GeekwithEnvy

Surface

Microsoft Offers $200 for your iPad

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Microsoft Surface Pro

Microsoft is trying to get you to part with your iPad in hopes that you will buy a Surface RT/Pro instead. You can bring in a used iPad 2, 3, or 4 and get a minimum of $200 on a gift card for use at the Microsoft store. Of course the offer can be used towards other Microsoft products as well, like Xbox or anything else that you fancy in the Microsoft store.

Microsoft has been ramping up it’s campaign against Apple as of late as it tries to gain some ground in the mobile device market. The Surface opened up to some pretty weak sales and unfortunately this trend has continued throughout the life of the product. Microsoft’s tablet has already seen a price cut, which is now permanent, and currently the RT version is selling for $349 while the Pro version is selling for $799.

Despite weaker sales numbers Microsoft does see a strong future for mobile versions of Windows and will soon be revealing Surface 2 to the world on September 23rd which will ship with Windows 8.1.

Microsoft Acting More Like Apple

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It’s been a crazy week for the world of computer technology. With new hardware and software making it’s debut and keynotes to present it all to the masses but as the madness continues, I can’t help but notice that Microsoft seems to be taking industry cues from other big players like Apple.Microsoft Logo

Microsoft just isn’t the trendsetter here anymore and the proof is in the products that the software giant has recently released. Microsoft is now deep into the hardware game and it’s not just gaming consoles or mp3 players anymore, were talking about a PC with the Microsoft logo on it. The comparison to Apple is obvious, but not just because of the hardware itself but also because of the way they describe it. In a recent video released form Microsoft, (shown at the bottom of this page) you can begin to feel the Apple vibe right away.

Windows 8 features a store much like the App Store in OSX. The UI is completely different from the App Store but the idea is the same. The app based system simplifies the way a user finds, downloads, installs and removes applications. This new store also sandboxes applications which can have the potential to create a more secure OS. It’s a system we have all become accustomed to using and we should feel right at home using it in Windows 8, but why? It’s because we seen this before, on Apple devices.

Having an operating system that works on virtually any modern computer is pretty awesome but you can’t deny the fact that that user experience can vary greatly from system to system. With Microsoft creating it’s own tablet, it has absolute control over the experience the user has with the device, this is the mentality Apple has continued stand by year after year, and Microsoft seems to be adopting it. I would love to see what a Microsoft desktop or laptop would look like and I wonder what effect it would have on the industry. Could you imagine if HP or Dell made it’s own operating system? Would they be Linux Based? Interesting food for thought.

When I say that Microsoft is acting more like Apple I don’t mean that they are sitting around copying them, I mean that it’s clear that Apple has become the major trendsetter for the industry. The hardware and software that Apple has created over the last decade has changed what we think a PC experience should look and feel like. I am excited to see Microsoft embrace these new ideas because it’s something that I think most of us want and it sends a message to the world that Microsoft is here to compete.



Ready or Not Windows 8 is On it’s Way

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Well, it’s been really fun talking about how different Windows 8 is and how crazy it all seems but we are slowly approaching the release date for the new OS and some feel it just isn’t ready.

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I would argue that any OS is never really ready when it first releases. There are so many things that will likely only be discovered when the masses begin to upgrade  and tear apart the shiny new OS. This process of fix-on-the-fly  is nothing new for Microsoft and I’m sure we won’t be happy with the new OS until the first service pack releases or maybe even the second for that matter.

What is truly important here is that Windows users really try to look at Windows 8 as something entirely new and try not to compare it to Windows 7. The world is changing and Microsoft is adapting with it, and this is a great thing. Many of us hate change and for this reason alone we tend to look at Windows 8 and feel like we will never upgrade. However, as we march forward and watch Microsoft make one of the biggest changes to it’s operating system since the ‘Start’ button, I wonder what I plan to do personally.

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Do I jump in? Do I wait a few months ? What computers do I upgrade first and do I upgrade all of them or just one? These are the questions that I’m trying to answer, even as I write this I’m trying to figure out what I will do.I have been experimenting with the developer preview and the release preview and I still feel very uncomfortable using Windows 8 with a mouse and keyboard. I don’t know why I can’t seem to shake this feeling. This OS is designed to work with touch and it feels like the laptop and desktop experience is an afterthought.

I’m pretty patient when it comes to OS software, I have tried just about every semi-popular OS out there from obscure linux based OS’s to OSX and back to mobile OS’s. Generally I give an operating system a fair shake up until it’s first major patch. Once we reach the first major patch, if I still feel it’s not working for me, I will usually move on to something else.

When we look at Windows 8 we can’t forget that it’s not just about how we feel about the new OS, it’s also about the faith that hardware manufactures put into the new OS. After all, the hardware is useless with out a good operating system to make it work. Let’s not forget that Microsoft is also going to be releasing it’s own tablet with Windows 8 on it, which will have Microsoft competing directly with those same hardware manufactures that Microsoft want’s Windows 8 to run on.

What about developers? what will they do with existing titles? How will they fit-in with the new OS? Is this change something that developers want to engage in? Some developers feel threatened by Windows 8 and feel that they will be forced to operate within a “box”.  Take the keyboard and mouse out of the equation and now you either are forced to work with touch or an Xbox controller.  Something doesn’t feel right here and I can quickly begin to understand why.

Now, take all of this crazy change and bundle it up in a nice, shiny, new Microsoft store that you build right across the street from the Apple store and you’ve got a front row seat to historic change in the world of technology.

To sum things up, I say if you support Microsoft then use Windows 8 and provide all the feedback you can to help Microsoft build the software you want to use. This is the only way they can get a real feel for what consumers want and need from their software. In the meantime I remain optimistic about Windows 8 and hope to see it succeed.

 

Microsoft Surface

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Microsoft

Microsoft is getting ready to release its new tablet PC to the world. With an elegant design that is entirely built around Microsoft’s new OS release Windows 8.

What makes this more interesting is how this will work on the market considering Microsoft will be competing against many of its own partners. It really is kind of an odd idea to have Surface in competition with other devices that run Windows 8.

The impact of Surface will remain to be seen, more specifically the impact with other partners like Acer, who is one of Microsoft’s largest OEM partners. Either way Microsoft is moving forward with Surface and creating it’s own unique mark in the tablet hardware world.

I personally think this could be a solid move in the right direction but I can’t help but think about Microsoft Zune in this situation. Zune was an overall large failure for Microsoft when they tried to compete in the mobile music device world. I think that clearly much if not almost all of Surfaces’ success will depend on a good Windows 8 experience. Either way you look at it I still think it is refreshing to see some bold moves by Microsoft and hopefully they pay off in the long run.