CNET: HP is putting Microsoft & Windows on notice with its new Android o

[Bateluer]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-5...become-a-hedge-against-microsoft-and-windows/

Hewlett-Packard rolled out another Android device this week. This could become a pattern as PC makers hedge against a world that's less about Microsoft and more about Google.

On Tuesday, the largest PC maker in the world -- a dubious distinction these days -- added a laptop-tablet hybrid to its growing stable of products based on Google operating systems.
The $479 HP SlateBook x2 is an Android first for HP. It's "powered by Android, the world's most popular mobile operating system...100 percent tablet, 100 percent notebook, 100 percent Android," according to the company's ad copy.

The operative phrase is "most popular mobile operating system." HP knows that mobile, not desktop, OSes are where things are headed.
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HP SlateBook x2 ships in August with keyboard dock, Tegra 4 in tow
This follows the announcement of an HP Chromebook and the Slate 7 Android tablet in February.

Don't expect HP to stop there. Android is a force of nature that's only going to get bigger and more important.

Asus, another big Windows PC maker, is leaning more on Android these days too. It makes the popular Nexus 7 for Google (second-generation 7 is due soon), its Transformer Pad has been well received, and Asus came out with an Intel-based Android FonePad recently.
And Acer, after whining incessantly about Microsoft's foray into the PC business via Surface, has been busy introducing its share of Android devices, like its most recent entrant, the Iconia A1.

All of the above "PC makers" will continue to make Windows laptops, hybrids, and tablets (HP also announced the Windows 8-based Split x2 this week), but the market momentum is in Android's favor.

This is something we've been seeing for the past few years, technically starting with the first Netbooks and accelerating with the first iPads and tablets. Its continued with Microsoft's face plant with Windows 8.

With quad and octo-core A15/A7 designs coming quickly, and Intel's Silvermount platform, these tablets and Chromebooks are going to see their capabilities skyrocket.



And I do realize that most of HPs offerings are mediocre and overpriced, but they aren't the only player.

 

[ImDonly1]

HP makes overheating POS PCs and I would never consider them.
No thanks HP.

Do I need to remind everyone how they dealt with the overheating nVidia graphics chips in their laptops and the high failure rate?

IMO, android PCs are only good for web browsing (look at the chromebook). Not really a threat to MS. Anyone that wants a real laptop to do useful work will go Windows or Mac.

 

[notposting]

Don't forget the HP 7" tablet they just released. That will get people to switch lol.

 

[postmortemIA]

Everything is popular nowadays except Windows 8: the OS that make people angry. Why would computer makers jump off the cliff with it? This decision makes sense.

 

[Red Storm]

Anyone that wants a real laptop to do useful work will go Windows or Mac.

It's funny how often you hear this line. Maybe 10% of the people who own laptops and/or computers at home actually need more than just email, chat, the web and document editing. For the overwhelming majority of people, an Android machine would work quite well. The one and only thing that has me tied to Windows is gaming, and that is slowly but surely spreading out to the other operating systems.

 

[MrX8503]

It's funny how often you hear this line. Maybe 10% of the people who own laptops and/or computers at home actually need more than just email, chat, the web and document editing. For the overwhelming majority of people, an Android machine would work quite well. The one and only thing that has me tied to Windows is gaming, and that is slowly but surely spreading out to the other operating systems.

Is that why Samsung's or Google's chrome book is selling so well? The truth is that windows has millions of apps built for the OS over the course of decades. The apps on Android are play things.

 

[Zaap]

I like Android for what it is, but I agree its not a replacement for a full desktop OS- and no, not for most average users either.

There does come a time when most computer users actually need to get something done (homework, a report, spreadsheet, document scanned/printed, photo/video edited at some basic level- and all of these things done the correct real world way, not the mobile version bullshit way...) and so even if 90% of the time they're just doing navel-gazing stuff on the computer, there does come that 10% of the time they need real applications for real tasks.

iOS isn't replacing OSX anytime soon, and Android isn't replacing Windows any time soon. (Even the ultra-sucky Windows 8, soon to hopefully be better Windows Blue or whateverthehell).

 

[GTaudiophile]

Let me know when I can Photoshop/Illustrator/Premier/InDesign on a ARMDroid system as well as Wintel and maybe they'll have an argument.

 

[gorcorps]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2320161

 

[poofyhairguy]

There does come a time when most computer users actually need to get something done (homework, a report, spreadsheet, document scanned/printed, photo/video edited at some basic level- and all of these things done the correct real world way, not the mobile version bullshit way...) and so even if 90% of the time they're just doing navel-gazing stuff on the computer, there does come that 10% of the time they need real applications for real tasks.

I think you are wrong here.

I know a few people that bought an iPad instead of a real laptop. In fact I helped a family member do that. All her basic needs are covered: word processing (Bluetooth keyboard), basic photo editing with Photoshop Express, scanning with camscanner, and printing with a HP wireless printer. And the quality of the results is the best she could have accomplished on a real computer, maybe even better as the simplified touch interface with fewer options is less intimidating to her.

