Personality Cafe banner

tablets

18K views 456 replies 39 participants last post by  ae1905 
#1 ·
tablet sales have been in steady decline for several quarters and, in response, apple today announced some changes to its ipad lineup:

macworld.com Apple's new iPad lineup slashes prices, the iPad Air, and iPad mini storage options

By Michael Simon Staff Writer, Macworld | Mar 21, 2017 7:00 AM PT

Credit: Apple While we’re still waiting for a fresh iPad with barely-there bezels to make an appearance, Apple has returned to its roots with a new 9.7-inch model simply called iPad. And if you had previously balked at buying an iPad Air 2 because the price was too high, you might want to take notice.

Apple hasn’t technically added a new model to the iPad lineup, but it has bolstered the low end. Gone is the aging iPad Air 2 (as well as the whole Air branding), and in its place is a new model that looks exactly the same, with a 9.7-inch retina screen, Touch ID, 32GB or 128GB of storage, and the same color choices (silver, gold, and space gray). On the inside you’ll get an A9 chip—the same one that’s in the iPhone 6s—and the usual 10-hour battery. That’s a relatively small upgrade over the 8X chip that was in the iPad Air 2, but the difference here isn’t in performance, it’s in price.
Apple has slashed the cost of the entry-level iPad from $399 to $329, the same price it once charged for the iPad mini. For $100 more, you can quadruple the storage to 128GB, and as always, cellular capability costs $130 more. Obviously, the new iPad doesn’t have any of the Pro’s features, like the Smart Connector or Apple Pencil support, but it’s definitely an attractive entry-level model.

As far as the iPad mini, the fourth generation of Apple’s 7.9-inch tablet is still hanging around, but it’s the only model that doesn’t start at 32GB of storage. Apple has axed the $269 iPad mini 2, and the mini 4 now comes with just one storage option, 128GB, for the same price of $399. That makes it slightly cheaper than a similarly spec’d iPad, but Apple is clearly pushing the larger tablet here, continuing a trend that started with the iPad Pro. The mini is still running the two-year-old A8 chip, and all signs appear to point to a phase-out of the smaller tablet within the next year or so.

So, Apple’s iPad lineup now looks like this: at the low end, there’s the 32GB $329 9.7-inch iPad, followed by the $399 128GB mini. Then there’s the $599 9.7-inch 32GB iPad Pro, and the $799 12.9-inch Pro with 32 GB of storage. That’s still a lot of options, but it’s much easier to digest than the previous lineup, and puts a clear delineation between the upper and lower models without sacrificing too much in the way of performance.

The new iPad will go on sale Friday, March 24 in the U.S. and more the 20 countries.
apparently, cutting the price of the ipad is apple's way to entice more buyers

do you own a tablet?...do you use it?...with phones becoming bigger and laptops lighter, do you think tablets have a future?...would you buy an ipad for $329?
 
#99 ·
If you live in the States, or wherever the Amazon Fire tablets are available, probably those. Also, if you live in the States, go to walmart.com and search for RCA tablet. There are a few 10" and 11" RCA Windows tablets for between $100 and $150. I've got a Cambio. It's not the greatest, but it did the job I needed. RCA also has some Android tablets, some of which are just like their Windows counterparts, but running Android. You may be able to get these also on Amazon, but it's been a year, so my memory is a bit weak on this point.

But probably the best tablets in this price range are the Amazon Fire tablets, because they offset some of the cost with ads, and buy-in onto their network, so you can get slightly better quality for less money. But they all run Android. If you want Windows, then probably those RCA tablets are as good as you'll get.

But honestly, when you go this cheap, you will have issues, regardless--but those Fire tablets are probably the safest bet...
 
#100 ·
engadget.com Apple is building its own GPU for the iPhone and iPad


When Apple started making the iPhone, it used a generic, Samsung-made ARM system that was paired with a PowerVR GPU. Over time, Apple began crafting more and more of its own silicon, thanks to its purchase of various chip design firms. These days, the PowerVR chip on the A10 Fusion is one of very few components that Apple didn't have entire control over.

The decision to dump Imagination was probably inevitable given the company's trend towards control, but there may be another story here. Third-party analysts The Linley Group spotted that the iPhone 7 used the same PowerVR GT7600 GPU that was used for the iPhone 6S. That piece of silicon, while powerful, couldn't sustain its performance for very long and so throttles the component to avoid overheating.

Apple's unsentimentally when it comes to ditching chip makers when they can't meet performance targets is well-known. After all, the company ditched PowerPC CPUs because -- so the legend goes -- Intel's X86 silicon was getting faster while IBM and Motorola dragged their feet.

It's clearly a massive blow for Imagination, which has already said that it's planning to take the matter to the courts. After all, building a graphics platform from scratch is likely to involve using technology that other companies like Imagination has already patented. The famously-secretive Apple is also not going to look favorably upon one of its suppliers going public with this licensing dispute.

