{"id":2367,"date":"2013-05-27T12:28:27","date_gmt":"2013-05-27T16:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=2367"},"modified":"2013-05-27T12:28:27","modified_gmt":"2013-05-27T16:28:27","slug":"why-small-screens-wont-cure-microsofts-windows-tablet-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/05\/27\/why-small-screens-wont-cure-microsofts-windows-tablet-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Why small screens won't cure Microsoft's Windows tablet blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My, how quickly the tables can turn in the fickle world of consumer technology.
\nWhen Microsoft\u2019s designers and engineers took to the drawing board to dream up Windows 8, the 9.7-inch iPad was the 800-pound gorilla of the tablet market, gobbling an insane amount of market share and laughing at Android\u2019s attempts to break Apple\u2019s stranglehold on slates. The future, it seemed, lay in big screens.
\nThen the Kindle Fire, the Nook tablet, and Google\u2019s Nexus 7 appeared. Consumers fell in love with smaller, cheaper tablets overnight, and on October 23, 2012, Apple capitulated to popular demand and released an iPad mini of its own.
\nThree days later, Microsoft released Windows 8 to the public. With a design optimized for 10-inch-plus displays, it was already behind the times.
\n“”Although Office is a nice thing to have, it is not enough of a differentiator.””
\nNow, with Windows tablets struggling to catch consumers\u2019 attention, Microsoft is shifting gears. The company has already paved the way for smaller Windows tablets, and Windows co-chief Tami Reller promises that the impending Windows Blue update will pack even better support for 7- and 8-inch slates. Asus and Acer have hopped aboard the diminutive display bandwagon, where other manufacturers are bound to join them.
\nPrepare for the deluge!
\nBut before the floodgates open, I have to ask: Are small screens really the cure for Microsoft\u2019s Windows tablet woes? Ehhhh…
\nSmall screens, small price tag
\nBefore we discuss anything else, we have to talk about price. Android is freely available to manufacturers (though many OEMs pay \u201cdon\u2019t sue me\u201d royalties to Microsoft). On the other hand, Microsoft makes a big chunk of its money by selling Windows, and that includes selling Windows to manufacturers. Basically, Windows tablets will always cost more than a similarly spec’ed Android tablet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Windows tablet enemy, thy name is Nexus.
\nThat alone could be a killer for small-screen Windows tablets. Paying $380 for an 8-inch Windows tablet (the price of the leaked Acer Iconia W3) seems crazy when you can pick up a Nexus 7 for $200.
\nMicrosoft may be willing to compromise on this issue, however. Several recent reports have claimed that Microsoft is offering manufacturers steep discounts on Windows licenses destined for use on touchscreen devices with screen sizes under 10.8 inches. Pricing for those specialized devices is said to be as low as $30 per license.
\nFull Story: Why small screens won’t cure Microsoft’s Windows tablet blues | PCWorld<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My, how quickly the tables can turn in the fickle world of consumer technology. When Microsoft\u2019s designers and engineers took […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,10,11],"tags":[1065,1218,1232],"class_list":["post-2367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microsoft","category-technology","category-windows","tag-tablets","tag-windows-8","tag-windows-rt"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-Cb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6766,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/11\/04\/3-things-to-consider-before-ditching-your-laptop-for-a-tablet\/","url_meta":{"origin":2367,"position":0},"title":"3 things to consider before ditching your laptop for a tablet","author":"NCCT","date":"November 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"For a few years now I\u2019ve been watching tablets develop into ever more potent machines, with an eye towards making the jump from a laptop to a slate for my mobile workstation. 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According to Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is likely to unveil a version of Windows 10 that's expected to work on Windows Phones\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6348,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/09\/03\/oops-microsoft-accidentally-teases-windows-9-coming-soon-on-social-media\/","url_meta":{"origin":2367,"position":2},"title":"Oops! Microsoft accidentally teases Windows 9 ‘coming soon’ on social media","author":"NCCT","date":"September 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Microsoft's internal censors seem to be sleeping on the job this year. In June, the Surface Pro 3 manual included several references to a small-screen Surface Mini despite the fact that a small-screen Surface Mini was never actually released. 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