Real computers are about to turn into a commercial market. The consumer market loves the walled garden free of responsibility for their ignorance of technology.

 

[Ravynmagi]

An iPad or Android tablet could replace laptops for some people. But considering how cheap laptops are and how much better they are for so many things, I don't really see too many people in the near future choosing to replace their Windows or OSX laptops with iPads and Android convertibles.

I had a TF300 and I have an iPad 4 with bluetooth keyboard. I still carry my 12 inch laptop with me as well.

Now a Windows 8 tablet with keyboard dock, that is an idea I like. If people want a tablet and laptop in one device, this seems like the more sensible approach. Though at the moment the choice is between underpowered Atoms and over priced Core i3s. Hopefully by the holidays we'll see the more powerful Atom tablets and more reasonably priced Core i3 Haswels.

 

[Bateluer]

Let me know when I can Photoshop/Illustrator/Premier/InDesign on a ARMDroid system as well as Wintel and maybe they'll have an argument.

Most people aren't doing that. Most people are doing social networks.

 

[foghorn67]

An iPad or Android tablet could replace laptops for some people. But considering how cheap laptops are and how much better they are for so many things, I don't really see too many people in the near future choosing to replace their Windows or OSX laptops with iPads and Android convertibles.

I had a TF300 and I have an iPad 4 with bluetooth keyboard. I still carry my 12 inch laptop with me as well.

Now a Windows 8 tablet with keyboard dock, that is an idea I like. If people want a tablet and laptop in one device, this seems like the more sensible approach. Though at the moment the choice is between underpowered Atoms and over priced Core i3s. Hopefully by the holidays we'll see the more powerful Atom tablets and more reasonably priced Core i3 Haswels.

This, emphatically this.
I don't care how much someone says an iPad will take care of my computing, needs...it never will. Give me real HP (horsepower, not Hewlett Packard) and an option for a stylus.
Market the crap out of why you need one, and watch people go nuts over it.
Apple really needs to make a convertible MacBook Air with a stylus. All the creative-centric folks will go after this. Heck, I'm not an OSX guy, and I'll buy one and convert to Mac if they do that.
Windows could beat them to it. In fact they did, but everyone wants to hate it before they try it.
It doesn't help they showed a commercial of people dancing around clicking keyboards together instead of showing off how versatile it can be.

 

[ponyo]

I'm not a big fan of Android tablets that plugs into laptop station. I used blutooth mouse and keyboard with Android tablet and I didn't care for the experience. I didn't think Android touch interface and apps transferred all that well to keyboard and mouse.

I'm a huge fan of Samsung ARM Chromebook and think Google is onto something there. Chromebook is the new netbook and netbook done right. I use Yoga 13 with Windows 8 as my laptop but the loud and constant fan noise drives me insane. For my use I think I would've been happier with the Chromebook. I'm jealous of my daughter's Chromebook but she doesn't want to trade.

 

[dagamer34]

Perhaps if Android docked into a keyboard turned into Chrome OS, it would have some value, but then you've basically turned it into Windows 8 more or less with two sides to the same coin (interpret that however you will). Still, even if that were the goal, it seems they are a few years away from that as during Google I/O, they talked about them distinctly as two products.

 

[lopri]

It looks decent on the specs. Performance should be leaps and bounds better than A9-based tablets. I really hoped the Nexus 10 to have set the standard for 2560x1600 or higher for 10"+ tablets, though.


Posted from Anandtech.com App for Android

 

[lopri]

Wow I didn't read the thread so wasn't aware of where the discussion had been going. (replied after reading the OP)

I've been on a business+pleasure trip for about a week and I didn't take my Macbook pro with me. Just my phone and tablet (N4+N7) So far I'm not particularly missing the lappy. But I agree that tablets are not yet adequate for complex works where lots of user inputs are required.


Posted from Anandtech.com App for Android

 

[foghorn67]

I'm not a big fan of Android tablets that plugs into laptop station. I used blutooth mouse and keyboard with Android tablet and I didn't care for the experience. I didn't think Android touch interface and apps transferred all that well to keyboard and mouse.

I'm a huge fan of Samsung ARM Chromebook and think Google is onto something there. Chromebook is the new netbook and netbook done right. I use Yoga 13 with Windows 8 as my laptop but the loud and constant fan noise drives me insane. For my use I think I would've been happier with the Chromebook. I'm jealous of my daughter's Chromebook but she doesn't want to trade.

I'm also toying with the idea of remoting into my desktop with a Chromebook when I need the heavy lifting.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'm also toying with the idea of remoting into my desktop with a Chromebook when I need the heavy lifting.

Great idea. That is what I do with my transformer tablet.

 

[Muyoso]

There are rumors of Android becoming far more laptop friendly with the release of KLP.

 

[Zaap]

Real computers are about to turn into a commercial market. The consumer market loves the walled garden free of responsibility for their ignorance of technology.

The problem I see with this is- it leads nowhere. It gives the user no room to grow into anything. It's a dead end.