Imagination shares down 67% after end of agreement with Apple pic.twitter.com/jBazTt6IjT
— Francisco Jeronimo (@fjeronimo) April 3, 2017

As TechCrunch explains, the split could spell doom for Imagination, since it relies upon Apple for the bulk of its cash. Even worse, is that the news has already caused Imagination's stock to freefall, dropping between 60 and 70 percent in the last few hours.
 
#102 ·
@ferroequinologist

You kinda said that Apple does solid products at their prices. Look at this: Mi Global Home Xiaomi Air 13 Laptop-999.89 Online Shopping| GearBest.com . Runs on Windows. Rip off? Not really. Performance? Better than fastest MacBook Air or Macbook. Plus it has dedicated GPU, so it's better at more graphics intensive tasks. Screen is IPS 1080p so you can't complain about quality. It has more ports, it's thinner, has more storage space and is somewhat upgradable. All this magic is cheaper than cheapest Macbook Air. Basically superior device for lower price, but runs on Windows 10. And if you want to say that Xiaomi isn't trustworthy brand, you would be wrong, it has been pretty long to prove that it can make solid products. Seriously, I fail to see how Apple is making decent competitors in same price range.
 
#103 ·
@ferroequinologist

You kinda said that Apple does solid products at their prices. Look at this: Mi Global Home Xiaomi Air 13 Laptop-999.89 Online Shopping| GearBest.com . Runs on Windows. Rip off? Not really. Performance? Better than fastest MacBook Air or Macbook. Plus it has dedicated GPU, so it's better at more graphics intensive tasks. Screen is IPS 1080p so you can't complain about quality. It has more ports, it's thinner, has more storage space and is somewhat upgradable. All this magic is cheaper than cheapest Macbook Air. Basically superior device for lower price, but runs on Windows 10. And if you want to say that Xiaomi isn't trustworthy brand, you would be wrong, it has been pretty long to prove that it can make solid products. Seriously, I fail to see how Apple is making decent competitors in same price range.
Looks nice. The only comment on price is that I can't see the screen technology mentioned other than being a full-HD laminated display. If they've managed to cram a good-quality IPS display into that price, call me suitably impressed. Otherwise they've still skimped on premium parts to undercut the price of their obvious competitor. Not that this isn't allowed; it just caters to slightly different folk.
 
#115 ·
another way phones, tablets, laptops and desktops may be integrated is via ar/vr...ar is already being put on phones to augment existing functionality...in the future, augmented phones might be used to create virtual tablets, laptops, or desktops that would give you the same experience as those form factors without the need for physical tablets, laptops, or desktops
 
#118 ·
As Chromebook sales soar in schools, Apple and Microsoft fight back

techcrunch.comBrian Heater

[HR][/HR] Few saw the Chromebook coming. When it launched half a decade ago, the category was broadly maligned for its limited feature set, middling hardware specs and operation that required an always-on internet connection to work properly. But things change in five years. In 2015, the category overtook MacBooks in the U.S. for the first time ever, selling around two million units in Q1. It’s a pretty astonishing number for a product many pundits deemed doomed in its early stages. And that victory has been largely fueled by the K-12 education market.

Recent numbers from consulting firm Futuresource paint a similar picture, with Google commanding 58 percent of U.S. K-12 schools. Windows is in second with around 22 percent and the combined impact of MacOS and iOS are close behind at 19 percent. It’s a rapidly shifting landscape. Three years earlier, Apple’s products represented nearly half of devices being shipped to U.S. classrooms.

Now some of the biggest players in technology are poised to make a new push into education. Last month, Apple released a newly refreshed version of its Classroom app, coupled with its lowest priced iPad ever. In January, Microsoft announced plans for a low-cost laptop, coupled with cloud-based software. In a week, it’s expected to unveil its next big move at an education event in New York, aimed at going head to head with the Chromebook.

For many schools, the dream of a one-device-per-child experience has finally been realized through a consumer technology battle waged by the biggest names in the industry. Over the past decade, Google, Apple and Microsoft have shaped the conversation around technology in schools, but as ever, none are in agreement on a one-size-fits-all approach. One thing all the players seem to agree on is that education is a market well worth pursuing.

The kids can’t wait

Education had always been an essential part of Apple’s DNA. The company saw the value of bringing its devices to the classroom almost immediately. Steve Jobs saw the wide-ranging potential of the school market early on. Two years after Apple was founded, it scored a contract to bring 500 computers to Minnesota schools.

“One of the things that built Apple II’s was schools buying Apple II,” Jobs said in a backward-looking interview from 1995. “We realized that a whole generation of kids was going to go through the school before they even got their first computer so we thought the kids can’t wait. We wanted to donate a computer to every school in America.”

