Top Bananas | Tag Archives: Microsoft

Getting People to Buy iPads Again

Posted on June 17, 2017 by admin Posted in Hardware Leave a comment

What it is: iPad sales have been steadily dropping over the past few years, so how can Apple get people to buy more iPads?

It’s easy to get people to buy new iPhones because after two years, most people can upgrade to the newer model. With some carriers, you can even upgrade to the latest model every year. Because carriers subsidize or lease iPhones, people don’t need to pay full price ($700 or more) every time they want a new iPhone.

However, when people want to buy a new iPad, they’ll have to pay for the whole price themselves. That alone keeps people from upgrading every year or two. Now combine the fact that each iPad tends to still be useful years later and there’s little reason to upgrade for anyone.

So that’s why Apple just made the iPad obsolete for everything except the first generation iPad Pro. That’s because Apple’s new augmented reality kit (ARKit) only works on the iPad Pro or later models. That means every single iPad model (except for the latest iPad Pro models) is now obsolete.

That’s only a problem if you want augmented reality features on an iPad, but when Apple introduces augmented reality on the next iPhone this fall, you can bet that most people will want augmented reality on the iPad. That means every current iPad owner will need to upgrade to the iPad Pro.

The key is whether augmented reality will capture the imagination of people or not. It’s easy to see the appeal of augmented reality games like Pokemon GO. It’s harder to see the appeal of augmented reality for everyday use. That’s why Apple is also promoting the Apple Pencil as an additional user interface tool for the iPad Pro.

Right now, the Apple Pencil is mostly useful for artists and other people who need to draw. For non-artists, the Apple Pencil can be handy for jotting down notes just like using a pen and paper. Still, this feature alone likely won’t be enough to convince people to buy an Apple Pencil and a new iPad.

Eventually, the only way Apple can get people to upgrade to another iPad is to keep improving its features to the point where the older models just won’t do what the newer models can do. That’s why Apple is also promoting their optional keyboard to help turn the iPad Pro into a laptop computer. With the new Files app that lets you manage files, and multitasking, the iPad Pro with iOS 11 will make the iPad nearly equal to a laptop but with the greater convenience of a tablet.

Microsoft is busy trying to turn a laptop into a tablet with the Surface Pro. Apple is trying to turn a tablet into a laptop with the iPad Pro. The Surface Pro is far better as a computer than a tablet. The iPad Pro is far better as a tablet than a computer.

The difference is what you want. Do you want a laptop? Then get a Surface Pro. Do you want a tablet? Then get an iPad Pro. Do you want both? Then neither works equally well as a laptop and a tablet.

As the iPad Pro gets more powerful hardware, it will soon rival the power of as laptop. The key is whether the iPad Pro can remain light and easy to carry while offering the equivalent power of a laptop. To duplicate a laptop, an iPad Pro would need to duplicate a Windows PC.

If the processor in the iPad Pro becomes powerful enough to surpass Intel processors and be capable of running Windows, that’s when you’ll know that the iPad Pro won. If Intel processors can get more power efficient and the Windows operating system gets more tablet apps, then the Surface Pro will win.

The race for the future is split between the Surface Pro and the iPad Pro. Chances are good both will survive in the long run.

ARM Processors Running PCs

Posted on June 3, 2017 by admin Posted in Hardware, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Microsoft and its partners are working to bring Windows-powered devices on ARM processors.

Microsoft revealed their vision for always connected PCs that have long battery life yet retain the familiarity of Windows. To attain this goal, Microsoft is developing Windows to run on ARM processors like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor.

Of course, Microsoft already has Windows running on ARM processors using an operating system called Windows RT. The big reason why Windows RT flopped was because developers had to create programs specifically for Windows RT. If you wanted to run ordinary Windows software on Windows RT devices, you couldn’t.

