Windows 8, iOS, and the Future

On Tuesday, Microsoft offered many more details about its next-generation operating system, Windows 8, to an audience of developers and invited media at its Build conference in Anaheim, California. I was present at the initial Windows 8 unveiling a few months ago, and came away impressed but disappointed.

The root of my disappointment is this: I think Microsoft has, for the first time in a long time, created a product that is truly innovative. It’s Windows Phone 7, which does not feel like an iOS photocopy (as opposed to Android and WebOS, which are very clearly inspired by the iPhone's interface). Windows Phone 7's interface design, “Metro,” offers a fundamentally different approach to a touch interface. Microsoft went its own way with Windows Phone 7 (although sadly not with its name) and it made me enthusiastic about the possible innovations that interface could offer on tablet devices.

But with Windows 8, Microsoft has embraced Metro while rejecting the concept that touch devices and PCs are different classes of products. There will be no “tablet edition” of Windows Phone 7, there will just be Windows 8—whether you run it on a tablet or a desktop PC or something in between.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that this means Apple and Microsoft are apparently taking entirely opposite approaches to the future of personal technology.

Views of the future

There are a couple factors at play in Microsoft’s decisions to create a single operating system for tablets and PCs. First and foremost, this is Microsoft. The company does not believe in a post-PC world, which you might expect from the folks whose software runs on most PCs. Microsoft has a real, business reason to try and keep everyone in the Windows ecosystem, where it dominates, rather than a mobile ecosystem where it’s way behind.

As someone who covers Apple and is used to that company killing its hit products in order to transition to something even better—and as someone who works in an industry with its own challenges—I am predisposed to appreciate businesses that embrace the new rather than opting to squeeze as much money out of the old thing as possible before turning off the lights forever. So yes, my instinct is to dislike Microsoft’s PC-centric approach. I understand it, but it feels like denial.

But what if it’s not denial? Let’s give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt here, because the company may also be betting on the fact that new technologies will make the distinction between PCs and phones and tablets completely irrelevant. Maybe Microsoft did miss the smartphone and tablet waves, but there’s a third wave coming and they’re going to try to surf that one. The company is protecting the past while making a bet on the future.

In this future world, you can use your device in many different ways. If you want to travel with a tablet but also need to run a Windows app, Microsoft will oblige: plug in a keyboard and mouse and your touchscreen tablet interface vanishes, replaced by old-school Windows. Carry a tablet with you for reading a book on the bus in the morning, then plug it in to a stand at the office and it becomes your PC. Maybe even something as small as your smartphone is actually your entire computer, docking to a tablet screen, TV set, or traditional desktop setup as needed. Microsoft is also counting on millions of PC users running Windows 8 on their desktop PCs and then demanding that same familiar interface on a tablet device.

I think I understand Microsoft’s vision here, but I’m not sure I can believe it’ll work. What made the iPad successful when a decade of Windows tablets has failed was that it was a focused product that omitted features in order to keep that focus. It was absolutely not a Mac or PC, but something new that was built from start to finish as a touch-based device. Not only did that make it a consistent, easy-to-use device, but it also made it relatively cheap and energy efficient.

The Metro interface on Windows 8 looks really good. What I can’t get over is that Microsoft wants a regular PC underneath. I suppose it offends me because I am trying to see the product through an Apple lens: If Microsoft had announced that Windows 8 Tablet would not support old Windows software and would run on dedicated tablet hardware only, I would have cheered, because I think that could be a really cool product. But I can see why Microsoft won’t do that: If it does, it risks just being an also-ran. PCs are its lot, for better or worse.

What if Microsoft is right?

Apple’s product philosophy up to this point has been that touch interfaces and traditional PC interfaces do not intermingle—that nobody wants to spend time with their arms out, touching their PC screen, nor do they want to plug in a mouse to an iPad.

But at the same time, Apple has released Lion, an operating system that brings numerous features of iOS “back to the Mac.” Apple is, at the very least, trying to create as much alignment between its two operating systems (which are related, remember) as possible.

Would Apple consider truly merging OS X and iOS into a single operating system, like Windows 8? Right now, I can’t see it. Though OS X and iOS have a lot in common—and more all the time—they run on hardware that’s built for different purposes. Software can adapt, but hardware really can’t. A tablet is not a laptop, and Apple’s not the kind of company to design a tablet with an optional snap-in accessory that sort of turns it into a laptop with a keyboard and a mouse.