Both Apple and Microsoft flourished in the computer lab models. But even with education discounts, their respective desktops were still fairly pricey — expensive enough to make the dream of providing every student with their own system a distant pipe dream.


“You could get 20 or 30 [computers] for the school, but you couldn’t get one for every student,” IDC analysts Linn Huang tells TechCrunch. “And then netbooks came around and blew up in education. A lot of the reason is because this was the first time we put affordable hardware in front of buyers.”

When they arrived on the scene in 2007, netbooks were a breakthrough technology; they were rugged, light and, most importantly, affordable, a perfect combination of traits for cash-strapped school districts. They were also an important driver in the growing early 21[SUP]st[/SUP] century drive to make technology in K-12 classrooms a more one-on-one experience.

Initially, netbooks’ reign was as short-lived in the classroom as it was in the consumer market. The price was right, but the hardware wasn’t. The keyboards were sub par, the screens were bad and processing just crawled. Just as educators and the public began to sour on the notion of netbooks, Apple arrived on the scene and filled the hole perfectly.

The rise of the iPad

From the outside, it seems that the iPad’s success in education was something of a happy coincidence for Apple. That’s not to say, of course, that the company didn’t see the educational potential in the “magical” piece of glass and metal. It promoted apps like “The Elements” from the outset, as it worked to convince a still-skeptical press that its new offering was more than just a big iPhone.

And as Phil Schiller would put it, addressing a crowd at an event a few years later, “education is deep in Apple’s DNA.” That aspect had never left the company, as a generation who grew up using Apple IIe and Macintosh units in computer labs began making computer-purchasing decisions of their own.

But while education wasn’t the primary focus in the launch of the first iPad, the potential for the devices as part of classroom curriculum came into sharp focus as the limitations of netbooks became painfully clear. iPads offered a premium hardware experience, and with a starting price of $499 retail, they weren’t exactly cheap, but were certainly comparable to some netbooks.

They were also a heck of a lot cheaper than Apple’s own laptop offerings, and likely cannibalized shipments of much pricier MacBooks to schools, though, as Cook happily pointed out at the time, they appeared to be doing a lot more damage to Windows PCs in the space.

Excitement around iPads in education hit a fever pitch in 2013, when the Los Angeles Unified School District announced an incredibly ambitious play to put the devices in the hands of all its students, for a total of around $1.3 billion. That deal ultimately ended in disaster, thanks to questionably preferential treatment and unfinished software from education publishing house Pearson.

Stumble aside, Apple continued to utterly dominate education. Slates had eclipsed netbooks in the education sector, and by the company’s own estimates, iPads controlled around 94 percent of the tablet market in that space. But another contender had been waiting in the wings, ready to turn the entire segment on its head.

The coming of Chromebooks

In a perfect world, price would be no object when it comes to education. But back here on planet Earth, it’s a key factor in the decision-making process for the IT departments that do most of the device purchases for schools and districts.

But the story of the Chromebook isn’t simply one of undercutting the competition. If that were the case, netbooks might still have a place outside of junk drawers. The rise of iPads (and to a lesser degree, other tablets) in the educational space revealed many teachers’ desires for additional inputs. For all of their early constraints, like limited offline functionality, what Chromebooks have always offered is a complete hardware solution, including a full-size keyboard.

Even more importantly, the devices’ software was designed with large-scale deployment in mind.

Latest Crunch Report

“Google is really the perfect nexus of, yes, the hardware is cheap,” says Lin, “but where they’re really winning the market is the Google for Education console has really been fantastically received and has made it possible for IT administrators to manage profiles on individual machines or manage multiple students on one machine.”

Cyrus Mistry, the head of Google’s Device and Content for Education, tells TechCrunch that wide-scale implementation was part of the platform’s appeal from the outset. Even as the devices largely flew under the radar of mainstream consumers, institutions saw value in the time-savings the new class of devices presented. And if one is lost or stolen (a common problem in schools), they can be disabled remotely.

Mistry was a part of the Chromebook team in its earliest days, tasked with handing the company’s pilot Chromebook model, the Cr-48, to business and schools. He says that IT departments at least understood the value proposition immediately. “To enroll a Chromebook, right, you hit Ctrl+Alt+E, and that’s it,” he explains. “It’s enrolled forever into that domain of that district. And that is the whole process. It takes about six seconds.”

Chromebooks turned a corner in 2013, when they became the fastest-growing segment of the PC market, thanks in part to the company’s ongoing efforts to seed them to school districts and other markets and manufacturing partnerships with big-name PC vendors like HP and Lenovo.

By fall of 2014, Chromebooks had overtaken iPad shipments in the educational sector for the first time. In all, the devices had managed to wrestle away 20 percent of the education market in the U.S. And just about this time last year, the once-maligned category outsold Mac OS devices, driven largely by K-12 education here in the U.S.

