Are Bay Trail-based Windows 8.1 tablets going to kill off demand for Android tablets?

[darkewaffle]

Android has enough user base that it won't simply go away, but in time I think the mobile OS market will basically be split between the big three of Apple/Google/MS.

 

[paperwastage]

I have a 2013 Nexus 7 but after a few weeks I'm wishing I could do more with it.

there are huge advantages to windows like easily printing, software and stability/having everything work as expected.

just as long as you understand the tablet is a full windows machine... that comes with windows problems that you see below:

I mean, just think about the need to install anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam program and having to run it background all the time. Someone will say s/he does not need it but I guarantee you that someone else will need one.

my Asus T100 isn't polished - sometimes I get problems booting up, wait >1 minute for Windows to finish scanning my disk to check for problems before continuing

Android/iOS won't have those problems because of how the ecosystem is built... you can do some specific stuff better/faster (eg consuming PDF / videos, playing Angry Birds), but if you need to do more general/generic stuff, then you'll want a x86 Windows tablet

 

[desura]

I have an RT and I also have a Galaxy Tab.

RT is better by a mile.

 

[bearxor]

And gaming. 7 inches is the perfect size for portable gaming I think.

I am interested in a 8.1 tablet in a year or two when the kinks are worked out.

I played some Burnout Paradise on mine yesterday

 

[poofyhairguy]

I played some Burnout Paradise on mine yesterday

I am hooked on Left for Dead 2.

In regards to printing, this app prints perfectly to my networked HP printer:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blackspruce.lpd&hl=en

 

[s44]

No. The Microsoft tax makes full Windows tablets price uncompetitive, and the ecosystem is crap for non-keyboard use.

 

[paperwastage]

No. The Microsoft tax makes full Windows tablets price uncompetitive, and the ecosystem is crap for non-keyboard use.

i guess you haven't heard about the $300 32GB Dell Venue 8 Pro tablets...

or the $350 32GB Asus T100

(though you'll probably want to spend $50 more to upgrade to 64GB internal space)

last I checked, >8" android tablets were at least $200... $100 windows tax?

 

[poofyhairguy]

last I checked, >8" android tablets were at least $200... $100 windows tax?

Actually a little cheaper than that:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/nook-hd-...0008&cp=1&lp=6

 

[senseamp]

Even if it's $20, that's a huge chunk of money for devices making paper thin margins. On an $200 device, that's 10%, that's more than enough to eat all of the profits.
Plus, Win8 interface is not for everyone, to put it kindly.

 

[s44]

or the $350 32GB Asus T100.

Actually, that's exactly what I'm talking about. To hit a reasonable price point, Asus had to use a laughable 13*7 screen and drop the battery from the keyboard.

The only decent display option is the Venue 11 Pro, but that again costs more than the TF701 despite having a worse screen and more bulk.

As for the Venue 8, 12*8 on a $300 device with no apps is a bad joke.

 

[paperwastage]

As for the Venue 8, 12*8 on a $300 device with no apps is a bad joke.

you mean $300 device with any apps.... (if you are talking about the Venue 8 Pro... it can run any windows apps, any android apps via BlueStacks, though not at 100% perfect unbuggy status)



there is a purpose for these devices (i treat them as a stopgap b/w my desktop and tablet/phablet/phone)


I can do more with my desktop, but not portable

My tablet/phablet/phone is portable, but I can't do as much



Bay-Trail devices @ $300/$400 is reasonable priced. I'm okay with those corners cut (lower resolution, no battery in keyboard)

 

[sm625]

Windows 8 is horrific on a tablet. It's just terrible. There are no apps. I downloaded most of the top rated free games, and they just suck, aside from the few common ones that everyone has already played to death (ie Angry Birds, Temple Run). The VBA8 and other emulators, even though they seem to work ok, they run the cpu at full blast so the battery doesnt last very long. Not really worth it when you see how fast it kills the battery.

