The Windows Tablet: Microsoft still doesn't get it.

[rittchard]

For $925 you could get an HP 4710s. 17" 1600x900 screen, 2.1GHz Core Duo, 3GB DDR, 320GB HD, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330, and MUCH more... This is actually usable windows hardware.

Windows tablets have been failing for years because you essential are paying for a mediocre touch experience coupled with a mediocre windows experience. Most people recognize, you are better off using windows as intended on HW that actually has the performance to run it.

While I agree with some of your points, particularly in the final paragraph, it doesn't really make sense to compare the Archos 9 tablet with a 17" laptop as you do above. This discussion is primarily about finding a suitable Tablet/Slate portable device in roughly the same weight and form-factor (at presumably a similar price point). But yes, I do agree that sadly you (presently) end up settling with a "mediocre" touch experience as well as Windows performance on the A9. I really wish Archos would have spent some time optimizing the OS or doing something to make the unit more tablet-friendly at the outset.

However, I think the point should still be made that there is still a market for this kind of hardware. What the A9 doesn't give you in terms of a great user experience out of the box, it does give you in complete freedom to tweak and optimize as you see fit and desire, plus gives you access to nearly all the software available to Windows 7 (netbook) users. I realize many users don't want to spend time "tinkering", but clearly there are some people who enjoy it, and have specialized needs that can only be met with this level of freedom.

 

[Hankster]

Microsoft is trying too hard to develop a "do everything" machine tablet. Simple is key. Gates needs to focus on innovation, he's losing (already lost) ground to Apple and Google....even HTC.

 

[4DThinker]

Everyone here is absolutely right. Well done. No, I didn't grow another 168 pixel rows of screen. I simply let Windows compress and show 1024 x 768 resolution on my 1024 x 600 screen. No visible artifacts. No obvious loss of detail. I'll blame that on MS's anti-aliasing and other clever tricks. There is a little vertical squishing. Not a problem with videos or photos because they can be vertically stretched if needed. I didn't do it because of iPad envy. I did it because many windows apps, including some built-in ones assume at least 768 vertical pixels, and with their OK/Cancel/Apply buttons at the bottom have to be shown at that resolution to be accessed. Windows upgrade automatically set my display to 1024 x 768, and I only noticed it because of the vertical squish.

And yes I spent more money on my 9 than you'll be able to spend on an iPad. You won't have an iPad with a 128gb SSD in it though. You won't have an ipad with a camera. You won't have an iPad with a USB port. You won't have an iPad with a real web browser either.

And yes, I'll probably buy an iPad too.

 

[Bytor65]

While I agree with some of your points, particularly in the final paragraph, it doesn't really make sense to compare the Archos 9 tablet with a 17" laptop as you do above.

Why not? People are repeatedly attacking the iPad by comparing it to a laptop, when an iPad really is not trying to usurp that space, it is clearly aimed at a different space.

But against Archos 9, a laptop is a much more valid comparison. A9 is attempting to do it all. It wants to be a full windows portable and a tablet/reader. If you really want windows, you should get it on a platform that is suited for. Simply enabling touch capability on windows is never going to make it into a touch OS, that is always going to be a second class way to interact, and this low end hardware laughable to run windows on.

Certainly there will be a niche interested in A9, but it is a victim of checkbox marketing. Include everything while ending up being quite mediocre at everything as a result.

Throwing more money at an A9 trying to make it less mediocre would probably have been better spent getting two separate and focused devices. Perhaps an E-reader (kindle) and laptop for instance. Would give a better windows and better reader experience than throwing more money at an A9.

Edit: Cnet review: Brutal resistive touch screen, brutally slow CPU. 2.5 stars.
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablet-pcs/archos-9-pc-tablet/4505-3126_7-33800951.html?tag=rnav

We thought we'd seen some slow Netbooks before, but nothing quite like the Archos 9. As usual, anything that tries to meld a full Windows OS with a Z-series Intel Atom processor is going to be tricky. By trading down to an even slower 1.1GHz Atom Z510 (we've tested Z520 and Z530 systems before), the overall Windows experience slows to a crawl. Opening Web browser windows could take more than 10 seconds, and performing simple tasks, such as browsing files and folders, was also frustrating. Our basic benchmark tests took around twice as long to run on the Archos 9 than on the current crop of Intel Atom N450 Netbooks (keep in mind Archos itself brands this system as "the next generation of Netbooks"). Overall, the Archos 9 was painfully slow to use, and being very familiar with typical Netbook performance, we don't say that lightly.