As I see it, ultimately how we use these computing devices of ours will depend entirely on context. A tiny device in your pocket needs to behave differently than a 10-inch tablet in your hands or a 20-inch display with a keyboard and mouse at a workstation.

Apple’s philosophy is to create hardware that’s appropriate for a particular use, run appropriate software on that hardware, and (with the advent of iCloud) sync all your documents and data to whatever device you’re using at the time. All of Apple’s stuff is clearly part of the same family, and follows many of the same conventions, but a MacBook Air just isn’t an iPad. Even if it ran iOS on top of OS X, it still wouldn’t be an iPad. iPads run apps meant to be used on tablets. iPhones run apps meant to be run on phones. Macs run apps meant to be run on laptops (and sometimes desktops).

Microsoft's choice

Microsoft is doing this its way. The entire approach here is uniquely Microsoftian, at a time when almost everyone else in the tech industry is trying to take a page from Apple’s book. Perhaps it’ll even work this time. But as someone who was excited to see Windows Phone 7’s Metro interface come to a tablet device, I’m disappointed, because it seems what we’re getting is a small Windows PC with a tablet-interface shell floating on top. It just feels like the wrong approach to me, but I’ll say this for Microsoft—it’s consistent.

[Update: John Gruber chimes in, and as I noted back in June, there is a scenario where there are some tablets that run Metro and kick old Windows apps to the curb. Could be really interesting.]

For more Macintosh computing news, visit Macworld. Story copyright © 2011 Mac Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.

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Windows Phone 7, Day 15: Xbox Live Gaming on WP7

All of the smartphone platforms have games of some sort, but only Windows Phone has Xbox Live. For today's 30 Days With Windows Phone 7, I'm going to play around--literally--with the games hub and Xbox Live capabilities.

I have a number of games on my iPhone--two whole folders. I have Tetris, three different flavors of Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, the Atari Greatest Hits collection, Madden NFL, Tiger Woods Golf, Need for Speed: Shift, and more. I also have more traditional, or cerebral, games like chess and Sudoku.

Windows Phone 7 "Mango" integrates the complete Xbox Live experience into the mobile phone.Xbox Live

Windows Phone 7 takes gaming to a different level, though, by integrating Xbox Live. Once I associated my Windows Live ID--the same Windows Live ID associated with my Xbox Live account--with my Windows Phone 7 device, my Xbox Live profile became a part of my smartphone gaming experience.

The Games hub live tile is labeled Xbox Live, and my avatar comes popping up every few seconds just to remind me he's there. When I tap on the tile, it opens the Games hub. The default display is the collection of games I have available on the phone. At the bottom there is a link to tap to go to the games marketplace to find more.

When I to the left to switch tabs, it switches to Xbox Live, and there's my avatar again--just hanging out. I can view and edit my Xbox Live profile--change my motto, location, or bio information. I can review my list of achievements, and--with a free app called Xbox Live Extras installed--I can even alter my avatar.

A little further on the other side of my avatar are tiles to see which of my Xbox Live friends are currently available online, as well as what game each of my friends last played, and for Xbox Live messages. I can send or receive Xbox Live messages to other Windows Phones, Xbox Live consoles, or even PCs with Xbox Live.

Multiplayer Platform

There is also a tab for Requests that displays any outstanding turn or game requests I might have. I am not currently engages in any multiplayer games, so I just see a message letting me know there are no game or turn requests, directing me to choose a multiplayer game and invite someone to play.

To be fair, other platforms incorporate social aspects into gaming as well. I have games on my iPhone like Zynga's Hanging with Friends that lets me play against other people, and ties in with Facebook and Twitter to let me know who else from my social network is available to play. The combined audience of Facebook and Twitter is near one billion, so it shouldn't be hard to find others to play against.

It is also worth noting that app development tends to be a catch 22. Developers want to develop for the platform that has the most users, and users tend to go with the platform that has more apps, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Windows Phone 7 has significantly less market share than iOS or Android, so developers are less likely to create apps for the platform.

But, Xbox Live is a different story. Xbox Live has about 35 million subscribers now, and Microsoft has revealed that Xbox Live will also be incorporated into Windows 8. Within a year or two, the Xbox Live audience could increase exponentially to hundreds of millions of systems--actual Xbox consoles, Windows Phone 7 smartphones, and Windows 8 systems.