The Chromebook’s popularity in education outside the U.S. has been more elusive, though the company has turned a few corners in recent years. “Google’s footprint everywhere else is limited,” says Huang. “Some other regions, particularly in Western Europe, we’re starting to see some ramp up. But again, we’re still largely talking about a U.S. story today.”

But the company is starting to make a dent in places like the U.K. and Sweden. Naturally, Mistry is optimistic about the category’s growth in other markets. “As soon as a country realizes how good these are, it goes up very fast,” he says. “We talk internally about our track record for pilots. Like if we put in a pilot of Chromebooks into a district and say look, ‘don’t trust us (like I was saying earlier) just try the product out.’ ”

Much of the issue with adoption abroad can be chalked up to poor Wi-Fi infrastructure in schools. While current Chromebooks are certainly more capable of functioning offline that earlier models, connectivity is still key to functionality. Google also has made the most inroads in places where it’s done direct outreach. It’s far easier to get a district to invest money in a fleet of machines once it’s actually seen them in action.

Of course, markets and individual demands from products vary greatly from market to market, but Google’s gone a ways toward refining and broadening the scope of the category. It recently ported Android’s Play Store over to a number of devices, which products like Samsung’s newly released Chromebook offer unique takes on the space with things like pen inputs.

But while the Chromebook has seen surprisingly rapid growth after a couple of years of failing to meaningfully move the needle, the company won’t be expanding into any new markets without a fight, as two perennial edtech heavyweights gear up for their own next steps.

A more populist iPad

“I think the iPad is still the best device, especially if you want to do real work,” Eric Anderson, the director for Ed Tech at Archbishop Mitty High School, tells TechCrunch. The San Jose private school has long been held up by Apple as a real-world example of what iPads can do in education. It’s a true one-to-one experience, with devices handed out to students the week prior to the beginning of the school year for use in the classroom and the home.

As the school writes on its iPad FAQ, no students are allowed to opt out of the program, as “the benefits of a tool like this can only be achieved if the tool is used by all students.” Anderson adds that he believes that Chromebooks were widely adopted by schools for “the wrong reasons,” as a solution for wide-scale deployment during standardized testing.

“You just sign into an account and you’re done,” he says. “While the Google apps are very powerful, you’re limited in what you can do in a web browser. The iPad is a more full-featured experience that allows you to be creative and produce high-quality work. Plus it’s a nicer form factor.”

It’s easy to see why Apple has held the school up as a prime example of iPads in education done right. Five years after it started the pilot program, the school remains committed. Of course, a 1,700-student Roman Catholic private school isn’t exactly representative of U.S. educational institutions. Rather, it’s a pretty solid metaphor for Apple’s approach to the space this far.

The company has long insisted upon quality over quantity, and focused on individual impact over volume in the classroom setting. In a sit-down interview with BuzzFeed back in 2015, Cook’s take on the Chromebook echoes that of Anderson’s, going so far as referring to them derisively as “test machines.”

“We are interested in helping students learn and teachers teach, but tests, no,” he said. “We create products that are whole solutions for people — that allow kids to learn how to create and engage on a different level.”

Two years after that interview, the Chromebook’s success does appear to have had a measurable impact on Apple’s own education play. It’s hard to say precisely how much Google’s play has influenced Apple’s decision making in the space, but the company certainly seems newly invigorated of late. Last year, the company introduced Classroom alongside its iOS 9.3.

The app received little in the way of fanfare from the tech press, because it was released alongside more mainstream updates like Night Shift. But Classroom brought some much needed control to Apple’s tablets, offering teachers an overview of an entire class’ worth of screens at once. The app also brought a simple log in system for multiple student accounts, so iPads could be returned to teachers at the end of the day, a more cost-effective solution for those schools that simple don’t have the financial coffers of an elite private school.

Last month, the company made a few strategic moves that also got buried amidst other announcements. Rather than introducing a brand new iPad, the company made some tweaks to the line and dropped the price by $70, to its lowest price ever.

The move was seen as an attempt to drive consumer demand in a space that had stagnated, but the new model also meant a $300 price tag for schools, putting it more in line with Chromebook pricing. The company also partnered with Logitech to produce a school-only ruggedized iPad case. And Apple also introduced the 2.0 version of the Classrooms app, bringing even more control to the iPad’s software offering.

“What makes iPad such a strong tool in the classroom is the unique combination of hardware, software, services and apps that only Apple can deliver,” Apple VP Susan Prescott said in a comment offered to TechCrunch for this piece. “Teachers are using Apple technology to engage students in innovative new ways, making education more personal, interactive and impactful. We’re incredibly passionate about education and are focused on empowering students, teachers and schools to get the most out of these powerful learning tools in the classroom.”

