Scratching The Surface

· ·

David Pogue:

On the other hand, the opening scenes of this movie sure look familiar. Apple comes up with a hit product (iPod, iPhone). Microsoft comes up with a rival that’s nicely designed (Zune, Windows Phone). Unfortunately, it doesn’t add anything attractive enough to lure people away from the safe choice, and nobody buys it.

This again seems like Windows phone - Microsoft getting in the way of their own innovation. The difference between Apple’s tablet and Microsoft’s tablet (besides two years, three models, and actually existing) is that Apple wasn’t afraid to commit to the future and divorce the iPad from Mac OS X.

It really sounds like Windows RT will use an interesting and fluid user interface. Unfortunately, it is forced to live in the shadow of legacy Windows and must bear an awful name. In the end, as Pogue notes, Microsoft hasn’t really given a strong reason for consumers to choose its tablet over the incumbants.