For example, virtually everyone I know that started at a very basic computing level say, ten years ago, has since moved up (in at least one way, often several) to needing something beyond the basics. Take for example, people will do their email and web-surfing, whatever... then one day they buy a decent camera. Then they learn a bit more how to use it. Then they start taking and processing a large number of photos. Then they start to want to do photo books, or high quality prints... and then they discover the camera actually shoots high-quality video... and so eventually they start to want higher quality software for all this.

Before long, the basics that some iPad solution offers just don't cut it anymore. So then what? As a company, do you provide them a place to go that still involves your products, or you just dismiss them as part of someone else's 'commercial market' and let them outgrow you?

Now I know you may say that people can process huge numbers of high-res photos and do photo and video editing on an iPad- I say they can *pretend* to do that- but there really aren't adequate solutions to those types of tasks that truly stack up to the power of a laptop/desktop and full-fledged applications, along with a traditional input interface (point device, pen, etc.)

I just don't think that this trend of believing that novices will stay novices forever is really going to lead anywhere- especially in light of the fact that the world is actually moving in the opposite direction. People who are older and have never touched a computer before are a shrinking demographic, not an increasing one. Kids today grow up with computing devices. To believe they will all remain novices content to do everything on an iPad-type device that's just 'good enough' for the basics and modeling the future of computing around that is just bassackwards to me. It's maybe what should have happened first, not now.

 

[Red Storm]

The problem I see with this is- it leads nowhere. It gives the user no room to grow into anything. It's a dead end.

For example, virtually everyone I know that started at a very basic computing level say, ten years ago, has since moved up (in at least one way, often several) to needing something beyond the basics. Take for example, people will do their email and web-surfing, whatever... then one day they buy a decent camera. Then they learn a bit more how to use it. Then they start taking and processing a large number of photos. Then they start to want to do photo books, or high quality prints... and then they discover the camera actually shoots high-quality video... and so eventually they start to want higher quality software for all this.

Before long, the basics that some iPad solution offers just don't cut it anymore. So then what? As a company, do you provide them a place to go that still involves your products, or you just dismiss them as part of someone else's 'commercial market' and let them outgrow you?

Now I know you may say that people can process huge numbers of high-res photos and do photo and video editing on an iPad- I say they can *pretend* to do that- but there really aren't adequate solutions to those types of tasks that truly stack up to the power of a laptop/desktop and full-fledged applications, along with a traditional input interface (point device, pen, etc.)

I just don't think that this trend of believing that novices will stay novices forever is really going to lead anywhere- especially in light of the fact that the world is actually moving in the opposite direction. People who are older and have never touched a computer before are a shrinking demographic, not an increasing one. Kids today grow up with computing devices. To believe they will all remain novices content to do everything on an iPad-type device that's just 'good enough' for the basics and modeling the future of computing around that is just bassackwards to me. It's maybe what should have happened first, not now.

It's not a matter of being a novice, highly technical people can get along just fine with Android or Chrome OS if it suits their needs (and it suits my own perfectly fine sans gaming). What's annoying is we have people here who personally need to run x86 programs or some such and from there they jump to declaring that everyone needs this capability, and that is simply not true.

I have an Android phone, that handles all my communication and social needs (twitter, email, messaging, etc.). I have an Android HDMI stick that handles my HTPC uses, and I have a Chromebook that handles my RDP/document editing/web browsing needs. The one and only reason why I have a Windows laptop is because of gaming, and if I ever give up PC gaming then I can say goodbye to Windows forever.

 

[Zaap]

What's annoying is we have people here who personally need to run x86 programs or some such and from there they jump to declaring that everyone needs this capability, and that is simply not true.

The irony here is, the side that's foisting off it's own needs onto everyone else, is yours.

If Android or Chrome suits you just fine, that's awesome. What I don't get is your insistance that it's all *everyone else* needs. That's what simply isn't true.

I'll never get this rigid either/or mindset of people, as long as I live. It's EITHER one hardline thing or another- but we can't possibly have multiple choices. I'm as big a fan of Android or iOS as anyone- but why the hell would I want to limit myself to those being my only computing choices? Aside from how inadequate it would actually be, it'd also just be plain ol' boring as hell.

 

[Red Storm]

The irony here is, the side that's foisting off it's own needs onto everyone else, is yours.

If Android or Chrome suits you just fine, that's awesome. What I don't get is your insistance that it's all *everyone else* needs. That's what simply isn't true.

I'll never get this rigid either/or mindset of people, as long as I live. It's EITHER one hardline thing or another- but we can't possibly have multiple choices. I'm as big a fan of Android or iOS as anyone- but why the hell would I want to limit myself to those being my only computing choices? Aside from how inadequate it would actually be, it'd also just be plain ol' boring as hell.

I don't recall ever saying that everyone would be fine with just Android or Chrome. I said the majority of people would be, you know, the same majority who spend all their time on a browser, in email, chat, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. The majority of people do not use or need dedicated x86 applications. Some certainly do, but not everyone.

 

[Zaap]

I don't recall ever saying that everyone would be fine with just Android or Chrome. I said the majority of people would be, you know

..the majority you made up out of THIN AIR, by pretending you speak from on high for what the majority of people's computing needs are and will always remain?

Pretty much just like I said...