I can't help but wonder, what does a Windows RT tablet provide that an Android one doesn't?
On x86, Windows will have a significant application and backwards-compatibility advantage. But on ARM, it will be at least 2-3 years until there are as many Metro applications as there are Android ones.
Android, with its liberal lisensing terms is allowing price points to be pushed down all the time, to the point that a perfectly usable $200 is now completely viable. Windows RT tablets have to be priced higher, which will put them head to head against iPad.
What's the point of a Windows RT tablet? Does anyone have more infor or can someone can shed lights on this?
Judging from the videos I've seen of demo WinRT tablets, saying that Android tablets can do everything WinRT ones can is missing the point because WinRT does things *differently*. The user experience is different enough that WinRT isn't simply a 'me-too' competitor to Android.
In the short term at least, WinRT will directly take on the iPad in the high-end tablet market while Android finds its foothold in the sub-$300 spectrum.
First off... compatibility. With Android, compatibility is a crapshoot. Some apps work on somde devices, and some don't... That problem doesn't exist on Windows.
Usability... Android's usability is dreadful compared to Windows in general, including Windows 8.
All in all, Windows 8 is just a massively better product than Android ICS.
having one (the samsung one they gave out at built, just not from built), i can say it with two simple words: user experience
i can not even touch an android tablet anymore, after having had first contact with win8. the user experience, the simplicity, the logic and the beautiful design makes you want to throw away anything android.
but yes, for some, 200$ is the way to go. i would not even pay that for android anymore.
wp7 + win8, and you feel like you're in a totally different league.
and, yes, it's an x86 tablet, and a core i5 with 4gb ram, so it replaced even my desktop (thanks, docking).
Confused me for a bit there... you must mean the MS BUILD conference, and the model probably was the now old series 7 slate, XE700T1A. A nice model indeed, but launched so late that it missed its chance to shine. I would have bought one near the start of the Sandy Bridge era, but it got launched too close to the end instead. It is pretty much what I was hoping the Asus EP121 would be, back when rumors suggested it could be using Sandy Bridge.
The new generation in this segment, i.e. the W700, seems to be a very good improvement. Finally a screen resolution that can fit something in portrait mode, yay! Let's hope it does not lose the active digitizer support though, and that it does not use a HD2500 but a HD4000 GPU. I wouldn't mind an even better GPU, new Brazos maybe, or even discrete, but... ok, ok... I'll be content with a HD4000 too in this form factor.
Some programmable buttons on the bezel and a mouse trackpad like what MSI had on its 110w would complete the picture quite nice... that's all I'm asking for in a similar device really, been waiting years for it. I hope they finally get it right...
Incompatible in what way? It's the same Atom core and supports the full x86 ISA. Any reason why you think it'll be difficult getting something like Ubuntu running on it? Besides I'm sure there'll be a netbook version.
Lacks a PCI bus for one, not that I completely understand the implications of that. Most probably it is only a show-stopper for Windows, DOS etc. Maybe for Linux distros meant for generic desktop use as well, but I am sure this will be overcome quickly by distros targeting this platform specifically.
The boot process itself is probably very different, I imagine it has no BIOS compatibility layer at all. So installing a new OS by plugging in a USB DVD drive and booting from it is out of the question.
It may have a way for "firmware flash" or something, so the OS can be updated/replaced officially, or we'll just need to take out the drive and plug it in another computer to write whatever we want to it. There may be a problem if Intel has some sort of signature checks in the boot process though, I've heard mention of something like it...
But personally, I want a x86 tablet to run normal windows apps, and specifically games, so this is not a device I will care for one bit.
It seems the first one with 18 hours battery life will have Medfield Atom, while the second one with 8 hours battery life will have a full fledged ultrabook chip (ULV Ivy Bridge).
Article got update, W510 with "Intel Clovertrail SoC". That makes sense. Now I just need to know what's the price and if the keyboard dock is included (Asus always showed of the Transformer with the dock but it was not included).
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BrazenRain - Sunday, June 3, 2012 - link
That's two of them. Coincidence? Will they follow up with the W510?aryonoco - Sunday, June 3, 2012 - link
I can't help but wonder, what does a Windows RT tablet provide that an Android one doesn't?On x86, Windows will have a significant application and backwards-compatibility advantage. But on ARM, it will be at least 2-3 years until there are as many Metro applications as there are Android ones.
Android, with its liberal lisensing terms is allowing price points to be pushed down all the time, to the point that a perfectly usable $200 is now completely viable. Windows RT tablets have to be priced higher, which will put them head to head against iPad.
