PC Makers Plan Rebellion Against Microsoft At CES 564
Velcroman1 writes "Fearing rapidly plummeting sales of traditional laptops and desktop computers — which fell by another 10 percent or so in 2013 — manufacturers are planning a revolt against Microsoft and the Windows operating system, analysts say. At the 2014 CES in Las Vegas, multiple computer makers will unveil systems that simultaneously run two different operating systems, both Windows and the Android OS that powers many of the world's tablets and smartphones, two different analysts said recently. The new devices will be called 'PC Plus' machines, explained analyst Tim Bajarin. 'A PC Plus machine will run Windows 8.1 but will also run Android apps as well,' Bajarin wrote. Another analyst put the threat to Windows bluntly: 'This should scare the heck out of Microsoft.'"
Re:Ugh (Score:3, Insightful)
Who the fuck wants this? Sure, Windows sucks but why would cramming a shitty OEM version of Android make things better?
Because choice.
Yeah right. (Score:5, Insightful)
Laptops and Desktops don't need "apps" and people aren't going to buy them to play Angry Birds and Snapchat all day.
If you want to make a move away from Windows give them an OS that can actually do something useful. Nobody is trying to replace their phone with a laptop.
What might scare MS (Score:5, Insightful)
A dual boot Windows 8.1 and Steam OS machine. I'm not really feeling the need for Android on a PC. Anyone else?
Morons (Score:5, Insightful)
If they want to scare MS then they need to get behind a linux distro. Any of the polished ones it doesn't really matter.
You've got Steam pushing a linux gaming line... why would you go for anything besides linux IF you're trying to unseat MS?
This is idiotic and doomed to tragic failure.
Why? Developer Developers Developers. And Games. (Score:5, Insightful)
Sure, Windows sucks but why would cramming a shitty OEM version of Android make things better?
Because there are a LOT of Android developers now, who would be very tempted to write for this...
But also from the user side, presumably you could play Android games, buying them at Android prices instead of Windows prices (or playing them for free, the dark unfortunate secret of Android).
it's not Microsoft (Score:5, Insightful)
The reality is that desktops are dying for a typical person's use and consumption. They're going to return to being workstations for the most part.
Re:Yeah right. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is scary enough that MS, allegedly, has in the past prevented OEM from installing two OS. The last thing MS wants a computer user to know is there is another OS. Look at the misinformation on the Mac, how expensive it is, when my last Macbook Air was $1000. Yes, more expensive that they mythicla $300 MS laptop that runs everything, but about what a good laptop costs. We can argue price, but MS is scared of users knowing there is choice.
We also see this in past EULA in which certain versions of MS Windows could not be the guest OS. This is likely the future of the PC. A reasonably functional and free client OS on top of which a virtualized guest OS can be run. This is basically what MS is doing now with the instant upgrade. Start with a functionality locked out, and buy a full OS after the fact. Like the Mainframe manufacturers used to do. You have all the hardware, but have to pay extra to use it.
Re:Ugh (Score:4, Insightful)
Maybe Steve Elop returned to Microsoft and told them that they are on a "burning platform" with Windows 8?
That schtick of his worked wonders at Nokia . . .
I don't see it (Score:5, Insightful)
At first I thought they would allow dual boot -- Windows or Android. Then, I could buy one and just boot Android and leave it there. On the rare occasions when I needed Windows, (for instance, to run Adobe Lightroom, which hasn't yet been ported to Android) I could boot into that.
But according to TFA, this is Android on Windows, or the ability to run Android applications on Windows 8. This sounds less like "two operating systems at once" and more like the Android API running on Windows.
This is exceedingly uninteresting. The problem with Windows 8 is the revolting GUI, and this does not fix that. Wake me when you release a tablet that will run Windows apps on Android.
Moreover, this is no particular threat to Windows. It perhaps gives a boost to the Windows 8 ecosystem by tying in whatever Androids applications happen to run (you know it won't be 100%), but the box still runs Windows, and doesn't run anything other than Windows. This is no threat to Microsoft at all, and is not a "rebellion".
Kevin Kline voice: DisapPOINTed!
They go Linux. (Score:2, Insightful)
And Microsoft loses its customers.
It is already happening - that is one reason Chromebooks are selling so well.
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:2, Insightful)
Sure, if you ignore all the dirty tactics microsoft has and continues to use. The same way hating corrupt politicians is a disease. I do understand that's not what Linus meant, but once again, one should be careful what one says.
Re:Ugh (Score:2, Insightful)
Why would I want to run phone applications on my computer?
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why? Developer Developers Developers. And Games (Score:4, Insightful)
You can do much the same on basically any non-lockdown Android system; but there tends not to be much point. Getting access to pure linux applications from the Android environment is a bit awkward (X servers and terminal clients exist; but are generally aimed at talking to external hosts) and any android-related stuff (contacts, SMS, etc.) is in a more or less opaque blob as far as the linux userland is concerned(again, it can be done, and various Android tweaker/power-user modding does commonly involve hitting the Android system from the perspective of the root user on the linux system it lives on; but there is essentially zero useful integration).