If Microsoft can create a Windows PC, powered by ARM processors, that can still run Windows software, they could create a new family of PCs. The big difficulty is getting ARM processors to run Windows software designed for x86 processors created by Intel and AMD. One solution is to force developers to rewrite and compile their code for ARM processors, which is what Microsoft did with Microsoft Office. However, this is time-consuming and recreates the same problems of Windows RT all over again. Developers aren’t going to spend time developing for Windows RT until the market expands, and the market won’t expand without software.

A far more difficult approach is to emulate x86 processors on ARM processors. A program called Virtual PC for the Macintosh used to do this when the Macintosh used a PowerPC processor. The PowerPC processor would emulate a x86 processor to run Windows on a Macintosh. Unfortunately, emulation is slow. Even worse, ARM processors are typically slower and less powerful than x86 processors although that’s slowly changing. For emulation to work, ARM processors would need to become far more powerful than x86 processors and that’s probably not going to happen since x86 processors have a head start and can keep improving at the same rate as ARM processors.

So where does that leave Microsoft’s Windows on ARM project? They absolutely must solve this software dilemma or wind up repeating their Windows RT fiasco all over again.

Here’s one way Apple is approaching ARM processors. Besides making their own ARM processors that are faster than anything on the market, Apple also has plans to recompile code automatically. When developers post programs on the Mac App Store, Apple can automatically recompile the code for ARM processors. Now developers don’t have to spend the time to rewrite their programs themselves.

This would allow Apple to offer the Macintosh on ARM processors. If Apple can get their ARM processors to run at least equally as Intel processors that are currently used in the Macintosh, people could buy a Macintosh running an ARM processor and have access to plenty of software rights from the start. This avoids the problem of Windows RT. The key is making sure ARM processors can be at least equal in power to x86 processors.

If Apple can get the macintosh to run on ARM processors acceptably, they could simply create a new class of Macintosh computers. Then the Macintosh would also be able to run iOS apps as well.

The technical challenges in getting a PC to run on ARM processors is difficult, but not impossible. The bottleneck lies with getting software to run on ARM processors. How Microsoft solves this problem will go a long way towards bringing PCs on ARM processors, unless Apple gets there first.

Visual Studio for the Mac

Posted on May 13, 2017 by admin Posted in Programming Leave a comment

What it is: Microsoft acquired Xamarin and released their cross-platform development tool as Visual Studio for the Mac.

Xamarin once developed a compiler that would let you use Microsoft’s C# programming language to develop Android and iOS apps. Xamarin proved so popular that Microsoft acquired them and rebranded Xamarin as Visual Studio for the Mac. Now Macintosh programmers can use C# to create Windows, Android, and iOS programs.

While this is great for C# programmers, it does highlight one huge issue. There’s no Visual Basic support. When Microsoft first created their .NET programming initiative, they insisted that C# and Visual Basic would be equally supported. Most programmers didn’t believe this and gravitated towards C# as Microsoft’s unofficial, official programming language.

Over time, Microsoft gradually lost interest in Visual Basic, which was no surprise because Visual Basic.NET was essentially C# with BASIC syntax so it made little sense to learn Visual Basic when you could just learn C# instead. By not supporting Visual Basic (which most programmers didn’t care about anyway), Visual Studio for the Mac simply confirms Visual Basic’s second class status. If you’re going to learn any programming language, the choices really boil down to C# or Swift.

C# is Microsoft’s real official language and now Visual Studio for the Mac lets you use C# to create macOS and iOS apps as well as Android and Windows programs. For maximum flexibility, you’ll probably want to learn C#.

The main reason to learn Swift is because it’s Apple’s official language. Just as Microsoft gradually lost interest in Visual Basic, you can expect Apple to gradually lose interest in Objective-C, their previous official language. Swift has been made open source so it’s gravitated towards Windows and Linux as well and will likely be ported to create Android apps eventually.

