Why Windows 8 Is A Better Tablet Platform For Content Creators
Tech.pinions contributor Nathan Brookwood says that when he’s not using his PC tablet computer to take notes, he’s using it to get his mail via Outlook, or to work on documents and spreadsheets with Word and Excel, and its usually the only mobile system, other than his phone, that accompanies him when he travel.
He notes that some suggest the structure of the tablet market has already been settled, and that Apple rules, Android-based suppliers challenge; and no other platforms need apply, and that the failures of HP’s Touchpad and RIM’s Playbook prove there’s no room for another tablet software platform, but he begs to differ, noting that neither iOS nor Android tablets support the software tools and hardware features needed to create content, while Windows-based tablets, which have been around since 2002, have always included the features needed for content creation, albeit lacking the easy to use interfaces needed for content consumption. However, Windows 8’s forthcoming Metro tablet user Interface will add the missing user interface elements, thus positioning Win 8-based tablets as the only ones suitable for those of us who want to both create and consume content on a single device.
Brookwood defines Content Creation in this context as referencing a broad range of activities that contemporary PCs and Macs handle effortlessly, but that the process of execution on an iPad or Android tablet is at best arcane and often impossible.
Windows 8, on the other hand, provides a more complete environment, supporting all the touchscreen features that wow consumption-oriented users, but also able to support more serious computing endeavors, allowing power-users to tap on the Desktop tile and be instantly transported to the Windows 7 desktop, with full-fledged desktop applications supported – not just stripped down versions some guy in marketing figured were good enough for tablet users. And while the touchscreen interface will still work, you’ll also be able to connect a real keyboard and pointing device, which are vastly superior for content creation input.
In summary, Windows 8 melds a modern multi-touch user interface thats great for consuming content with a Windows 7 environment that’s far superior creating content, and no other tablet OS can deliver this best of both worlds support.
I couldn’t agree more. Being content creation oriented, and having in that context been a somewhat frustrated iPad 2 user for the past 10 months, Brookwood’s argument speaks to me.
You can read it in its entirety here:
http://bit.ly/J9mB2X