Microsoft Surface, Will it kill the i-pad? Options

[Licentia Per Ori...]

So unless you have been hiding under a rock for the last couple of months you will know that Microsoft are planning to jump into the tablet space.

This is currently dominated by Apple.
Will Microsoft take apples crown?

many people are of the opinion that it's going to give apple a serious kicking, and will migrate more people to the microsoft eco-system, resulting in lower future sales of i-phones and i-pods to boot.

Personally i think it will do more, It has the capabilities to dominate the tablet market.

my reasoning is that.
1. It works at work.
I pad is great and that, but if you work in an office chances are you use windows there. You will use MS office,
The i-pad does not work well with Windows, The surface will be designed to work with it seamlessly.

2. It out specs the i-pad.
Microsoft are releasing two versions with the pro version packing an Ivy bridge i5!
It's a serious but of kit.

3. the keyboard.
Yea it's a tablet, but putting the keyboard on it.
(and crucially giving it away for free)
make the windows tablet a true contender for laptop replacement.
Even the biggest apple fan-boi out there will admit that the i-pad is good for consuming content (watching and reading things)
but is completely crap when it comes to creating content (like forum posts)

So what are your thoughts?
are Microsoft going to dominate in the hand-held market?
the i-phone 5 is launching, and no one is excited about it.
But the new Nokia phones are far more exciting,
and will having your PC, Tablet, Phone and Games console all operate on a single integrated eco system attract customers to Microsoft?

[Licentia Per Ori...]

Ok I have been meaning to reply to this thread for a while now,

I think it is interesting to see the different way's of looking at the whole, what is the future of apple, thing.
(as this is what the thread seems to be leaning towards)

One way of looking at it is from a finance, markets and milton point of view.
The markets have their wisdom, and the future and fortunes of any brand or company will be predicted by the market.

On the other hand, and certainly more interesting for apple's case, is to look at it from a branding and marketing space.
This is where Apple, as I have mentioned previously, have been nothing short of genius.

Even the amazingly computer wizzed penguin user before me follows the line that Mac OS is less buggy.
In reality it's not. In truth when was the last time you saw a modern OS (of any kind) give a blue screen of death, or permanent rainbow wheel type crash? When was the last time you even heard of it happening?

But what I want to get at is the branding.
In the earlier advert i linked to, the famous superbowl advert. have a look at that.
then have a look at this advert (for the new Nokia Lumia running Windows Phone)


What's interesting is that Nokia (and by extension MS) are positioning themselves in the same way that apple did all those years ago.
"I buy apple because I am different, creative and unique. I don't follow the herd"
this was pretty much apples consumer slogan.
Yet now several other brands are positioning themselves along the lines of.
"I don't buy apple, because I am different, creative and unique. I don't follow the herd"

And this is even starting to take root amongst apple users. Who are struggling to identify with the brand as they once did.
asked what apple users find apealing about the apple brand. answers are likely to include words like.
Innovation, Easy to use, apps, build quality, high tech - advanced/better technology, creativity

However these important brand markers have been left to one side.
Even the most die hard apple fan-boi will have to admit that there is no innovation in the new i-phone 5.
This hits at the creativity brand point too.

For how can a company that does not innovate be creative.
There is very little creativity involved in the evolution of the i-phone. less so more recently
They all look pretty much the same.
It's not about creating new tech. It's about creative use of tech.
Something Apple is again leaving behind.

Also apple is now incredibly mainstream - something the markets love - but again, removing a major part of it's brand structure.

While the company itself is going from strength to strength. on the back of digital sales revenue.
The core brand of the apple has been completely gutted.
much of the ethos has been replaced with an expansion of the status element that any brand worth it's merit has/provides.

you don't buy a ferrari because you want to drive fast. you buy a ferrari to show everyone, that you can buy a ferrari.

Now apple has always been a strong brand. It has always been a status brand.
it was a status symbol of creativity, independence, going against the crowd, etc. etc.

The only real status symbol apple products now provide, is one of wealth.
Particularly in poorer countries.
"Look at me - I have the new I-phone, I am thus richer and therefore better than you"

This combined with the fact that as far as releasing "behind the curve" tech is starting to get noticed.
I think the Apple brand is in dire straights.

Again - the company is doing great. but the brand. Is in serious trouble.
And for a company that practically doubles as a fashion accessory and relies so heavily on it's branding and image for it's continued success. I think apple could quickly find itself in hot water.

The death is a 3 stage one but once it begins there is very little than can be done. and once you get to the latter part of stage 2 - it's done.
and stage one is loosing your cool, and letting others epitomise the core values of your brand.

This is happening to apple at the moment. The problem is that they are not reacting. Apple had a very unique marketing strategy that relied and fed into it's air of "cool". For example Apple does not do any sponsorship.
The company is behaving as if it is the quirky outsider. because the strategy based upon this (headed up by jobs) gave rise to the largest and richest tech company we have ever seen. However. It's no longer a quirky outsider. and most importantly. it's not seen as one.

I am currently in the market myself for a new phone (probs gonna get the lumia 920)
I've been looking at some sites and stuff. and while the usual ragy apple fanboi's were there telling everyone that NFC is pointless and so what if the i-phone 5 doesn't have it. (er hello, pay for drinks at a pub with my phone? - get in!)

I noticed that there were amongst the comments of phone articles a new breed. that you didn't get before.
such as:

Nope, your not alone... Ive had iphones since the 3g came out and im sick and tired of the things... they are so commonplace, so samey and well, there is nothing overly new about them... not that id want to spend money on anyway!
Im waiting to get my hands on a 920 as that really seems to be a little different... I have a couple of people that have WM7.5 phones and they love the tiles and im getting used to them on Win8 preview.
Ive tried android - I have an android tab, whilst I like it, it feels like every Linux distro ive tried - unfinished...
Roll on the release... If only I could get a pre order in!!!!

Am I the only one...
...looking forward to the release of WP8? I'm a current iP4 user. Love the phone, contract up in less than 6 months time but fancy a change because something about the iP5 doesn't catch my eye. Doesn't seem as well built as the iP4 and the mapgate stuff annoys me.
I'm a huge supporter of Apple products, but the iP5 for me feels like a start a small downhill course. Especially the disappointment of iOS6.

Nothing stays cool forever.
And the one thing Microsoft certainly has going for it. Is that it never has been cool. and it's not trying to be cool.
It's taking the focus of the logo and centring it on "the experience."

This I think is a wise move.
and is a brand alignment that could easily have the largest amount of traction in the future.
And i will tell you now.

The day a hipster says to his friend, on his own unprompted merit.
"yea i had androids and i-phones before. but you know, I use a microsoft one because it gives me the best experience, and thats what i'm about man...the experience...you know what I mean...who gives a shit about that geek stuff anyway"

you had better hope you have already sold your apple shares :-)

This post has been edited by Licentia Per Oris: Oct 6 2012, 10:20 AM