Right now I’m sitting on a train carriage surrounded by people using laptops. I’m the only one using an iPad (and a physical keyboard). The chap sat across from me looks to be in his sixties. He’s well dressed and looks to be a city grandee type. Arrayed before him is: – An iPad (WiFi+3G, [...]
Tag Archives | Microsoft
Wishful thinking from Microsoft
A video conference? From a British train? Almost impossible for more than 20 seconds, surely? (I found this advert on the train to Basingstoke)
Surface: Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft… WHAT are you thinking?
Well. We’re all clairvoyant, aren’t we? What a clusterfluck that was. Microsoft yesterday released a rather smart looking tablet device on the back of all the Windows 8 launch shenanigans. It looks wonderful. I haven’t had hands-on yet. Yet it’s already a substantial disappointment. Let’s set aside the clear technological innovation. There is no debate [...]
Microsoft Surface: One sentence opinions from the mobile industry’s executives and influencers
This afternoon The Verge broke the pricing news of Microsoft’s Surface tablet device. I have my own rather strong opinions but wanted to check those of the MIR audience first. I sent a note out to the MIR insiders subscribed to our TinyLetter newsletter asking for one-sentence perspectives. (I’ve only used first names to protect [...]
$199 for the Microsoft Surface? Now that would set the market alight…
Everyone and their dog has picked up the rumour-cum-possible-fact originally cited by Engadget that Microsoft will shortly offer their Surface (Windows RT version) for $199. The tech blogs are full of standard he-said, she-said commentary — obviously a $199 Surface would sell a lot better than a $999 Surface. However I think the deal is [...]
Acer should start innovating and stop complaining
I had to smile at this series of points from Acer’s top man into today’s FT regarding the impending launch of Microsoft’s Surface: Acer, the world’s fourth largest computer manufacturer by shipments, has attacked Microsoft’s planned move into tablets, highlighting the growing rift between the software company and its former allies among PC makers. JT [...]
Why the Microsoft Surface tablet is brilliant news for everyone
Well then. That took us all by surprise didn’t it? Last week’s keynote from Microsoft announcing their Microsoft Surface tablet strategy was unexpected. We should be clear, though: Of course Microsoft has been looking at tablets. Of course. Tablets (or, quite frankly, “iPads”) are one of the biggest trends in technology right now. Microsoft couldn’t [...]
Buy an Xbox for $99 and $15/month… how long before I can get my MacBook Air this way?
For a long time I’ve been banging on about renting and leasing. WHen it comes to consumer technology, I rarely ever want to actually own it. Why bother? What is the point? Especially when there’s going to be another one along in 9 months. Or a few years. I don’t want the management overhead. A [...]
TechCrunch on Nokia: “Nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft”
A positive note from the chaps over at TechCrunch on Nokia — along the lines of my piece last week. As bad as Nokia’s financials look right now – a $4 billion drop in sales won’t make anyone’s day – don’t consider the Windows Phone move a failure just yet. They’ve done what many phone [...]
Is Nokia’s rehabilitation in the Western Media complete?
Was it this time last year that Nokia was burning? I had to check through the Mobile Industry Review archives just to be sure! What a difference a year makes in the mobile industry, eh? This time last year the market was reacting to the news that Nokia had dumped it’s “burning platform” and moved [...]
Chevron for WP7 should get geek heads turning
Microsoft smartly jumped straight into bed with the team of developers who got together to try and make it easy to hack (or, to install unsigned applications on) their Windows Phone devices. Instead of making it a total flipping nightmare for users, it’s actually going to be rather simple. Here’s the Chevron team with more [...]
James Whatley on the importance of ecosystems
Whatley is back this week with his perspective on ecosystems — a word that’s increasingly being integrated into the marketing communications of almost every key player in the marketplace. Years back, an ecosystem meant having a few developers knock out some expensive and rather limited third-party apps. Nowadays the term has much wider connotations. Over [...]
Recent Comments