The Games

Windows Phone has XNA. XNA is Microsoft's game development system which spans the various platforms Microsoft games can run on. It gives developers a common and familiar set of tools to develop with. With "Mango" developers can now incorporate Silverlight and XNA together in the same app for an even richer experience.

Angry Birds is still Angry Birds. I don't really see any difference between launching birds at pigs hiding in structures regardless of platform. But, I played Need for Speed on both phones (Need for Speed: Shift on the iPhone 4, and Need for Speed: Undercover on Windows Phone 7), and the animation seemed smoother on Windows Phone 7 with more vibrant detail.

I wouldn't say that I am an avid gamer by any means, and I don't consider the smartphone to be the greatest gaming platform. But, my smartphone is always on me--which makes it the ideal platform for anything entertaining to pass the time when the need arises.

Most smartphone buyers are not making decisions based on gaming. But--all else being equal--a person who already has an Xbox console or Xbox Live account may be more likely to choose Windows Phone 7 because of the integration and the potential to play real-time multiplayer games with friends from virtually anywhere on the smartphone.

Read the last "30 Days" series: 30 Days With Google+

Day 14: Mapping With Mango

Day 16: The "Full" IE9 Experience

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Why Windows 8 on ARM Matters

If Windows 8 works successfully on ARM-processor-equipped systems, expect to see thin, light, and innovative devices coming our way. Such devices would include ultrathin laptops with impressive battery life, and superlight, large-screen tablets.

ARM-based 32-bit processors are relatively simple in design compared with Intel's chips. This simplicity means that they consume less power, which makes them perfect for use in devices designed to maximize battery life--such as phones, tablets, and, soon, laptops. The core of the processor can be licensed by chipmakers, who, in turn, can package it into a system-on-chip processor that puts all of the components into a single, integrated-circuit chip. The ARM core isn't new, but it has traditionally been used with embedded systems or with portable devices that don't run Microsoft Windows.

That's about to change--and when it does, it could change the face of computing, as evidenced by the ARM prototypes demonstrated at BUILD.

The beauty of these system-on-chip architectures is that they can be placed in very tight spaces. This obviously impacts case designs--I saw one impressive, not-publicly-shown tablet prototype at this week's BUILD conference that was superthin and supersturdy and that weighed less than a pound and had a 9-inch screen.

Saving space is just one of the benefits of ARM. Another benefit is low power consumption.

"We're seeing no restriction on form factor for the ARM devices," says Steve Horton, director of software and product management for Qualcomm. "Power is going to give you multiple differentiators--multiple days of use, or the ability to do a device that's superthin, or superlight."

The potential power savings of ARM is why chip makers say there is even talk of putting ARM chips into clamshell designs that mimic laptops. ARM is clearly destined for more than just phones and tablets, areas in which ARM already dominates in the form of Qualcomm and Nvidia chips.

But if Windows 8 works on ARM-processor-equipped systems, consumers could see clamshell-style "laptops" with up to 15 hours of battery life.

Of course, once clamshell tablets come out, their keyboards will make them harder to distinguish from ultraportable laptops. Some will run on x86 chips, like those from Intel and AMD, and some ARM-based systems will run Windows 8--but those may not handle your existing software. We're not sure yet how that will be handled, as Microsoft didn't offer much information at this week's event.

If you're wondering whether you'll be able to use existing Windows apps on ARM systems, I did ask--but all of the manufacturers I spoke with glossed over the issue.

"We have thought about it. We're not super concerned," says Qualcomm's Horton. "We think there's a lot of good things coming. The end goal is for the experience to be the same, fundamentally, from a Windows OS standpoint--and it should be the same thing."

Microsoft was also vague about support for legacy apps on ARM, but the company has already demonstrated a version of Office that runs in the new Metro-style Windows interface, as opposed to the traditional desktop.

I asked about how the process of adapting ARM for Windows is going, and the Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments execs I spoke with indicated that things are going smoothly. All noted that they needed to add support for DirectX graphics (if they didn't already support it), but beyond that, the process of preparing ARM for Windows is largely about optimizing code for working with the system-on-chip architecture.

"The work has been going on for more than a year now," says Deepu Talla, general manager of mobile computing and wireless at Texas Instruments. "The only thing I would say we needed to work on was our graphics speeds. We've needed to make changes to our graphics engine to support DirectX. Silicon-wise that's the only difference. And we've made other optimizations in software."

Many of the capabilities of ARM, a chip that dominates smartphones and tablets today, will allow Windows 8 to gain smartphone-like functionality.

