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Crawford County, Ohio | Since you asked...
Yes, i think Apple will go in that direction eventually, but I do not think that traditional desktops will be completely replaced by touch-only. Perhaps a sort of hybrid that can be used as a touch device or connected to a keyboard and mouse/trackpad depending on the user's preference or need. There are simply too many applications where touch input is not ideal such as graphics development.
The reason I asked this question in the first place... I really cannot figure out what Microsoft is trying to accomplish by having two different lines of Surface tabs. Of course, the attraction of the pro line will be the ability to run native Windows applications on them. The fly in the pudding for this concept is the fact that there were touch tablets that would run these long before the iPad came along and they wouldn't sell. The main reasons being that desktop applications are not suited for a touch GUI and the power requirements for desktop/laptop processors made battery life poor. Nothing has really changed in that respect. Windows 8 will solve the touch interface problem on the pro device as far as navigating around the OS itself, but not on the native Windows applications that have all been designed for use with a mouse or trackpad. Yes, developers could release new versions that solve that problem, but then they become a problem on desktops and laptops. Several Windows users on this board have already stated that they will not upgrade to Win 8 because of this. The pro tablets will likely suffer from poor battery life too due to not using the low powered Arm type processors. They can use bigger batteries, but that will add a lot of weight which detracts from a tablet experience. I'm betting that fans will be in them too since I am not aware of any desktop/laptop processors that do not require fans for cooling. I may be wrong on this though since I do not follow them that closely.
It just came out this past week or two that Apple might be looking at going away from Intel processors for their desktop computers and eventually switching to their own mobile processors. They are increasing in power and capability at a rapid rate and by doing so, would allow the full integration of the desktop and mobile environments. In fact, the CEO of Intel was just let go this past week and some surmise it was because he has failed to move the company in the mobile direction quickly enough. If Apple does this, they may suffer the same issues as I outlined above. Currently there is no good way to be a jack-of-all-trades as far as user interface. While I admire the fact that Microsoft finally tried something original, I see their attempt as turning into a fragmented mess. Already there have been questions raised on here about these Surface lines and what their capabilities will be. | |
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Surface Tablet options