A return for Redmond

Like Apple, Microsoft was an early beneficiary of the school computer lab model during the 1980s. IBM systems served as a perfect backdoor for the DOS operating system produced by a 32-person software startup out of the Pacific Northwest. The company maintained that foothold as DOS made way for various flavors of Windows, while applications like Word and Excel became essential productivity tools for schools and offices alike.

Windows’ ubiquity also helped the company ride netbooks to some classroom success outside the computer model. Since then, however, the software giant has seemingly had some trouble finding its way. While Chromebook’s most notable impact has been on the iPad — at the time a leader in the education space — the category is more in line with budget laptops that have been such a key part of the company’s growth.

Microsoft still maintains a lead globally, courtesy of low-cost hardware, but Chromebooks have taken control of the market here in the States and are poised for growth globally, as Wi-Fi becomes more ubiquitous on school campuses and the company pushes into more form factors. Surface’s premium price point, meanwhile, has proven a difficult barrier for educational adoption. Asked how the growth of Chromebooks has impacted its bottom line, the company points to its global successes and recent initiatives like Minecraft: Education Edition, while discussing overall strategies beyond devices.

“Our vision encompasses a holistic learning experience, not just devices,” Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Education tells TechCrunch. “The competition that matters to us in the education sector is the competition for talent faced by employers and countries dealing with a modern and changing workplace. What’s most important to us is how educators and students use technology to make their learning environments better — we are driven to help students achieve more in this new world.”

But while both Apple and Microsoft are sticking to their guns as far as their respective strategies toward education are concerned, it’s hard to deny that Google’s recent success has played a role in dictating recent decisions by both companies. For Apple, it’s a pricing drop, paired with a more comprehensive software package on iOS.

Microsoft’s own moves, on the other hand, are poised to take on Chromebooks more directly. The company is seeking to win back some of the low-end educational PC market. It recently announced Intune for Education, a device management system that certainly had echoes of Google’s offering, particularly when coupled with plans to launch aggressively priced educational PCs by manufacturers like Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo, starting at $189.

The company is also expected to take the plan a step further next week at an education event in New York City, with the launch of Windows 10 Cloud, which may highlight the launch of systems designed specifically to beat Google at its own game. Certainly Microsoft has a number of things working in its favor, among them its productivity software, which continues to have a strong presence in spite of the growth of expanding feature set of Google’s G Suite.

“We’re working hard with device providers and third-party software providers to build the right experiences for schools, educators and students — devices that are affordable and functional for the environments that we need inside of our school today,” Salcito continues. “For our own products, we work closely with thousands of educators and students and their feedback will continue to drive the evolution of Windows 10 and Office 365 so that our products can best address schools changing needs.”

The company’s strong global foothold in the space is also a solid building block for its newly reinvigorated push into education. After all, devices may need to be refreshed every couple of years or so, but what school district wants to keep switching operating systems every few years? Perhaps if the company can offer a compelling alternative, it can stem some of Google’s explosive growth domestically and cut off at the pass the Chromebook’s international push.

The battle for the classroom

The fight for classroom technology has ebbed and flowed quite a bit over the decades. Thus far, 2017 has proven a high-water mark, courtesy of the explosive growth of Chromebook category. Both Apple and Microsoft have made announcements this year, designed, in part, to recapture some of the market share they’ve lost to Google’s cloud-based hardware offering.

Google, meanwhile, has already broadened the scope and usefulness of its devices, a far cry from the first Chromebook models. And there are new form factors likely just over the horizon. The company is also expected to make an even more aggressive push outside of the States, where Microsoft easily has the largest foothold.

Ultimately, the educational sector isn’t all that different than the consumer space. Increased competition has led to better and cheaper devices, ultimately benefiting the end users. Brand loyalty plays a big role, as well — once a school or district has opted into a device, it’s easier to simply stay put, rather than ripping it up and starting again.

Apple and Microsoft have both played fundamental roles in shaping technology in the classroom, dating back to the early days of computer laptops, while Chromebooks, iPads and cheap PC laptops have helped many schools realize the dream of a one-to-one hardware experience in the classroom.

Of course, this support of young minds isn’t entirely altruistic. Fostering an entire generation of first-time computer users with your software and device ecosystem could mean developing lifelong loyalties, which is precisely why all this knock-down, drag-out fight won’t be drawing to a close any time soon.

For the most part, companies are taking different, but overlapping approaches to the space. Taken as a whole, competition and breadth of scope will help serve the greater good of getting more devices in the hands of students, while letting the IT departments that make purchasing decisions hopefully choose the devices and ecosystem that best suits their individual needs.

For the time being, here in the U.S., at least, Google has won the battle for market share. But the war is far from over.