For example, Horton points to the "Connected On" demo at BUILD this week. Connected On is a new power state that sends a system into a powered-down state without hibernating, so you can come out of it immediately. In this state, apps are suspended, but can still refresh content in the background without requiring much power. This state of suspension will even work with Qualcomm's 4G technology, a boon considering how 4G can guzzle battery life.

There is one design catch that will have a clear impact on the shape of the devices we see: Microsoft is asking hardware manufacturers to stick with a 16:9 aspect ratio, because that's what the Metro interface (two-apps-on-screen) is optimized for.

In the end, TI's Talla notes that the company's focus is mobile computing.

"It's about developing this all-day computing experience," he says. The other ARM chipmakers agree with Talla--all have a goal of 12- to 15-hour battery life on a system, whether it's a clamshell or a tablet design.

If they manage this, we'll all be able to while away our days at the local cafe, nursing a latte from sunup to sundown--and maybe even beyond. Not bad.

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Microsoft Throws Support Behind USB 3.0 With Windows 8

Microsoft is incorporating a software stack in its upcoming Windows 8 OS to natively support devices based on the USB 3.0 interconnect, which is in a battle for adoption with Intel's Thunderbolt.

USB 3.0 is the successor to USB 2.0 standard and can transfer data 10 times faster between computers and external peripherals such as cameras and storage devices. Most laptops and desktops today come with USB 2.0 ports and many PC makers are offering USB 3.0 ports as an option. The current Windows 7 OS does not include native support for USB 3.0, but device makers offer drivers to ensure products are compatible with the OS.

The growing support for USB 3.0 and wide usage of USB 2.0 was a compelling reason to improve the USB software stack, said Dennis Flanagan, Microsoft's director of program management for the devices and networking group, in an entry on the company's Building Windows 8 blog.

"By 2015, all new PCs are expected to offer USB 3.0 ports, and over 2 billion new 'SuperSpeed' USB devices will be sold in that year alone," Flanagan wrote.

Microsoft is writing a new software stack and controller for Windows 8 based on the "design principles" of USB 3.0, which will bring plug-and-play support for new devices such as external storage, webcams and keyboards, Flanagan wrote. The company is retaining the existing software stack to support older USB devices.

But there are few USB 3.0 devices available today, so to create the new software stack the company had to simulate and build virtual USB 3.0 hardware, including ports, hubs and devices.

The hardware support for USB 3.0 is also growing. Intel has already said it will integrate USB 3.0 support in chipsets for processors code-named Ivy Bridge, which will reach PCs early next year. AMD has already integrated support for USB 3.0 in its Fusion chipsets, which are already shipping for PCs.

USB 3.0 transfers data at speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second, which is slower than the transfer speed of rival interconnect technology Thunderbolt. Developed by Intel, Thunderbolt can transfer data between host computers and external devices such as displays and storage at up to 10 gigabits per second. Thunderbolt has been viewed as an alternative to USB 3.0, but Intel has the said the technologies are complementary. Apple uses Thunderbolt in its products.

Thunderbolt currently supports the PCI Express and DisplayPort protocols, and the interconnect does not require any OS support beyond existing software stacks for those protocols, an Intel spokesman said in an e-mail.

But Microsoft's backing will aid the fast growth of USB 3.0 and provide higher transfer speeds for consumer devices, said Jim McGregor, research director at In-Stat.

"Thunderbolt will be one of many peripheral options available, just like IEEE1394 and Firewire, but I think USB will be the predominant interface because it is so heavily tied to the largest growth segment of the market, mobile devices, for both interconnectivity and power," McGregor said.

Thunderbolt is based on copper wires, but ultimately will be based on optical technology. That will boost the interconnect's transfer speed and distance, Intel has said.

"[USB 3.0] will still not be as fast as the Thunderbolt optic link, but copper never will be as fast as optics," McGregor said.

Wireless charging could trump both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, provided it takes off, McGregor said. The transfer speeds may not be as fast, but device makers are showing interest in the technology, he said.

"It may eventually eliminate the need for peripheral connectors on mobile devices and then everyone will look to wireless interfaces," McGregor said.

Other than enthusiast users, drivers aren't something average PC users need to worry about, but native support for USB 3.0 in Windows 8 can't hurt, said Nathan Brookwood [CQ], principal analyst at Insight 64.

"When they are talking about the history of Windows 8, they are going to be talking about the user interface and ... touch," Brookwood said.