 

[lopri]

Also, are they going to play that ugly game again? 3.0 GHz for $$$, 3.2 GHz for $$$+100, 3.4 GHz for $$$+200? 1MB L2 cache for $$$, 2 MB L2 cache for $$$+100, 4 MB L2 cache for $$$+200, etc,.? Extreme Edition? Celeron?

One nice thing about the mobile surge is we do not deal with that kind of BS on the hardware front (except for storage sizes). Surely Intel will want to take us there, but does anyone want that?

 

[Tom]

Granted, the new Bay Trail tablets won't be as fast as the Haswell-based (Core i3 and Core i5, doubt there will be any or many i7 tablets) ones, but with $100 to $500 tablets running Windows 8.1 more than acceptably for the first time, will everyone just buy Windows 8.1 tablets from the major manufacturers like ASUS, Samsung, and Acer instead of Android?

I'm betting the transition won't happen overnight, and there will be tablets running both Android and Windows, but considering all the full applications you can run in Windows 8.1 (not talking about RT here) including Android virtualization/emulation, is there going to be much demand in a year or two for Android tablets?

If this was happening 5 years ago it might have worked. Windows is over.

 

[s44]

Also, are they going to play that ugly game again? 3.0 GHz for $$$, 3.2 GHz for $$$+100, 3.4 GHz for $$$+200? 1MB L2 cache for $$$, 2 MB L2 cache for $$$+100, 4 MB L2 cache for $$$+200, etc,.? Extreme Edition? Celeron?

Looks like it, or at least more than Qualcomm et al. Anand and Brian talked about this on their hangoutcast...

 

[senseamp]

Touchscreen tablets running PC Windows - flopped.
PCs running touchscreen tablet apps - also flopped.

 

[Ns1]

Surface pro 2 = second coming of Christ


See the surface pro 2 thread for comments from actual owners, and not just outsiders looking in.


Not sure why anyone would run android when you can run full on windows.

 

[s44]

See the surface pro 2 thread for comments from actual owners, and not just outsiders looking in.

My friend bought a Surface 2 Pro.

He hated it, and returned it for the Note 10.1. Windows is a crappy tablet ecosystem.

 

[Ns1]

My friend bought a Surface 2 Pro.

He hated it, and returned it for the Note 10.1. Windows is a crappy tablet ecosystem.

Why? I'm curious, given that there is an infinite amount of stuff you can do on an SP2 that you cannot do on an android tablet.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Not sure why anyone would run android when you can run full on windows.

Because they want something half that price (or less), half that thickness, half that weight, and something like 10 times as many touch-friendly apps.

 

[s44]

Why? I'm curious, given that there is an infinite amount of stuff you can do on an SP2 that you cannot do on an android tablet.

Because he didn't want to do those things.

All work stuff can be done through remote desktop, and when not working he -- like most people these days, it seems, given iPad sales -- doesn't want a heavy device with a heavy OS.

Obviously AT folks are more inclined to hack up uses with classic Windows programs, etc, but I don't see the SP2 ever taking off. W8 is a great ultrabook OS, but there's no non-niche reason for the tablet mode to exist.

 

[Blueychan]

My friend bought a Surface 2 Pro.

He hated it, and returned it for the Note 10.1. Windows is a crappy tablet ecosystem.

A friend of a friend of a friend of mine bought an Note 10.1.

He hated it, and returned it for the Surface Pro 2. Android is a crappy on a tablet.

 

[Ns1]

All work stuff can be done through remote desktop

lol

and if you don't have internet connectivity?

Don't get me wrong through - the built in RDP capabilities of SP2 are great

edit-

Y'know, on my work network I'm not even sure you could RDP into it on an android tablet - you need VPN access using a specific x86 app.

 

[ibex333]

Are Bay Trail-based Windows 8.1 tablets going to kill off demand for Android tablets?

I don't see how that can happen. Windows 8 is a horrible, twisted creation. I refuse to use it no matter how hard they try to shove it down my throat, and so do thousands of other people out there.

 

[poofyhairguy]

given that there is an infinite amount of stuff you can do on an SP2

Without a mouse and/or keyboard?