Especially if you have a recent x86 to work with, I can't imagine why you would choose android as the 'lightweight VM for specific tasks' OS. VMs are absurdly useful; but android is a pretty mediocre experience on anything not designed as touchscreen hardware, usually without a keyboard or mouse.
Re:Ugh (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Ugh (Score:5, Insightful)
Personally, games was the last domain that kept me from ditching Windows (as they have evolved), so SteamOS is a gift from heaven, especially in the direction it is going. Microsoft should be scared to do more. Enough is enough with their dominating position. It reminds me of European cellular phone manufacturers (Nokia, Ericsson) before Apple came to shake their realities with the iPhone.
Re:Ugh (Score:5, Insightful)
Windows 8 has got to be the main reason laptop and PC sales have plummeted
While I'm no lover of Windows OS's (I not a big user, Linux has been my staple for 10 - 15 years) I'm not convinced it is the major cause for the drop in desktop sales. I see other reason as being greater contributors.
1) A good proportion (I speculate) of former PC sales were to people who used the PC to "consume", being media, Internet, email, games and whatnot - these PC are obviously overkill and cumbersome for the task (locked to the desk). The rise of tablets and mobile devices that are plenty capable of performing this role has caused this echelon of users to dump their PCs and migrate to their phone or tablet (a better and more convenient tool for that job (consumption) IMO).
2) There is another echelon of users who are not 'power users' their 5 year old PC is just fine for the tasks they perform. PC's are very over powered for a good lot of users, as long as their machine boots and they can get to their browser then their PC is still good enough - no need to replace. This may have been the case for many years so I expect this has less influence than (1).
But I don't believe people are as fussy about their OS as the vocal ones would suggest - most are happy if their browser will open.
I am by no means giving a vote for or against Windows 8 (or any OS) I don't have strong feelings either way. But I strongly doubt that it's a major contributor (perhaps a minor one).
Re:Google Play Store (Score:5, Insightful)
Going to arbitrary websites to download and subsequently execute binaries is extremely dangerous, and significantly disadvantages small vendors... How is a random user supposed to know that the website they've been to and the file they just downloaded is trustworthy and not some piece of malware?
Propane cars (Score:5, Insightful)
But they let things stagnate so much that when mobile came along all they could think about was protecting their eco system. So instead of coming up with a lightweight tablet they made the surface that integrates with their eco system.
So basically it seems that MS has become a company that is entirely based upon fooling people into making bad decisions.
But this might seem like a good idea to keep customers from leaking away. The problem is that when they do leave they leave entirely and are never coming back unless their new system sucks even more. Where this is real problem is that the MS system can really suck without losing too many customers due to inertia. But as history has repeatedly shown people don't leave one stagnant tradition for a slightly better one, they leave for something completely new and often quite different.
An interesting example from history was the end of whale oil; it was around $1900 per barrel (today's prices) while crude oil was around $90 a barrel. This put more and more pressure for people to figure out how to extract useful replacements from crude. When they did still people kept on with Whale oil but then suddenly "petroleum" products wiped out the whale oil industry almost overnight. Once the trend started there was nothing the whale industry could do; it was over.
I would say that MS is in a very bad place. Customers who switch to mobile are entirely eliminating MS from their minds. Not out of hate or revenge but simply they don't see an use for MS products in their lives. Of course some people are still using MS office to type a bit and Excel to add up a few numbers but the vast majority would be perfectly happy with Office 97.
So as I say MS has a business model based upon people making bad decisions. But now many people aren't even seeing MS as one of their options.
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:5, Insightful)
I share that sentiment. To bad that it's happening about 20 years later than it should have. I have no sympathy for struggling PC makers. All of the top dogs in the industry cooperated for a couple decades in feeding that behemoth known as Microsoft. They have been happily paying that Microsoft Tax, and passing the cost on to the end users. I would be perfectly happy to see some of those big dogs go bankrupt. Smaller companies that have struggled to supply alternate OS's and no-OS machines may finally get a well deserved break here.
Like yourself, I'll withhold judgement. When I'm ready to purchase new hardware, if I can buy good hardware and install Linux without a problem, I'll be quite happy. If it proves difficult to install Linux, I'll be less happy. My happiness will decrease with the amount of difficulty involved.
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:5, Insightful)
Google's dirty tactics include using and selling personal information on end users. They also include purchasing interesting and/or rival companies at fair prices, as opposed to just running rivals out of business. Google has some evil ways, but nothing to compare to Microsoft's history.
Apple has their pretty little walled garden, but they don't mess with the unwashed masses outside that garden. They work pretty aggressively to protect the stuff inside that garden, but they've never actively worked to undermine companies and OS's that stay well outside of that garden.