Our second major issue comes from the touch screen itself. Devoid of a keyboard, or even more than a couple physical control buttons, you're at the mercy of the touch screen and onscreen commands to get anything done with the Archos 9. Unfortunately, we found the resistive 8.9-inch screen to be less responsive than we would have liked, even when using the included dummy stylus, and the custom onscreen keyboard (handily summoned by a physical button on the bezel) required very firm finger taps to use.

The resistive touch screen requires far too heavy a hand to use, and is a far cry from the instant-gratification one gets from a good capacitive screen, such as on the iPhone/iPod Touch.

 

[bossxii]

While I agree with some of your points, particularly in the final paragraph, it doesn't really make sense to compare the Archos 9 tablet with a 17" laptop as you do above. This discussion is primarily about finding a suitable Tablet/Slate portable device in roughly the same weight and form-factor (at presumably a similar price point). But yes, I do agree that sadly you (presently) end up settling with a "mediocre" touch experience as well as Windows performance on the A9. I really wish Archos would have spent some time optimizing the OS or doing something to make the unit more tablet-friendly at the outset.

However, I think the point should still be made that there is still a market for this kind of hardware. What the A9 doesn't give you in terms of a great user experience out of the box, it does give you in complete freedom to tweak and optimize as you see fit and desire, plus gives you access to nearly all the software available to Windows 7 (netbook) users. I realize many users don't want to spend time "tinkering", but clearly there are some people who enjoy it, and have specialized needs that can only be met with this level of freedom.

Nearly every post I've read is comparing an iPad to a "real" computer... saying now we can't compare the A9 to one isn't fair...huh?

The portable laptop is the de-facto standard every tablet, iPad included is being judged against. If they expected anything less, the backlash for no desktop OS, camera, flash and multitasking wouldn't be an issue.

The A9 is closer to a laptop by far than a iPad. It's an Atom x86 based chip, has 1gig ram, has a removable HDD and full Windows OS on it. It's very much a real computer, just happens to be a poorly performing one.

IMO the A9 and any tablet that shows up with "netbook" spec's and a full unmodified OS, which Windows happens to be the standard. Will be like a Swiss Army knife... it has all the tools you can think of, but given a choice I'd rather use a tool specific for the task at hand. A full blown, powerful Laptop. Which in the case of a modified A9 is cheaper.

iPad is a media device with specific limits of what it can do. What it can do, it does very well, it doesn't try to do all things.

That to me is the difference.

 

[DaveSW]

So it has Flash, multi-tasking, a horrible battery, and an overly complicated interface? PERFECT! This is exactly what I, and so many other iPad critics have been looking for!


…Wait, does it have a camera…?

rofl

 

[4DThinker]

iPad is a media device with specific limits of what it can do. What it can do, it does very well, it doesn't try to do all things.

I don't know of any computer that tries to do all things. Leave them alone and most can't even turn themselves on. It's the computer user that tries to do more on a PC than it is capable of. If you know anything about the iPod Touch then you know the Touch was also described as a media player with limits. It's now the Funnest iPod out there, simply because people have written apps to try and make it do everything.

There's already an SDK out for the iPad, and I promise you no one today will believe the range of things developers end up making it do. Much the same way that no one really knew how broad the selection of iPod Touch/iPhone apps there would be.

 

[Nebrie]

I'm getting flashbacks to the LG Prada, the "real" smartphone with the massive specsheet that was supposed to whomp the iPhone as soon as it went on sale...

 

[shakenmartini]

I'm getting flashbacks to the LG Prada, the "real" smartphone with the massive specsheet that was supposed to whomp the iPhone as soon as it went on sale...

The Prada isn't as funny as the Meizu M8 that had the iPhone beat hands down.

Did they even even release the Meizu?

 

[richpjr]

Microsoft is trying too hard to develop a "do everything" machine tablet. Simple is key. Gates needs to focus on innovation, he's losing (already lost) ground to Apple and Google....even HTC.

Where, exactly, is Gates losing ground to Apple and Google? His charity work?

 

[Bytor65]

Where, exactly, is Gates losing ground to Apple and Google? His charity work?

True, Gates has retired from operations.

Balmer is running the show. You know Balmer, the guy who laughed at iPhone and Android...

 

[t0mat0]

True, Gates has retired from operations.

Balmer is running the show. You know Balmer, the guy who laughed at iPhone and Android...

And

Oh my God, Microsoft didn't aim high enough

Gates -

That kind of reaction usually comes more apparent once the rival's device (ie the iPad) has started selling. I'm presuming Gates wasn't at the demo, so hasn't tried one yet?

(Though they're on speaking terms - who knows...)

 

[richpjr]

True, Gates has retired from operations.

Balmer is running the show. You know Balmer, the guy who laughed at iPhone and Android...

IMO, Balmer is the single biggest thing wrong with Microsoft.