The big difference between C# and Swift is that C# is currently cross-platform while Swift is not quite there yet. If you already know C#, Visual Studio for the Mac is Microsoft’s way to keep you using C#. If you don’t know any programming language, then the choice between C# and Swift is a bit harder. For anyone who wants to focus exclusively on Apple products, Swift makes sense since Apple will always provide the latest features for Swift. If you want to create cross-platform apps, then C# and Visual Studio for the Mac is currently the better choice.

The ultimate goal of every cross-platform programming language is to let you write a program once and run it on multiple platforms. The reality is that this never works (think of Java). Instead, you have to tweak each program for a particular platform, but this is still far easier than rewriting an entire program from scratch.

Swift isn’t quite a cross-platform language yet, but its open source nature means somebody will create a similar program like Xamarin. Until then, C# gives Windows programmers a chance to tap into the lucrative Android, iOS, and macOS market without learning a new language like Swift.

Unless you have a really good reason to learn something else, C# and Swift are the two languages to focus on for iOS and macOS development. Don’t waste your time learning Visual Basic. Even Microsoft no longer cares about Visual Basic any longer so why should you?

To learn more about Visual Studio for the Mac, click here.

The Futility of Windows Everywhere

Posted on May 8, 2017 by admin Posted in Software, User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: User interfaces must be optimized for the device because one user interface can never be optimal for all types of interaction.

Microsoft has a delusional fantasy that Windows can be put everywhere. When the Windows desktop interface with a Start menu became the dominant user interface for personal computers, Microsoft tried duplicating that same Start menu interface to Windows CE (which evolved into Windows Mobile) on handheld computers and later on smartphones. This required using a stylus, which was easy to lose, making the entire user interface clumsier on a handheld device.

When Microsoft developed the tile interface for Windows Phone, they next tried to port that tile interface to Windows 8. While the tile interface worked on a touch screen, it didn’t work as well on a PC controlled by a keyboard and a mouse. To scroll tiles left and right, you had to scroll the mouse wheel up and down. If your computer had a touch screen, you could reach out and slide the tiles left and right, but constantly lifting your arm to touch a screen a distance away from you wasn’t as optimal as using a touch screen near your hand like a smartphone. The end result was that Windows 8’s tile user interface failed on PCs and Windows 95’s Start menu user interface was never optimal for handheld computers.

Not to be deterred by failure, Microsoft continues to push their Windows Everywhere campaign by creating multiple, incompatible operating systems and calling it Windows. From Windows CE, Windows Mobile, Windows RT, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 S, Microsoft keeps trying to put the same user interface everywhere. Right now, Windows 10 has been modified as a desktop operating system to work as a tablet operating system. It works, but it’s not optimal for tablet use.

The idea of forcing a single user interface on all devices is doomed to failure simply because user interfaces are best optimized for a specific purpose. In the early days of automobiles, steering involved using a tiller, which was similar to what people sued to steer boats. Now imagine forcing the tiller user interface on boats, cars, airplanes, space shuttles, and rocket ships. Would the tiller be optimal under all circumstances?

Obviously the answer is no, but that’s exactly the type of thinking that drives Microsoft to keep pushing the Windows Everywhere idea on to all types of devices. Most people don’t buy Surface Pro devices because they want a laptop and a tablet. They buy the Surface Pro because it’s a great ultraportable laptop computer that just happens to work as a tablet if you want. Yet it’s not optimized for tablet use so most people don’t buy Surface Pro devices because they want a tablet first and a laptop second. They buy Surface Pro devices because they want a laptop first and a tablet second.

Trying to force the same user interface on all devices makes no sense, and trying to cram the same operating system into all devices makes equally less sense. Imagine trying to control your toaster or microwave oven using a tiller. How about aiming a howitzer or dialing a phone using a tiller? If taking the familiar user interface of a tiller from boats and putting it in cars didn’t work, why would a company like Microsoft insist that Windows Everywhere is a valid strategy?