Featured Image: BRYCE DURBIN/TECHCRUNCH
 
#119 · (Edited)
Microsoft takes on Chrome OS with Windows 10 S

engadget.com


[HR][/HR] Microsoft has already taken some potshots at Google's Chromebooks in the past -- Windows 8.1 with Bing, anyone? Now, though, it's going for the jugular. The newly introduced Windows 10 S (not Cloud like the rumors suggested) is a stripped-back, education-oriented version of the operating system that gives up some app support in the name of simplicity and performance. You can only run Windows Store apps (including Office 365 apps, which are coming soon), but that's the point -- schools don't have to worry about the vulnerabilities that come with running any old Windows app. Store apps run in a relatively safe container where malware and other threats aren't likely to be an issue.

It also includes tools to help teachers manage their PCs, such as the ability to easily preload software using a USB key. And while it's separate from Windows 10 S proper, there will be a classroom experience for Microsoft Teams that lets teachers and students chat and collaborate.

Windows 10 S will be ready in the summer, and it's clear that cost will be important: PCs shipping with the operating system will start at prices as low as $189. That's not too far off from the previous floor for new Windows PCs, but it's definitely competitive with Chromebooks. There will be perks beyond the low price, too. Microsoft is promising a year of free access to Minecraft Education Edition as well as Office 365 for Education with Microsoft Teams. Also, schools running Pro editions of Windows in the classroom can move to Windows 10 S for free -- if they're not worried about running non-Store apps, they can move to a newer platform at no cost.

Check out all the news from the MicrosoftEDU event here.



tech.slashdot.org Microsoft Unveils Windows 10 S, an Education Edition Limited To Windows Store Apps Posted by Slashdot


On Tuesday, Microsoft announced a new edition of its latest operating system: Windows 10 S. Available on first-party and third-party hardware -- Microsoft will be releasing its own Windows 10 S device and will also let manufacturers sell their own -- Windows 10 S is a streamlined edition of Windows 10 aimed at the education market. From a report:
"We really are working hard to deliver the best platform for education, for students of all ages and school districts of all devices," said Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president in Microsoft's operating systems group, about the new Windows 10 S release. The main way that Windows 10 S differs from the other editions is that it can only run apps from the Windows Store. That includes Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and Win32 apps that Microsoft has approved into its app store. The goal is to avoid the problems of traditional Win32 apps that often run in the background and push their own updates. Microsoft wants to stop apps from hooking into the boot and sign-in process to handle all their own updates, which in turn slows down startup time. Windows Store can take care of this today, but Windows 10 S makes it the only way to install and update apps. As a result, Microsoft hopes Windows 10 S will be able to offer faster sign-in times and better battery life. This is still a full version of Windows 10. It's just locked down to only work with apps that Microsoft has approved, similar to how Apple and Google lock down iOS and Android to their respective app stores. The operating system follows the company's Intune for Education announcement back in January. Those systems created by third-party hardware partners like Acer, Asus, HP, Dell and Toshiba, start at $189.
 
#120 ·
hothardware.com Microsoft Surface Laptop Running Windows 10 S Leaks Ahead Of Education Event Unveil

by Brandon Hill — Monday, May 01, 2017

[HR][/HR]

Microsoft has an
event scheduled for tomorrow in New York City where it is expected to announce some
new initiatives based around the education sector. The company was also widely expected to announced a Chromebook fighter running a cut-down version of Windows 10. Well, thanks to a happy little leaker, we’ve got an early look at what’s in Microsoft’s goodie bag.

Feast your eyes on the Surface Laptop. Microsoft’s latest hardware was unearthed by Twitter user WalkingCat, and we’ve been given quite a few details on the product. For starters, it has a 13.5-inch PixelSense display with 3.4 million pixels, which appears to retain the 3:2 screen ratio that we’ve seen with previous Surface-branded products. Given that this is a laptop, there’s no detachable screen here — instead, the display is permanently attached to the base which features an Alcantara-covered keyboard deck (the same material used on the Surface Pro 4’s optional Signature Type Cover).



We’re also being told that the Surface Laptop will be available in four colors: Platinum, Burgundy, Cobalt Blue and Graphite Gold. Other images of the laptop show an SD slot, a single USB 3.0 port, mini DisplayPort and a headphone jack. Microsoft still for some reason hasn’t equipped this brand-new product with Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C, which has us scratching our heads. And unfortunately, we have no idea what kind of processor is powering the device.



As for physical specs, the wedge-shaped notebook is said to measure 9.9mm at the front, and grows to 14.47mm thick at the rear. The laptop weighs in at a respectable 2.76 pounds



Finally, the Surface Laptop is said to be running Windows 10 S, which we have previously referred to as Windows 10 Cloud. Windows 10 S will only be able to run Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps that are available from the Windows Store. Attempting to install or run Win32 apps will simply result in error messages. Of course, this is all inferred based on our experience with early builds of Windows 10 S, but we’ll have to wait for official confirmation from Microsoft tomorrow.
 
