Surface Duo - the end of an era

 

This blog entry is way overdue - I promised to update on my original Surface Duo review in 2022.

I've recently retired my Microsoft Surface Duo, I unfortunately had to.  I got it for my my birthday in 2022 and it has been my favourite mobile phone ever, bar none.  Unfortunately it started playing up, overheating and the battery wasn't lasting more than a few hours.  Repair wasn't really an option - Microsoft didn't make this device to be opened and mended, support is due to be stopped probably this year or early next and you can't buy a new one for love or money.

It's a crying shame Microsoft bottled it again - they really don't seem to have the sticking power for the mobile phone market.  I loved the Microsoft Windows Phone OS.  It never took hold, to be fair, and developers failed to produce variants of their apps for it.  That was a big deal to many users, but the small amount of business apps that were available worked fine for me.  I wrote about my Windows phones here back in March 2017 and if you stick to the end you'll see I was actually right about what Microsoft would do,

I actually battled on longer than most with the OS.  When I dropped the Hewlett Packard phablet and broke it I bought a second-hand one off eBay.  What tipped me over the edge was when WhatsApp was discontinued - it was and is our family go-to messaging platform.  So I moved to a OnePlus 7 mobile phone, which was pretty cool and then on to the Duo 2 when it was launched, as described in the earlier blog post.

If it had a fault it was too slippery if I wore Chinos or linen trousers.  It would slip out of my pocket as soon as I sat down.  I sourced a felt slip to hold it in place and that was the big problem solved.  In the three years (nearly) it's been in daily use it hasn't lost its sheen.  It still looks brand new apart from the corner bumpers, which did start to show their age.  I would have replaced them but Microsoft stopped selling them.  The internal screens are spotless and they've never seen a screen protector.

Everyone who saw it commented.  It looked and was cool.  It should have been a runaway success, but wasn't.  The reason, no, the fault is Microsoft.  They never marketed it properly.  I only ever saw one other Surface phone in the wild and that was a battered version 1.  Clearly they saw it as the aspirational professional phone and it fitted the bill, but the cool executives getting their phones on expenses clearly stuck with Apple products.  Most normal people prefer to pay a bit less for their phones, I guess, and you probably wouldn't know they existed unless you got lost on Microsoft's online store or you bumped into me in the street.

Compare and contrast how Microsoft have marketed the Surface Pro laptops, like the one I'm typing this on, my third so far (the first suffered a fatal drop onto the drive and the second one is upstairs in working order.  There just happened to be a really good offer earlier this year for the 1Tb version and I'm a sucker for storage).  Surface Pro laptops are so popular in part, I'm speculating, because every other laptop on TV is a Surface Pro.  I've read somewhere that Apple don't let TV and film companies allow bad guys to use Apple products, I'm guessing Microsoft aren't as sensitive about these things.  If Microsoft had flooded the film and TV world with Surface Duo 2s I reckon they would have been able to drop the price and shifted loads.  But they didn't and last year they broke up the team working on the Surface Duo 3 and announced they were ceasing support for the OS as soon as they legally could.

All of this is a crying shame and I was endeavouring to keep the Duo going as long as I could - my banking apps would probably stop working as soon as support stopped for starters but the battery situation brought the timetable forward.

As it happens OnePlus launched a folding phone called the Open earlier this year and I stumbled across a sweet deal with a decent discount, plus they offer seniors, veterans and a host of other categories an additional discount on top.  If you're in the market for a OnePlus product, check out their discounts - it could be worth £££s.

The Open is good, very good in fact, but bulkier than the Duo and just not as cool, partly because you only have to open it for certain applications.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone, but I was really looking forward to eking out the last few months of the Duo and welcoming version 3.  But it was not to be, I'm over it now.  I'll post a review of the Open in a little while.

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Surface Duo 2 review

 Last year I blogged about the Microsoft Surface Duo.  It was in its first incarnation, I hadn't actually seen it in the flesh and, critically, hadn't touched let alone used one.  As it happens the first iteration of the Duo didn't fare well - by all accounts it was buggy, had a higher than expected failure rate and the surface ironically didn't pass the test of time.

Fast forward a year and a bit and Microsoft are selling the replacement, the Surface Duo 2.  I've been watching this story develop and reading the reviews for a while.  The consensus is that it is a much better device, actually is usable as a mobile phone (or cell phone to those across the pond) including 5G and is better finished.  The upshot from several reviewers is that the device is suited to users who are a little bit geeky and quirky.  Sounds like me, perfect.