The fact is that Windows works fine for its intended purpose, which is a desktop operating system. Creating multiple, incompatible operating systems and slapping the name “Windows” on it simply confuses people and serves no purpose. People expect the name “Windows” to mean they can run their favorite Windows programs on the device, which proved impossible on Windows RT devices and isn’t supported by the new Windows 10 S operating system designed to compete against ChromeOS and Chromebooks.

Microsoft is trying to get Windows 10 to compete against the following:

Linux, ChromeOS, and macOS in the desktop market
Android and iOS in the smartphone and tablet market

It’s impossible to serve two different goals and succeed on both of them simultaneously. Mobile operating systems need to be easy to use and trade off power for ease of use. Desktop operating systems can afford to offer more power in exchange for greater complexity. How do you make something easy to use and powerful? You can’t because there will always be trade offs.

The next time you think Windows Everywhere is a valid strategy, try using a tiller to control your PC instead of using a mouse. That experience should tell you how useful a single user interface can be for everything.

Windows 10 S vs. Chromebooks

Posted on May 2, 2017 by admin Posted in Education, Hardware, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Microsoft recently released Windows 10S to target the education market.

At one time, Windows PCs dominated schools. Some schools still offered a handful of macintosh computers but for cost reasons and greater compatibility, most schools purchased truckloads of Windows PCs and stuck them in the classroom. The theory was that since people used Windows PCs in work, it only made sense for students o learn what they would likely use in the real world.

Then schools started to shift to iPads when Apple first introduced the iPad. The iPad was simpler to use by requiring far less maintenance. Some schools switched to iPads but then Google released Chromebook, which were extremely cheap laptops. Once Chromebooks appeared, most schools simply skipped both Windows PCs and iPads and chose Chromebook for the much lower cost while still retaining the simplicity of an iPad.

Now Microsoft has decided to fight back by releasing Windows 10 S, low-cost version of Windows designed for the education market but also for low-end computers. The main limitation of Windows 10 S is that it can only install and run software from the Windows Store. This prevents rogue programs (or students) from loading a school PC with unapproved software.

Windows 10 S also comes with simpler maintenance settings. Just define settings on a USB flash drive, plug that flash drive into a Windows 10 S PC, and you can simply and easily transfer settings to PCs just by plugging in the flash drive. Windows 10 S aims for the low cost of Chromebook with the simplicity of setup as well. At the teachers’ discretion, a Windows 10 S PC can also load non-Windows Store software.

The main target is the education market but Windows 10 S could also compete against Chromebook in the consumer market. Given a choice between using familiar Windows software or a Chromebook, many people will likely chose Windows 10 S. The big warning flag is that people who buy a Windows 10 S PC need to realize the software limitations restricting you to Windows Store software. For an added price, you can upgrade form Windows 10 S to Windows 10, but people must understand this option costs money before they rush to get a cheap Windows 10 S PC, only to get annoyed that they can’t install Windows software on it through a DVD or file downloaded from the Internet.

Windows 10 S looks attractive from a technical point of view. The big problem may simply come from people expecting Windows 10 S to give them the same freedom of software choice as Windows 10. That’s a huge potential for confusion. Just as people bought Windows RT Surface laptops, only to discover it couldn’t run ordinary Windows software, so might people get confused and upset when they buy a Windows 10 S laptop for the low price, only to find out that they can’t install non-Windows Store software on it.

Windows 10 S is Microsoft’s attempt to keep Windows dominant in the desktop operating system market by taking back the education market from Chromebooks. If Microsoft limits Windows 10 S to schools, their strategy may work. If Microsoft allows the sale of Windows 10 S PCs to consumers, be ready for some consumers to get confused that Windows 10 S won’t give them the same amount of choice as Windows 10.

The education market is crucial for any company. Windows 10 S is Microsoft’s attempt to keep Windows relevant. Whether manufacturers can offer Windows 10 S laptops for a competitive price to Chromebook remains to be seen, but if the price can be equal to Chromebook, Windows 10 S has a good chance of offering the familiarity of Windows with the low cost of Chroembooks, and that’s a combination most schools will find hard to resist.