#123 ·
Windows 10 ARM is less locked down than Windows 10 S (supports non-Store Win32 apps)

liliputing.com


[HR][/HR] 05/11/2017 at 4:00 PM by Brad Linder 6 Comments

Microsoft has two new versions of Windows 10 on the way. Windows 10 S is a streamlined version of Windows that will only run software downloaded from the Windows Store in order to improve security, performance, and the software update process. Designed with the education market in mind, it will also be available for mainstream users, and Windows 10 S is the operating system that will ship on the upcoming Surface Laptop… although you can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro if you find the stripped down operating system too restrictive.

But you know what else isn’t particularly stripped down? The new version of Windows 10 designed to run on ARM-based processors.

First announced last year, Microsoft provided an update on Windows 10 ARM at the MS Build developer conference today. And the company confirmed that not only would Windows 10 ARM be able to run legacy apps developed for computers with x86 processors… but you’d be able to just download any old Win32 app from the internet, install it, and run it on a computer running Windows 10 ARM.

In other words, Windows 10 S runs on devices with ARM or x86 processors, but only supports Windows Store apps. Windows 10 ARM only runs on devices with ARM chips… but supports apps from pretty much any source.

Developers don’t need to convert their software in any way, because Windows 10 ARM includes a built-in emulation layer that allows Win32 apps to run on an ARM-powered system.
But Microsoft demonstrated how you could download a common program like 7zip from the internet and simply install it on a device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

Of course, developers can also package software optimized for ARM as Universal Windows Platform apps for distribution in the Windows Store. But they don’t necessarily have to.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip is expected to be one of the first to support Windows 10 on ARM, and while it’s Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile processor to date, it’s still not exactly a speed demon by PC standards. Like any PC with a relatively slow processor, systems with ARM chips will probably be unable to compete with the machines featuring the latest high-end Intel or AMD processors when it comes to gaming or other complex tasks like video rendering.

But devices with this sort of chip get many of the benefits of ARM-based processors including relatively low power consumption and integrated wireless connectivity features. That could made ARM-based systems a good choice for hybrid devices like 2-in-1 tablets… or maybe even 2-in-1 smartphones that also offer PC-like functionality when docked to a mouse, keyboard, and display.
 
#126 · (Edited)
do you own a tablet?...do you use it?...with phones becoming bigger and laptops lighter, do you think tablets have a future?...would you buy an ipad for $329?
I don't own any, no. So I don't use any.

as for the other questions: I'll answer them also starting from my viewpoint as a product designer and developer with a strong basis in economics/marketing :) (Who would have thought that I'd get such a delicious question?? )

Well first off: the market for tablets is gradually getting smaller and saturated. I know y'all probably can't read Dutch but you can check some charts here: https://tweakers.net/reviews/4747/de-opvallende-teruggang-van-tablets.html The first green line represents the growth in tablet deliveries, the second one represents how many Dutch people claim to have a tablet.
As you can see it can tell us two things:
- Deliveries are decreasing, thus is the demand from the market.
- Most people already have a tablet, thus the market is becoming saturated.

Whilst it is normal that markets become saturated and production decreases, the chance it will stop decreasing and stagnate is probably a questionable chance for tablets. Most people tend to think that tablets are something in between a smartphone and a laptop. Because technology is developing itself, being able to make quality smartphones for a relatively small price (Oneplus One,... etc) the chance that it is seen as a substitute is getting higher. There's also a second product steadily taking a substitute position: small, thin and lightweight laptops (surface pro from windows, etc). With two substitutes endangering the position of the tablet in the market, the chance that it will hold its popularity is quite small.

I think that tablets are either going to focus on a niche market or are going to be a bit "more" than a smartphone or small, thin laptop. Otherwise the trend just might fade out. The IPad pro is -for example - a good product for designers/creatives. You can easily use a digital drawing program, do crazy stuff with it while it's still intuitive. It replaces a laptop + wacom tablet.

Second off: Tablets, computers and smartphones use a lot of materials that are quite hard to get and/or recycle. A lot of rare earth metals are being thrown away, and from my viewpoint I think that there will be a time where we hit a wall; or when we will see the wall from afar and that by higher prices in earth metals etc. some products simply will dissapear. People will first buy a smartphone (or laptop if it's really needed in their case), then laptop, then tablet. Tablet is going to fall off first.

Or :) maybe that's also an opportunity for companies to jump onto! But, personally, I think they'd rather invest in a thin, small and lightweight notebook rather than a tablet.

Third off: a market is still a market and can't be a 100% predicted. But we're sure of one thing: tablets are losing popularity!

Edit: also, I just wrote this in 15 minutes or so, I didn't do much research so I am probably missing some factors. But I think I mentioned the biggest ones.

