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View Full Version : The sky is falling, the sky is falling...


Monty Gibson
06-30-2010, 06:35 PM
I don't want to sound like Chicken Little, but I just HAVE to address some concerns that I'm having not only with Windows 7 Mobile but Microsoft all together.

I'm not a fanboy of any camp: Android, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Linux, Chrome... et. al. I PREFER Windows since that's all I've known and like most of us, use it on a daily basis in some fashion or another. I build high end PC's that are either water cooled or mineral oil submerged so it's a hobby and a passion and I blame my OCD on it.

Times are a changin' brother. The Android 2.2 OS is very fast, nimble, free and wide open. iOS4 is well polished, trendy, but tethered and locked. Windows 7 Mobile is ... yet to be seen, although it's already received a nod for "most influential product of the year." WebOS I honestly do not see as a threat... "yet."

So, the past few weeks I've been perusing my local book store, Apple store, electronic retail dealers and gaming outlet stores. I've purchased magazines, books, and spoke with several different people in every camp about their product line. Of course they will tell you that their product line is the best and what and why for..

My conclusion is this:

Microsoft seems like a disorganized gigantic mess that has hundreds and hundreds of projects on the table, but can't seem to get any of them in one particular place at the right time to be competitive. Silverlight was supposed to go up against Adobe Flash but HTML5 will render these useless. That's just one example.

Windows 7 Mobile is behind the gate already and most people think that they are only playing catch up.


Android is the new kid on the block and has punched Microsoft and Apple squarely in the face. But that's all Android is; at the moment, is a mobile OS. Who knows what Chrome will bring in the future? Google is THEE powerhouse search engine, you can Bing all day long and still may not get the job done as fast as Google.

Finally, Apple seems to have everything together. But that itself is a problem. I can build a PC, I can't build a MAC, sure I can get close with a Hackintosh but it won't be the same. You can run Windows off of a Mac but not the other way around. Bootcamp I heard is not as good as the Mac alternatives. You cannot play native Windows games, applications, etc. unless it's ported to a Mac, and that can take f-o-r-e-v-e-r. The answer, install a program on a Mac that lets you run Windows and now you can natively run your Windows Programs. I can't upgrade hardware on a Mac because Steve Jobs says so. The latest video card, nope. The latest Intel chip, nada. The latest sound card, nein.

So, what's a geek to do? Which "camp," do you hop into?

Personally, with my OCD I like everything the same if I'm going all Microsoft it's going to be my OS, my phone and my programs. If I like Apple, the same thing, phone, OS, etc. Android has some growing to do with an OS from Google like Chrome... I can't see having a Windows 7 PC, an iPad and then an Android phone. 4 different operating systems that will more than likely have difficulty "talking" to each other.

I came out of the Apple store today enlightened. I walked into a local phone carrier and played with the new Android and felt excited and then I went into a local CompUSA store and felt comfortable knowing that all the parts I may need, are right there. So, I'm beginning to wonder which way I should go and in that path, is it the right decision?

doogald
06-30-2010, 07:15 PM
I can't upgrade hardware on a Mac because Steve Jobs says so. The latest video card, nope. The latest Intel chip, nada. The latest sound card, nein.

There are some limited upgrades available - new graphics cards, for example; along with several vailable PCI slots - in a Mac Pro. Just sayin'.

I can't see having a Windows 7 PC, an iPad and then an Android phone. 4 different operating systems that will more than likely have difficulty "talking" to each other.

Well, I'm counting three there, but I have Macs and an Android phone. I really don't need an iPad, but I know that they will all integrate perfectly, using gmail, google calendar, gmail contacts, etc., using Google Exchange sync for the iPad. They all also support cloud sync services like Dropbox, Sugarsync, etc. Personally, if you really love Windows, and really love Android, you can make them work together, if you really want to.

Macguy59
07-01-2010, 01:54 AM
Bootcamp I heard is not as good as the Mac alternatives. You cannot play native Windows games, applications, etc. unless it's ported to a Mac, and that can take f-o-r-e-v-e-r.

Bootcamp is the best option IMO if you are spending a significant amount of time in Windows and it's THE way to go for playing PC games. Like you, I don't like running a mixed computing environment. My preference is OS X running on Mac hardware so getting an iPad and the iPhone (now iPhone 4) is the extension of that. As I've gotten older "it just works" has become more important to me. I have lost the desire to tinker and the Apple ecosystem provides the best end to end experience you can get right now. That said, I would be fine with a PC running Win 7 and an Android 2.x based smartphone. Win 7 is solid and Android is maturing at a rapid pace.