ARM's CEO seems to be confident about Microsoft's entry into the tablet market.
One of the biggest features to come with Windows 8 is the touchscreen UI. This makes it a perfect OS for tablets, but how will it compare to the competition? According to ARM CEO Warren East, Windows 8 tablets might actually give Microsoft an edge over Android-powered slates. Speaking during an earnings call, East said that brand recognition and familiarity is the fundamental difference between Microsoft and Android tablets.
According to CNet, East's comments were made in response to an analyst who asked why Windows 8 tablets would be successful when Android tablets weren't selling all that well. East said:
"Consumers are familiar with Microsoft and very familiar with Windows and they're less familiar with an Android environment. Microsoft has an awareness advantage with consumers that the Android folks didn't have."
However, East hasn't lost faith in Android. Rather, he believes that it will just take a while before the sale of Android tablets really takes off. The CEO said that he believes it will take some time for customers to latch on to the brand, as was the case when Android smartphones first hit the market. Until then, East says it's up to Microsoft to take advantage of its brand recognition among consumers:
"It's up to Microsoft [and we'll see] how well they're going to exploit that advantage."
ARM this week announced that its fourth quarter results saw pre-tax profits increase 45 percent and sales increase more than 20 percent. The company reported profits of £69 million, or $109 million, and sales of £137.8 million, or $218.19 million. As for as the entire year, the company saw a 37 percent rise in pre-tax profits (up to £229.7 million or $363.7 million) and a 21 percent rise in sales (up to £491.8 million or $778.7 million.)
You mean it's 100% different? No similarities whatsoever? I dunno about you, but I'd MUCH prefer Windows over anything.
Most of the code.
And Office.
You mean it's 100% different? No similarities whatsoever? I dunno about you, but I'd MUCH prefer Windows over anything.
- Android for x86
- ARM servers
Is the old dream about OS and hardware independency near to come true?
No "legacy" desktop on ARM.
Can you name one similar thing besides the name?
Most of the code.
And Office.
Users don't actually interact with code, so a similar codebase means nothing to users.
And Office isn't part of windows.
I also own Xoom and a Bionic. I love the simplicity of Android and how it natively it incorporates gmail, calender etc. I don't need full Office Suite either on my portable devices, Kingsoft Office for Android works just fine for me.
MS has a tough road head.
The old style desktop on a tablet makes basically no sense. And anybody using Windows 8 will immediately recognize the tablet interface, which is literally the same damn thing (Metro).
So, almost everything from a Windows 8 PC will be preset and look identical on a Windows 8 tablet. Power users who avoid Metro like the plague will surely see the two platforms very differently, but the average Joe won't.
So somehow Metro is going to suddenly become a big hit on desktops, even though there is the familiar desktop interface?
Huh? I'm not making any claims about popularity. I'm saying that people will recognize the thing that's staring them in the face every time they turn on their computers. I doubt the average computer user will even know the old desktop is there. Hell, most of them don't even know it's called the desktop, and I've heard people call the computer case the desktop on more occasions than I can count (only mistake more common is calling it the CPU).
So you think that average computer users will recognize the start screen/menu more than all of the applications that they ALREADY use?
I use my start menu to start applications, which is the purpose of the start menu.
No, try reading what I wrote next time.
I'm saying that Windows 8 users, who see the Metro interface EVERY TIME THEY TURN ON OR UNLOCK THE COMPUTER will recognize that same interface on a tablet. You are presented that interface literally every time you sit down at the computer. The average person will just roll with it. You need to understand that your use cases and proclivity for the old start menu are not universal.
I also didn't say anything about which they'd recognize more, which is irrelevant anyway. Why are you getting so aggressive over this?
I guess you're right. They'll recognize the critically important 5-second unlock process.
Actually, both Android and W8 will have a bigger fish to fry, Apple and it's high popularity. Ever checked what the lines are like when Apple announces new phones or tablets?
I'd love to see some lawsuit wars between Microsoft and Apple though. The clash of the giants...