[Galaxy Note 10.1 General] TheWerewolf:
Ugh... it never ends, does it?

Ok, let me start by saying that I'm a retail app developer. I've been in the biz for 35+ years. I've worked on Mac and Windows apps. I've worked on major apps like Microsoft Office for MacOS and Crystal Reports for Windows. No - I don't mean 'i've used them'.. I wrote parts of them.

So, let me reply to both the quoted article and the attitude here.

First off - I don't really like Windows 8. There's a bunch of reasons why - two biggies being that it's so tablet centric that it's painful to use on a desktop system - which is unfortunate since there are over one billion desktop systems running some form of Windows. The other is the lack of Media Center which is a niche product, but one I happen to use a great deal.

I'll also be honest, Win 8 on a tablet is actually pretty nice. Kind of limiting but effective at what it does - as long as you never have to go into desktop mode.

Now, onto the quoted article.

"ARM-based devices will probably be better tablets than their x86/x64 counterparts" unless, of course, you have to run Windows Intel based software. Then it isn't.

"WOA tablets also come with significant handicaps that nullify most of what makes a Windows 8 tablet appealing. For example, WOA tablets can’t run traditional Windows software--they require apps written for the Metro UI" Yep - but guess what - iOS can't run traditional Mac software. Android can't run traditional Linux software. People buying into those product lines aren't looking for that functionality - so that's kind of a red herring. The REAL issue here isn't 'you can't run full Windows apps' its 'what apps will there be for WinRT when it ships?'

"“For enterprises who will have to rewrite their (non-Web) applications in Metro for WOA anyway, the question comes up, "why wouldn't I rewrite it for iOS instead?", since there is no way to run non-Microsoft Win32 apps on WOA.” This is a strange question. Did MacOS app developers throw their hands up when they discovered they had to rewrite their apps for iOS and switch to Windows? No. They stayed with iOS because most of their skills and market transferrred easily. Same is true for WinRT. It's not THAT wildly different from regular Windows API. If you're a .Net developer, it's actually EASY to write apps that work in all three worlds (Win8, WinRT and Win7).

If your app is absolutely hard core WinAPI based and can't be moved - this is why Microsoft has Win8 and WinRT. Not every app really translates well to a tablet at all. Again, there are lots of MacOS apps that can't be moved to iOS. Lots of Linux apps that can't run on Android.

“If they can't join domains--game over.” WinRT tablets may not be able to join domains (yet), but neither can iOS or Android - and they're leading a whole new BYOD movement. The notion that consumption devices must be able to be in the domain is actually becoming an outmoded way of doing IT. That argument is an IT person arguing - the consumers just don't care. And again, if IT wants people to have a Windows 8 tablet on the domain controller - they can provide Windows 8 tablets, not WinRT ones.

"An x86/x64 tablet is just squeezing a notebook or desktop into a touchscreen, flat-panel form factor." Yes and no. Intel is also improving their CPU's power use and Win8 has significant improvements in power saving. Several companies have prototype or even available tablets that can get 10 hours on charge. The biggest change to Win8 is the introduction of sleeping modes that act more like tablet OSes allowing faster in and out of deeper sleep modes.

The other point is that yes, it is taking a laptop and squeezing into a flat panel form factor. But for a lot of people, that's EXACTLY what they want. They want compact, portable - AND powerful. This is where ARM tablets tend to fall down.

Will Windows 8 be a flop? No. Microsoft will give it away if it has to.. because like Vista - most people don't really get what's happening. It's not about the OS.. it's about the NEXT one. Windows 8 is where they break everything that's held them back. Win9 is where they fix all the problems with Win8.

Will Windows 8 tablets be a flop? Yes and no. Yes compared to the iPad for example. Not because Win8 tablets are bad - but because Microsoft couldn't market their way out of a paper bag. And that's going to kneecap everyone else. Will WinRT tablets flop? Same problem really. and because they are the dark horse here. Apple has 60% of the tablet market. Android (by which I mean, Samsung) has most of the remaining 40%.Unless Micrsoft can get their heads out of their butts and learn that this is all about marketing - it'll flop too.