Microsoft, on the other hand, should have been broken up into multiple companies long ago when the government was accusing them of monopoly abuse. The behemoth has done a lot of harm in the computing world. It has done some good, but not nearly so much real good as some people think.
Personally, I still resent the AARD code that contributed to the collapse of DRDOS. DRDOS was superior to most other DOS operating systems in some ways - among others, it was the first to achieve 32 bit disk access. With a level playing field, I'm pretty certain that DRDOS would have remained in the game, and contributed much more to computer science. No one can possibly say where computing might be today, had Microsoft not worked hard to shut other players out of the field. Android may never have happened for instance - something much better may have been developed, and much sooner instead. Certainly, Linux would have advanced faster if there had been more active support from hardware vendors.
Re:Ugh (Score:4, Insightful)
There is absolutely no need for Windows anymore, except for Gaming and editing MS Office documents.
Or making money using Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, Inventor, Autocad, Altium, VS, Vegas, etc...
There are uses for computers other than browsing the internet, watching movies and playing games.
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:2, Insightful)
Mono is fucken GARBAGE.
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:5, Insightful)
Made which founders of which companies very rich? I'd have to do some searching, but I believe that Bill Gates bought Windows for mere hundreds of dollars.
There are very good reasons that Microsoft has lost litigation multiple times to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
I have already granted that Google does some evil shit. I rather like Google, but I'm not blind to the bad stuff they do. Microsoft, on the other hand, is guilty of just about every crime of which a business can be guilty of, short of murder. Gates is ruthless, and the company he founded shares that characteristic.
That AARD code I mentioned above - have you ever looked at it? A few lines that instruct Microsoft software to check for the underlying operating system on which it is to be installed. If any system fails to report that it is a Microsoft system, the software simply refuses to install. There was no good reason for that - it was just anti-competitive bullshit.
Perspective. I repeat part of what I stated above. Microsoft has done more to hinder computer science than either Google or Apple. I mean, they have actively blocked advancement in many lines of research. There are no really "clean" players up there in the stratosphere, but Microsoft is just plain dirty.
I will note that Google has pulled out of China. It seems that whatever evil Google has committed, they might have a conscience. Can you make any such claim for Microsoft? Please don't tell me about the Gates Foundation. I view that nonsense the same as I view the pyramids. AFTER have destroyed dozens of companies and thousands of careers, Gates wants to achieve some kind of immortality with his "charitable works". Screw Gates. I have more respect for Jobs, who remained a selfish egomaniac until his dying day. I have far more respect for those goofy kids who founded Google. They screw up, but they are far better people than Gates or Jobs, IMHO.
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:5, Insightful)
"A few dodgy business practices"
There are pages and pages of those practices.
"Netscape and DRDOS lost out, big fucking whoop."
Embrace, extend, extinguish. Every end user on the planet has lost out due to Microsoft's greed. Netscape and Digital Research are only two names at the beginning of a long, long, LONG list.
"They didn't kill anyone,"
I already stated as much. Perhaps it is you who needs to get a grip.
Tell us - what is YOUR interest in Microsoft?
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:2, Insightful)
you're living in cloud-cuckoo-land...
i HAVE 'talked' to 'my' (sic) politicians: THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT...
we DID 'talk' to them before the eye-rack war: a HUGE majority of us said 'NO', and millions of us filled the streets, overloaded their emails, and got in their faces, BUT WE STILL WENT TO WAR IN SPITE OF THAT...
as with virtually EVERY important issue: the people say we DON'T want war, we get war anyway; people say we want single-payer/universal coverage, we get health insurer bailout; people say we DON'T want a wasteful 'war' on ____ (fill in the blank) and we get endless war on ______; people say don't waste money on bankster bailout, jail'em instead, banksters get trillions, we get the bill and the cell; people say don't spy on us, we got bugs up the ass...
'my' (sic) kongresskritter does NOT give a shit what a non-donor/loser like me says, UNLESS there are pitchforks and torches involved...
the ONLY reason they 'talk' to me is to placate me and lie to me, they have NO INTENTION of changing their positions UNLESS/UNTIL their puppetmasters tell them to...
fuck'em all with a pineapple...
Re:Any movement away from Microsoft is good. (Score:4, Insightful)
Funny you should mention Internet Explorer. Where did that come from, anyway? It started life with the name of Mosaic, licensed by Spyglass. It didn't belong to Microsoft at all. But, MS liked it, and offered Spyglass a share of revenues if they would allow MS to distribute and use it with Windows.
"Spyglass, which licensed its browser to Microsoft in return for a percentage of each sale; Microsoft turned the browser into Internet Explorer and bundled it with Windows, giving it away to gain market share but effectively destroying any chance of Spyglass making money from the deal they had signed with Microsoft; Spyglass sued for deception and won a $8 million settlement.[62]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_litigation [wikipedia.org]