Windows on ARM Processors (Again)

Posted on April 23, 2017 by admin Posted in Hardware, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Qualcomm claims that Microsoft will start shipping Windows 10 capable of running on ARM processors by the end of the year.

After Apple introduced the iPad and wiped out the Tablet PC market, Microsoft decided to fight back by releasing Windows RT, a new operating system that could run on the more power-efficient ARM processors instead of the traditional x86 processors by Intel and AMD. Windows RT looked like Windows 8 but couldn’t run traditional Windows software. As a result, most people shied away from Windows RT devices until Microsoft abandoned Windows RT.

Now Microsoft may be trying to bring Windows 10 to ARM processors. The difference is that they may include an emulator that allows ARM processors to run x86 programs. With Windows RT, you couldn’t run any Windows programs unless the developer ported it over to Windows RT. With Windows 10, the goal is to write a program once and have it run on multiple devices (smartphones, tablets, and PCs) and multiple processors (x86 and ARM). Can Microsoft pull this off?

The goal is to create lower cost laptops with longer battery life. The key will be the ability to run Windows software. Windows RT died because of the inability to run Windows software, even though Windows RT has the Windows name in it. Windows 10 on ARM processors cannot repeat this mistake, but how can an emulator work successfully?

Back when Apple switched from PowerPC processors to Intel processors, they included a PowerPC emulator called Rosetta, which let you run PowerPC programs flawlessly on an Intel Macintosh. What made Rosetta work was that Intel processors were powerful enough to emulate a PowerPC processor so the speed difference was minimal.

Can ARM processors be just as powerful and efficient? That’s the burning question. Right now many Android smartphones offer powerful ARM processors, yet those ARM processors with higher speeds and more cores still run slower than Apple’s own customized ARM processors. To ask an ARM processor to successfully emulate an x86 processor may result in Windows programs running far slower on an ARM processor than a traditional x86 processor.

Remember that the main purpose of ARM-based PCs is to compete with lower cost laptops, which means you’ll likely get a slow PC in return for a lower price. Anyone remember when Intel tried to promote energy-efficient Atom processors to compete against ARM processors, and failed? Atom processors were commonly used on netbooks, which ran Windows programs slowly and painfully on a tiny screen with a slow processor and minimal graphics capabilities. How will tomorrow’s ARM-based laptops be any different?

Tomorrow’s ARM-based laptops will be cheaper and likely slower than even a cheap x86 based laptop. To have a slow processor run an emulator means Windows software will run even slower. Think of running AutoCAD on a netbook. It’s possible but painfully slow to make it basically impractical. That could be the user experience of running Windows software on ARM processors.

The real question is why is Microsoft even pursuing Windows on ARM when they failed once with Windows RT? Windows simply can’t compete against the iPad as a tablet or against the iPhone as a smartphone operating system. To believe one operating system can run optimally on different form factors is delusional. Microsoft’s Surface Pro devices excel as ultraportable laptops that can also behave like a tablet. Most people aren’t buying Surface Pros to use them as a tablet exclusively or even for the majority of the time. They’re buying Surface Pros for a laptop first and a tablet second.

Most likely, Microsoft will waste more time and money pursuing Windows on ARM and have little to show for it. People want to run Windows software on PCs whether they’re desktops or laptops. People don’t care what processor a PC uses just as long as it can run their software at a decent speed.

If Microsoft and Qualcomm can get Windows programs to run decently on ARM processors, what does that mean for the future of Intel processors? Somebody’s going to lose in the near future. It’s either going to be Microsoft and Qualcomm (ARM processors) or Intel and AMD (x86 processors). Whatever the case, Microsoft is essentially competing against themselves so no matter who wins, Microsoft will still wind up losing.