Microsoft: Apple's Post-PC View Is Wrong
Apple has it wrong, claims Microsoft. It's a PC Plus era, not a Post-PC era.
Microsoft's Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said during the company's Worldwide Partner Conference on Wednesday that Apple's "post-PC" view of the current computing industry climate is wrong.
Of course, the two companies also have different approaches to computer operating systems. Like Google, Apple thinks each form factor should have its own operating system, yet they should also all share common functions and features. Microsoft sees a world where one OS rules all devices no matter the form factor.
"Apple makes great hardware," Turner admitted. "The reality is, in the OS, we see things differently. They've talked about it being the post-PC era, they talk about the tablet and PC being different. The reality in our world is that we think that's completely incorrect."
Instead of "post-PC," Microsoft has dubbed the era as "PC+," or PC Plus. As previously stated, Microsoft sees other devices outside the PC scope as an extension of the desktop, thus only one OS is needed. The x86-based version of Surface is a good example: a tablet sporting a full version of Windows 8 Pro.
"We actually believe Windows 8 is the new era for the PC Plus," Turner said. "We believe with a single push of a button you can move seamlessly in and out of both worlds. We believe you can have touch, a pen, a mouse, and a keyboard."
He went on to show a slide featuring a quote from former Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the current CEO Tim Cook. Jobs said "the post-PC era has begun" whereas Cook was quoted saying "in my view, the tablet and the PC are very different."
"The re-imagined Windows is a game changer," Turner admitted. Indeed, Microsoft is looking to create an ecosystem of products using the best-of-both-worlds approach with the launch on Windows 8, as PC users can switch from the touchy Metro interface to a more standard desktop mode.
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Just recently Apple's Tim Cook indicated that Microsoft's PC convergence is a poorly conceived idea. He said during the company's second quarter conference call that "you can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but you know, those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user."
Cook also said that OS X and iOS borrow certain aspects from each other, but they remain two separate platforms due to the unique hardware features of the desktop, the tablet and the smartphone.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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captaincharisma ReplyApple makes great hardware," Turner admitted. "The reality is, in the OS, we see things differently. They've talked about it being the post-PC era, they talk about the tablet and PC being different. The reality in our world is that we think that's completely incorrect."
i think he ment to say samsung and Intel make great hardware for apple products LOL -
whiteodian I like Microsoft's approach to the different platforms. I'm all for cross-platform compatibility.Reply -
mouse24 "Apple makes great hardware," Turner admitted.Reply
Excuse me, what? Apple does not make hardware, at all. I bet he thinks he is getting a faster pc since it has the mac logo on it also...
haha, regardless it was probably just a lapse in thinking. -
friskiest I dunno about Apple and others talking on such a thing as a Post PC era,. but the flexibility, power, convenience and plain joy of using my PC through all this years tells otherwise,..Reply
The PC is here to stay,. leveraging on both desktop and mobile platform (tablet, notebook,. etc),.
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ojas I'm glad Turner's saying this, because i share the same view. However it's ironical to an extent. If you're forcing Metro down desktop users' throats, it seems more like you're actually saying "the tablet and PC are the same thing", or "use the PC like a tablet!". And then Turner says "PC+".Reply
If they just gave a clear choice to users during installation...so that people didn't have to resort to hacks to restore a comfortable user environment.
In my view it should have been slightly different. Keep metro on the desktop, but keep it shut unless explicitly called upon. Keep the start menu, aero, etc just the same. When you want to connect to the PC remotely via Surface phones/tablets (over wifi/bluetooth), metro pops up on the main (PC) screen.
Something like VLC Direct Pro.
Everyone would have been happy this way. But i guess then people would have said "wtf it's just the same as win 7, we're not upgrading!"
So they should have sold it for $15 online and $50 retail.
Now, everyone would be happy :D
Of course MS won't listen to me :( -
I wholeheartedly agree with Microsoft that mobile devices simply complement the desktop PC and that it makes sense to have a single OS that will support multiple platforms.Reply
That said, the OS needs to be designed to work appropriately on all platforms and support multiple inputs and interfaces. If you design the OS to run on all platforms yet the interface obviously favors a single platform and alienates users by forcing them to conform to a format unfit for their own platform, it would be idiotic not to expect backlash from your user base.
See what I did there, MS? -
If I had to make a choice between Apple's view, and Microsoft's view, I think I would be going with Apple's view. While Microsoft may want to have "Windows 8 everywhere", the current Release Preview of Windows 8 shos the deep flaws in Microsoft's view. I am running the Windows 8 Release Preview on a couple of machines, a laptop and a desktop, and in general, on laptops/desktops, the Cellphone/Tablet orientation of Windows 8 is painfully evident. Things like the built in apps running full screen (I bought a 24" monitor to run multiple apps, not just one full screen stocks app that has 1 graph on it; my eyes may not be as good as they were, but they are not that bad). On a limited screen size device (cellphone or tables) this isn't an issue; on a large screen desktop or laptop, this is a pretty useless waste of space. While Microsoft would like to push the Metro interface on everybody, the inclusion of the desktop is an admission that the Metro interface is not usable for most business PC uses. In and of itself, this disproves Microsoft's stance.Reply
Kostas -
KupuAnd1 I'm not with Microsoft nor Apple.....I'm with Google's philosophy.Reply
You like Apple? We are there!
You like Microsoft? We are there!
You like linux? We are there!
You don't like any of the above...we got Chrome OS!
The only downside is privacy but with Skydrive and iCloud is just the same issue! -
back_by_demand Those Gartner stats showing about 320 million PCs being sold every yearReply
Seeing as the iPad sells about 34 million units a year
That PC figure needs to shrink by about 90% before anyone can start talking about anything close to "Post-PC" -
phatboe While I agree with MS that PC+ is the future, I do not agree that forcing Metro on Desktop users is the future.Reply