Tag Archives: Computex 2010
Asus Dropping Windows CE from Their Tablet Just Smart Business
Posted on 21. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
1 Comments
One of the most popular products at Computex 2010 was the Asus tablet. It was a beautiful device; if anything were to compete with the iPad’s form factor it would be this device. One troubling element, however, was the fact that attendees at the show were kept at arm’s length to actually use the device. A product representative closely guarded the tablet that people could hold on to, while another was enclosed in a glass case.
This bit of posturing by Asus led me to believe that although the company wanted to use Windows CE – or at least try to convince Microsoft of the fact to stay on good terms – it was not going to be a finished product anytime soon. Was I surprised to hear that instead of Windows CE Asus’s tablet will now come with Android? Not really. I didn’t even know that Microsoft was still updating their Windows CE product until I was at Computex.
And I’m not even sure that Android is the solution to battling the iPad. I just know that Asus wants to get their product into people’s hands ASAFP. That means using Android, since the OS is ready to go right now. I don’t blame them for trying to get something on the market right now because it really is an impressive product on the outside. Let’s just hope that they can come up with an interface that is as well.
Who’s Going to Compete With Apple’s Tablet?
Posted on 22. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
The current state of the tablet market is pretty stale. And let’s not even go into the JooJoo.
I say this because when I was at Taiwan’s Computex 2010 conference less than a month ago there were some formidable competitors in terms of hardware, but the leading manufactures for these devices didn’t really offer a whole lot in terms of software.
Sure, the Acer tablet that allows one to flip the netbook-style form factor over to a table was impressive, but the touch functionality of Windows 7 for it was quite lackluster: I asked a product rep to reboot the device because there seemed to be a problem with the touch software, only to have the same problems crop up again once it started up.
Asus offered up a beautiful tablet design that had potential to compete with Apple, but they kept a product manager closely hovering over the device running a new version of Windows CE that looked surprisingly Android-like, but because of the people and Asus employees holding a close grip on the tablet, no one was really able to test the paces of Microsoft’s UI.
MSI had a winged version of a tablet running Android that seemed surprisingly comfortable in my hands, but we all know that Google’s smartphone operating system isn’t really meant for tablets – it just seemed like a supersized stock version of the OS. An MSI product manager also told me that the MSI Wind tablet was just a concept for now.
This is problematic. The reason why I say this is because since Apple has taken the world by storm plugging an already existing operating system with the iOS to a tablet form factor, that have essentially beaten the entire computer manufacturing market with the iPad. There is no one else that has an operating system that is fully compatible with touch on a tablet.
That’s not to say Android is far behind Apple’s touch-based operating system, but it is clear that unlike the iOS, there was no plan for tablets in its future. We’ve seen early on Google’s Chrome OS tablet concept, and we can only hope that Chrome OS will offer a stylishly-designed slate from the likes of HP, Dell or Acer in the coming months, hopefully something that is just as functional, open source for app developers and creatively designed mobile gadget that can compete with the iPad.
I hold out hope on this, because only one successful tablet in the market does not bode well for innovation. What do you think? Which one of these PC manufacturers has the best chance of offering a tablet running Chrome OS that can compete with Apple?
Video: Google Executive Talks Chrome, Chrome OS
Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 3 Comments
Google VP of product management Sundar Pichai was featured at a Google press conference held at Computex today. I got a chance to film many of the questions that were asked, as well as ask some of my own regarding Chrome OS.
More Chromium and Chrome OS information to come. Follow us on Twitter and/or via our RSS feed for the latest updates from Computex.
Microsoft Dominates at Computex
Posted on 01. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
So the first day of the Computex computer trade show has come and gone, and I’ve been confronted with a startling revelation: Microsoft really has command of this conference.
I spent a good amount of time today going from manufacturer to manufacturer asking about Chrome OS. While most of them are open to using it, there really seems to be an “in the future” mentality to using any operating system from Google. That also includes Android as well, with the sheer majority of tablets that I saw sporting a touch-enabled Windows 7.
Here is some of the reasons that Microsoft is such a force at Computex.
The Show is for Procurement
People come to Computex to make purchasing decisions for their companies on products that mostly come from Taiwanese manufacturers. As such, they want to see what they are going to be buying over the balance of 2010 and into 2011. Because of this, purchasers are looking at getting devices that run Windows 7 since it is here and now, ready for deployment and/or selling.
Windows 7
Windows 7 was launched not too long ago, and as such Microsoft is making a big push to sell its new operating system. Despite the software climate these days, Redmond still makes a ton of money on selling operating systems that are shipped on new computers. That would partially explain the reasoning behind so many tablets having a Microsoft OS instead of Android. With that being said, there was an open source booth that had some different commercial versions of Linux. I also got a chance to try MeeGo, and I have to say I was impressed with it.
The Microsoft-Manufacturer Connection
One product manager I talked to for a leading manufacturer told me that there are some financial incentives to help them put a display on at Computex if they follow certain standards for showing off Microsoft products. I was a bit surprised by this fact initially, but it makes sense. The relationship between Microsoft and Taiwan manufacturers is very tight-knit whereby Microsoft offers a platform that works with an array of hardware that the manufacturers design and produce for a good price.
Bottom Line
The most intriguing dynamic to all of this is the fact that it was reported by CNET today that new Google employees can no longer choose a Windows solution for their workstations. Future Microsoft implementations at Google will only be for testing purposes, or specially approved. This report, which was rumored but not confirmed until now, comes at the same time we are seeing a boatload of Microsoft-loaded products at Computex.
It will be interesting to see how this may change over the course of the next year, with Google exerting more dominance in the market. This is a telling sign that IT purchasers do not have Google platforms in their sights as of yet.
