Android competing with Windows and OSX

[Lefaid]

Looking at all the Microsoft news and toying with my Asus Transformer Pad, I have been wondering, do you think that there will come a point when Android will/have to be able to start replacing desktop OS's. It almost seems necessary if Windows 8 tablets find success. How do Android tablets compete with a Surface Pro when the Surface Pro seems to be capable or truly replacing your laptop, over say a Transformer that can barely replace your netbook? Do any of you think that one day, the wars are going to change from Windows vs. OSX into Windows 8 vs. iOS/OSX hybrid vs. Android?

 

[Stuntman]

I think that on the physical side, the Transformer family of tablets with keyboard dock is superior to what I saw from MS Surface. The Surface tablet seems a bit too flimsy to use without a solid surface to rest upon. I can use my Eee Pad Transformer on my lap very easily. I can also tilt the screen at any angle where as the Surface tablet seems to have a fixed angle.

On the OS side of things, the only thing that I still need my laptop for is for the physical storage (500GB), PC games, music (converting my LP's, tapes and CD's to MP3) and spreadsheets. For everything else, my Transformer can handle quite well. For most every day things like web surfing, social networking and communications, my tablet works as well if not better in some cases. I would say I only use my PC about 25% of the time while I use my tabelt 75% of the time.

 

[Cyph3rStorm]

Well Android does have a netbook now, and with the evolution of tablets, transformers, and everything else; there is going to be huge competition between the three. Windows just has a great business team to push there product and years to prove it, OSX is normally the higher priced product but with there changes to incorporate Windows into there systems there product is well pretty much windows so the physical points most people will already have that comfort feeling with MS and iOSX; but a lot of people are use to the quick to learn android OS.
I personally don't use a tablet as much as others might; I find a keyboard, large screen, and mouse comfortable plus I play a lot of high end games and do a lot of work in networking and databases.

 

[chanchan05]

Agreed with the above post. What MS' problem in the cellphone world is Android's problem in the desktop/laptop world. A Windows netbook is still more powerful than an Android netbook in a lot of ways. I got a tablet free from my carrier and honestly, I find myself using it less than I expected. I still get more productivity from my laptop. Its easier to be productive on a larger screen and proper keyboard where you can churn out 70words a minute or more easily. My tablet ended up being a "consuming" device. Everything I type out on my laptop (notes, data), I ended up reading and reviewing on the tablet. I play games on the tablet, but PC games IMO are still better than iPad or Android games. Which is why I am attracted to what MS is releasing. But my upgrades aren't due yet anyway, so I'm still waiting to see. If the MS tablets can run full Photoshop CSX on it, (full MS Office including OneNote seems a given) I'm all for leaving Android, really. As long as it has a few apps for services I use too (official Dropbox and Sugarsync clients, etc).

 

[Covart]

One word: vaporware

Besides that, what M$ previews is usually not the final product. Add to that, Microsoft's knack for pissing off its partners and customers, by making their new products obsolete. Overnight. Think wp7, kin, zune, etc...

I will never buy a mobile device with a Microsoft logo, especially with that idiot Ballmer running the show. He was an idiot in college with Gates, rode those coattails as the assclown of the group and is a complete moron now. Should be fun watching frustrated first buyers of the Surface though.

By the way, the Samsung Galaxy S3 can function like a laptop. Monitor, keyboard and mouse all functional and acts like a laptop when set up like this.

 

[jefboyardee]

Googlesoft, eta 2013