Edit 2: They are also looking into another way to make chips without using rare earth metals. But the prices will still rise to some extent - it still will be a factor (IF current chips are replaced by chips without rare earth metals)
 
#127 · (Edited)
I don't own any, no. So I don't use any.

as for the other questions: I'll answer them also starting from my viewpoint as a product designer and developer with a strong basis in economics/marketing :) (Who would have thought that I'd get such a delicious question?? )

Well first off: the market for tablets is gradually getting smaller and saturated. I know y'all probably can't read Dutch but you can check some charts here: https://tweakers.net/reviews/4747/de-opvallende-teruggang-van-tablets.html The first green line represents the growth in tablet deliveries, the second one represents how many Dutch people claim to have a tablet.
As you can see it can tell us two things:
- Deliveries are decreasing, thus is the demand from the market.
- Most people already have a tablet, thus the market is becoming saturated.

Whilst it is normal that markets become saturated and production decreases, the chance it will stop decreasing and stagnate is probably a questionable chance for tablets. Most people tend to think that tablets are something in between a smartphone and a laptop. Because technology is developing itself, being able to make quality smartphones for a relatively small price (Oneplus One,... etc) the chance that it is seen as a substitute is getting higher. There's also a second product steadily taking a substitute position: small, thin and lightweight laptops (surface pro from windows, etc). With two substitutes endangering the position of the tablet in the market, the chance that it will hold its popularity is quite small.

I think that tablets are either going to focus on a niche market or are going to be a bit "more" than a smartphone or small, thin laptop. Otherwise the trend just might fade out. The IPad pro is -for example - a good product for designers/creatives. You can easily use a digital drawing program, do crazy stuff with it while it's still intuitive. It replaces a laptop + wacom tablet.

Second off: Tablets, computers and smartphones use a lot of materials that are quite hard to get and/or recycle. A lot of rare earth metals are being thrown away, and from my viewpoint I think that there will be a time where we hit a wall; or when we will see the wall from afar and that by higher prices in earth metals etc. some products simply will dissapear. People will first buy a smartphone (or laptop if it's really needed in their case), then laptop, then tablet. Tablet is going to fall off first.

Or :) maybe that's also an opportunity for companies to jump onto! But, personally, I think they'd rather invest in a thin, small and lightweight notebook rather than a tablet.

Third off: a market is still a market and can't be a 100% predicted. But we're sure of one thing: tablets are losing popularity!

Edit: also, I just wrote this in 15 minutes or so, I didn't do much research so I am probably missing some factors. But I think I mentioned the biggest ones.

Edit 2: They are also looking into another way to make chips without using rare earth metals. But the prices will still rise to some extent - it still will be a factor (IF current chips are replaced by chips without rare earth metals)
interesting points...another way to look at the trends is to recognize that people use phones with large screens and laptops with touchscreens in the much same ways they use tablets...so a case can be made that the tablet form factor, if not tablets themselves, is actually more popular than ever...indeed, much of the innovation you see today in these spaces lies in replicating the tablet experience (with bigger phones and 2-in-1 laptops)...so the tablet as a way of interacting with a computer is not about to disappear anytime soon...tablets themselves, however, will probably continue to be relegated to market niches, such as older people and children who find tablets more useful and easier to use...these niches can be quite healthy, however, as there will continue to be many potential consumers, including in the education market....for everyone else, though, the current trends will persist and tablets will continue to be replaced by phones and laptops, especially as augmented reality makes it possible to fully replicate and even enhance the tablet experience on other devices

so, ironically, at the end of the day, we may find ourselves interacting more with devices augmented to be tablet-like, even as actual physical tablets become less common
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eefje
#129 ·
I have an ancient (1st-Gen) iPad and a Samsung tablet from a few years ago... I use neither... I prefer either my Galaxy S7 smartphone or either of my MacBooks (an older Air or a newer Pro). Tablets are just too hard to type on for me and I'm a fast typer, so the processor or whatever on a tablet can't keep up with how fast I type. But I'm not surprised that people are buying tablets, especially seniors, who don't like computers or want to learn, but like to stay in touch with their kids and grandkids. I know my grandmother has a tablet and a smartphone, mostly so she can keep in touch with my dad and my sister and I, and we can send her pictures and stuff like that.
 
#130 ·
Tablets are just too hard to type on for me and I'm a fast typer, so the processor or whatever on a tablet can't keep up with how fast I type. But I'm not surprised that people are buying tablets, especially seniors, who don't like computers or want to learn, but like to stay in touch with their kids and grandkids. I know my grandmother has a tablet and a smartphone, mostly so she can keep in touch with my dad and my sister and I, and we can send her pictures and stuff like that.
Desktops and laptops are for content producers. Tablets and phone are for content consumers. That's really where the divide is. If you're doing any sort of typing where the processor can't keep up (I didn't even think this was possible in these days), I'm assuming you're doing a lot more creating than consuming.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top