 30, 2010 - 8:51 A.M.

Isn't that almost exactly what Steve did with Windows Phone 7?

Of all the demos and hands-on reviews I've seen, the vast majority are extremely complementary. It ain't your father's Windows CE.

Reply | Report this comment

Yeah

Submitted by Anonymous on July 30, 2010 - 9:19 A.M.

But Steve has no confidence in WinPhone 7, otherwise he'd be pushing it for tablets.

Steve is going for the tried and true, full Windows 7 desktop OS on a tablet. Even though their attempts to do this with every incarnation of Windows over the last ten years has failed, this time they're sure it'll work.

Reply | Report this comment

The embarrassment of Windows Phone 7

Submitted by Kate W on July 30, 2010 - 7:06 A.M.

Microsoft swept Windows Phone 7 under the carpet today, deciding that it is not worthy of being used in a slate device.

Microsoft desperately wants to win the slate market, but does not see Windows Phone 7 as being competitive. So Ballmer has instead opted to put the full desktop Windows 7 into a slate instead. Then it isn't really a slate, but is a full tablet PC, like Microsoft has been peddling for years without success.

Poor Windows Phone 7. Abandoned already by its maker.

Reply | Report this comment