Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Do you need Windows 8 for the holidays? At all? Ever?


Will Windows 8 and the Surface tablet make Vista look like it launched as a booming success?

Moribund consumer enthusiasm shown, so far, perhaps. This Strib link. But do you want your desktop to work like a phone where small size imposes things not needed to be imposed on a desktop?

Do you crave a Surface tablet, from Microsoft?

Are you overjoyed at how the thing was released with such a degree of integration of something viewed as insightful and truly innovative, like Kinect? Yeah, right. XBOX is a separate Microsoft division, with its own profit goals and chain of management. How long did it take for Kinect to crossover onto the consumer desktop? Has Microsoft become that mature an enterprise?

And with regard to maturity, do you value the maturity and sobriety levels at which Microsoft television ads are aimed? Do you wonder about demographic and focus group work done by the firm and its flak peddlers in advance of year end holidays? Would you rather buy a diamond from Kays?

Again: This Strib link.

Does the opening image of this post (from the Microsoft Surface web homepage) grab you, and say, "YES, YES, YES! ME, ME, ME!"?

Or not?

Is the ghost of Steve Jobs laughing?

UPDATE: For fewer Ben Franklins, is this for you and your existing general habit set? It does Facebook. Is battery life a decisive factor for mobile devices? For you, if not for the world?

FURTHER UPDATE: Remember, "SWIPE, TAP, CLICK AND ZOOM. The Start screen is all you."

Moreover, "Like us on Facebook - Stay in touch with Windows. Share this page ..."

I wonder if glum looking people ever use Microsoft products. People with bad teeth. AARP members?