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Windows 7 Codecs 3.0.2

All the codecs you need for Windows 7 to play AVIs, DVDs and more!

It does not contain a media player and it does not associate file-types. With the Windows 7 codec package installed you will be able to use any media player, limited only by the players' capabilities, to play all movies and video clips. Streaming video is supported in several formats in all popular web browsers. Users of the Windows 7 media center codecs have the ability to choose what is installed and where to install it using the public redistributable. After installation you can select to remove specific portions without removing the entire package. You can also re-add the removed items at any time.

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HP's PC Spinoff Puts Heat on Microsoft with Windows 8

Hewlett-Packard's spin-off of its PC business will put pressure on Microsoft to "hit the ball out of the park" with Windows 8, an analyst said today.

"This is concerning no matter how you look at it," said Wes Miller, an analyst with Kirkland, Washington-based Directions on Microsoft, a research firm that specializes in following Microsoft. "HP has been a very strong partner of Microsoft for a very long time, so you have to ponder the change in its strategy."

A sale of HP's Personal Systems Group (PSG) is an indication of the decline in the importance of the PC -- and thus Windows, which powers the vast majority of personal computers -- in favor of other devices, including smartphones or tablets that run other operating systems, said Miller.

And that puts the heat on Microsoft to crank out another OS winner.

"This re-emphasizes the need for Microsoft to hit the ball out of the pack with Windows 8," Miller said.

Windows 8, which doesn't yet have an official release timetable, will radically revamp the 21-year-old operating system's look and feel and will run on tablets, Microsoft has said.

Joining the Spin-offs

HP has confirmed that it is shuttering its webOS-based device business -- including the just-launched TouchPad tablet -- and looking at "strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group" that may include "a full or partial separation of PSG from HP through a spin-off or other transaction."

"HP sees the future where the PC is not the focus," said Miller, "just like IBM did in 2005."

Six years ago, IBM sold its PC Company Division to China's Lenovo.

But a sale or spin-off of HP's PSG -- the world's largest seller of PCs last quarter, according to Gartner -- doesn't mean the death of the personal computer.

"PCs will remain highly strategic because they run the apps that run businesses," said Mark Margevicius, a research director at Gartner. "The fact that everyone is struggling [selling PCs] does not makes the platform any less strategic to business. PCs are a worldwide, 100-million-unit business. It's not dying in any way."

The PC sales attributed to HP won't suddenly evaporate because the division is run as a separate entity, or sold to a rival, said Margevicius. "Ultimately, someone will own the business."

For the short term, then, Microsoft is unlikely to notice any difference in Windows sales.

However, like Miller, Margevicius saw the move as a signal of a troubling trend.

Tablet Troubles?

HP will retain the webOS operating system it acquired last year from Palm, but it will halt development and production of any tablets based on webOS.

HP's webOS-based TouchPad went on sale only a month ago, and several former Palm executives, including former Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein, currently have high positions in HP's Personal Systems Group.

"HP tried to put the defibulator on its PC business with the TouchPad, but it's not yielding the kind of results it wanted," said Margevicius. "The patient isn't dead, but it's moved into assisted living."

Ironically, Miller saw the withdrawal of HP from the tablet hardware business as a win for Microsoft.

HP made it clear that it was betting on its own webOS, rather than Windows 8, for its tablets. By exiting the market, it means that there's "one less partner" to convince that Windows 8 is the right OS for tablets.

"For Windows 8 to succeed [on tablets] Microsoft needs a partner that's passionate, and one that will work with Microsoft to make a great tablet," said Miller.

Both Miller and Margevicius attributed the decision by HP to dump the PC side of its business to the small, fragile margins on Windows-based personal computers.

"This is MBA 101," said Margevicius. "This part of their business may be attractive from a legacy perspective, but it's the part of [HP's] business that generates the least amount of revenue. And HP is run by someone with no strong ties to hardware. [Leo] Apotheker has three things in mind: software, services and support, and not particularly in that order. All those businesses are far more profitable than PCs."

HP hired Apotheker, a former CEO of German software and support giant SAP, as its president and chief executive in September 2010.

Margevicius said that Dell, the world's No. 2 PC seller, will likely reap the most benefit from HP's ridding itself of its PC group. "Dell will be viewed as the vendor that is safe and solid," he said.

For more enterprise computing news, visit Computerworld. Story copyright © 2011 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved.

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