What's the point of a Windows RT tablet? Does anyone have more infor or can someone can shed lights on this?
mavere - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Judging from the videos I've seen of demo WinRT tablets, saying that Android tablets can do everything WinRT ones can is missing the point because WinRT does things *differently*. The user experience is different enough that WinRT isn't simply a 'me-too' competitor to Android.In the short term at least, WinRT will directly take on the iPad in the high-end tablet market while Android finds its foothold in the sub-$300 spectrum.
Krinosy - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
OfficeOoklaTheMok - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
First off... compatibility. With Android, compatibility is a crapshoot. Some apps work on somde devices, and some don't... That problem doesn't exist on Windows.Usability... Android's usability is dreadful compared to Windows in general, including Windows 8.
All in all, Windows 8 is just a massively better product than Android ICS.
davepermen - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
having one (the samsung one they gave out at built, just not from built), i can say it with two simple words:user experience
i can not even touch an android tablet anymore, after having had first contact with win8. the user experience, the simplicity, the logic and the beautiful design makes you want to throw away anything android.
but yes, for some, 200$ is the way to go. i would not even pay that for android anymore.
wp7 + win8, and you feel like you're in a totally different league.
and, yes, it's an x86 tablet, and a core i5 with 4gb ram, so it replaced even my desktop (thanks, docking).
Visual - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Confused me for a bit there... you must mean the MS BUILD conference, and the model probably was the now old series 7 slate, XE700T1A. A nice model indeed, but launched so late that it missed its chance to shine.I would have bought one near the start of the Sandy Bridge era, but it got launched too close to the end instead.
It is pretty much what I was hoping the Asus EP121 would be, back when rumors suggested it could be using Sandy Bridge.
The new generation in this segment, i.e. the W700, seems to be a very good improvement. Finally a screen resolution that can fit something in portrait mode, yay! Let's hope it does not lose the active digitizer support though, and that it does not use a HD2500 but a HD4000 GPU. I wouldn't mind an even better GPU, new Brazos maybe, or even discrete, but... ok, ok... I'll be content with a HD4000 too in this form factor.
Some programmable buttons on the bezel and a mouse trackpad like what MSI had on its 110w would complete the picture quite nice... that's all I'm asking for in a similar device really, been waiting years for it. I hope they finally get it right...
IntelUser2000 - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
W700-Ivy Bridge based. ALL Core based mobile chips have HD 4000.W510-Clover Trail based.
Mike1111 - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
"Intel x86 SoC"? Atom?Visual - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Medfield or an update of it, not really Atom as we know it from past products.http://www.anandtech.com/show/5770/lava-xolo-x900-...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5554/intel-demonstra...
It will be too cut down and incompatible with most old x86 OS-es or apps, so I don't really care for it.
ssj4Gogeta - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Incompatible in what way? It's the same Atom core and supports the full x86 ISA. Any reason why you think it'll be difficult getting something like Ubuntu running on it?Besides I'm sure there'll be a netbook version.
Visual - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Lacks a PCI bus for one, not that I completely understand the implications of that. Most probably it is only a show-stopper for Windows, DOS etc. Maybe for Linux distros meant for generic desktop use as well, but I am sure this will be overcome quickly by distros targeting this platform specifically.The boot process itself is probably very different, I imagine it has no BIOS compatibility layer at all. So installing a new OS by plugging in a USB DVD drive and booting from it is out of the question.
It may have a way for "firmware flash" or something, so the OS can be updated/replaced officially, or we'll just need to take out the drive and plug it in another computer to write whatever we want to it.
There may be a problem if Intel has some sort of signature checks in the boot process though, I've heard mention of something like it...
But personally, I want a x86 tablet to run normal windows apps, and specifically games, so this is not a device I will care for one bit.
ssj4Gogeta - Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - link
The article now says it has Clovertrail, which is like the netbook version of Medfield, so it'll have PCI.ssj4Gogeta - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
It seems the first one with 18 hours battery life will have Medfield Atom, while the second one with 8 hours battery life will have a full fledged ultrabook chip (ULV Ivy Bridge).Mike1111 - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Article got update, W510 with "Intel Clovertrail SoC". That makes sense.Now I just need to know what's the price and if the keyboard dock is included (Asus always showed of the Transformer with the dock but it was not included).
toytanks - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Always fun when the marketing pics goof up. :-)bob661 - Monday, June 4, 2012 - link
Any word on if these will have Thunderbolt?