![]() Why can’t I take my iPad 2, plug it into a dock with keyboard, mouse, and display, and then have it switch to a Mac OS X desktop? Why doesn’t iWork on the iPad come with a full-featured desktop interface? There is nothing preventing Apple from doing this – the iPad 2 is more than powerful enough, there are no software barriers, and it would make a tablet infinitely more useful. So people can plug in a mouse and keyboard, and use it just like they would otherwise.” may do something… In the future,” she responded, “But, um, we don’t think people should have to give up everything they know and love to get to a more mobile form factor. Why didn’t the Office team create a Metro user interface for Office? Larson-Green’s answer was telling. Larson-Green demonstrated the regular Office 2010 running alongside the new Metro-inspired interface, which baffled Walt Mossberg. If you want a glimpse into how Microsoft wants to fix this inherent limitation of the iPad, you need not look any further than the Windows 8 demonstration by Sinofsky and Larson-Green. Sure, there are cases of people creating some truly remarkable things with the iPad (like Gorillaz using it to make an album), but heck, there are people who typed out the entire Harry Potter books using mobile phone numpads – that, however, doesn’t mean the numpad is the new LaTeX. So, if you want to get actual work done (i.e., type more than three lines), you’re going to need to bust out your laptop, or fire up your desktop. It’s somewhat adequate at consuming content, but it absolutely sucks at creating it. The iPad, for all its flashiness, is quite limited in its uses. Microsoft is trying to solve a problem the iPad suffers from. It’s a logical fallacy to assume that just because a traiditional umbrella works well against the rain, there won’t be another approach that might work equally well – or better. Second of all, just because the iPad is successful doesn’t mean it’s the only possible approach to developing a successful tablet. At its core, WP7 is still a desktop/WIMP interface, but compared to the PalmOS/Windows Mobile/Android/webOS/iOS same-old same-old, Microsoft surely has the thickest veneer on top of it. ![]() Due to its sparse visuals, sharp contrasts, and utter reliance on text, Metro, for all its modernity, reminds me a lot of MS-DOS. Metro is a decidedly text-based interface (as far as looks go), where elements are not defined by lines or borders, but by text. Especially on Windows Phone 7, Metro does away almost entirely with chrome, icons, and menus. Microsoft is the only one trying to at least take some baby steps away from the desktop/WIMP interface with their Metro UI. Like I said in the review – enlarging buttons and using a finger does not a new paradigm make.Īnd here’s the funny thing. For what is clamored as a ‘post-PC’ device, the iPad is remarkably like a PC. It’s a classic desktop/WIMP interface, and a rather mediocre one at that. Doesn’t the iPad demonstrate that you need a specific, designed-for-tablets interface in order to sell tablets? I mean, the iPad sells really well, so everybody should just copy Apple’s strategy, right? Well, there are two things wrong with this line of thinking.įirst of all, as I’ve already argued in my iPad 2 review, the iPad doesn’t really have a tablet-specific interface. This comment has led to some confused faces on the web. However, Microsoft once again reiterated that WP7 is not meant for tablets, since they view tablets as PCs – hence, they will be running regular Windows. Link for the latest version of OmniGraffle 4 Standard.With Windows Phone 7 being a success among critics and probably the only mobile platform which tries to take at least baby steps away from the old WIMP/desktop paradigm, it’s not entirely unsurprising that a lot of people are asking for Windows Phone 7 on tablets. OmniGraffle 4 Standard (electronic version) Link for the latest version of OmniGraffle 4 Pro. Link for the latest version of OmniGraffle 5 Standard. OmniGraffle 5 Standard (electronic version) ![]() Link for the latest version of OmniGraffle 5 Pro. Link for OmniGraffle 6.0.5 that works with Mac OS X 10.8/10.9. Link for the latest version of OmniGraffle 6 Standard/Professional. OmniGraffle 6 Standard/Professional (electronic version) A valid license is necessary to use this version without limitations. Link for the latest version of OmniGraffle 7 Standard/Professional. OmniGraffle 7 Standard/Professional (electronic version)
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