The launch price was horrendously expensive, but recently Microsoft lopped about £500 off all the models - anything that can be reduced by £500 in one strike must have been overpriced by any definition - and I found on my birthday to be the recipient of a very expensive - even with the lopping-off exercise it's still pricey at just under a grand - Surface Duo 2 - the 256Gb version.  My wife also bought me the Surface Slim Pen and the bumper pack - more about those items in a while.

One of the things that gave me cause to pause - apart from the price - was the form factor.  I've moved from a OnePlus 7T Pro which is tall and slimmish across the front - although broader than the Nord.  The Duo is shorter than the 7T, but a tad broader across the hips, plus of course it unfolds into two different screens.  Watching the promotional videos on the Microsoft shop it looked to be easy to hold, but deep down I was concerned they might have just used actors with big hands.  The only time they showed it being put in a pocket was into a jacket pocket, not the trouser pocket I suspect most of us use for our phones.  In use it isn't too big, without any sort of case it slips easily into my trouser pocket and boy, despite having two screens folded into each other, it is slim.

What wasn't clear from some of the reviews I had read is that it is a dual sim phone - some reviews were very critical that a phone that is aimed at the business user only had one sim slot, a sentiment I would agree with if it were completely true.  However, despite only having one physical sim slot it also has a sim chip on board, so can (and does) take an eSim.  This is useful for me as my preferred day-to-day carrier, EE, is useless at work.  I tend to have my phone turned off when teaching, but accessing it from my desk is a bugbear, so I've installed a Vodafone eSim to give me a number I can use without having to leave the building and making myself contactable while in work.  It's an additional £6 a month for the plan, but it's proven useful already.  Installing the eSim wasn't as straightforward as the advertising blurb would suggest and eventually it was installed remotely over the home wi-fi by a Vodafone tech, but I suspect the issue was more likely to be Vodafone's than Microsoft's.

In use it took a few days to get my head around using it.  I did the recommended WhatsApp backup and used the built-in utility to transfer my apps and contact details across via bluetooth.  Microsoft put a handful of app icons across the two screens and have a couple of folders for the remainder.  What wasn't obvious, to me at least, was that the plus symbol above these folders was there to open the full range of apps.  Once you realise that you can select apps to appear initially in the folder and, if you prefer, you can drag it outside of the folder to sit on the main screens.  One of the apps pre-loaded onto the screen is a calendar app and I was initially disappointed it hadn't dragged my calendar entries across.  I was doubly disappointed when it didn't seem to have the ability to set up repeating appointments.  Once I found the hidden apps, though, I found my old calendar app that came with all my legacy information.  I think it is a OnePlus calendar, but maybe it's a Google offering.  Either way, it is now pride of place on the front screen. 

A nice touch - literally - is the fingerprint sensor.  I've found these to be unpredictable in use on previous devices.  My old HP Windows phone worked most of the time, but would let me down at the least convenient points, and the fingerprint detector on my Surface Pro keyboard is so flaky I haven't bothered to use it for ages - luckily the Windows Hello face recognition has improved tremendously so I tend to frighten my Surface Pro into opening with a glance these days.  The fingerprint detector, about 2mm wide, unlocks every time.  You only need to use a PIN to unlock the phone when you reboot which, given it's a Microsoft device, appears to be more often than most phones.  It might be just me, but I've rebooted quite a bit to resolve small issues.  Probably there are more technical solutions available, but turning it off and turning it on again seems to be my go-to these days.

The bumper pack is a must, in my opinion, and it is irritating that you have to pay £40 for something that is essential.  The edges of the screens look incredibly vulnerable without the bumpers and I would recommend anyone considering buying a Surface Duo includes the cost when making their decision.  They come in a variety of colours, so I suspect that would be Microsoft's excuse for not including them, but I'm sure that could be overcome with a little simple programming on the sales site software - I'm sure they have access to people with suitable skills.  As it happens my wife knows me very well and bought black bumpers to go with the cool black obsidian exterior. They are a breeze to fit - peel off the protective film from the adhesive side and press into place.  Well-engineered, they slot into position perfectly and one month on appear to holding their own without any issues.

Apart from protecting the edges, the bumpers also help overcome the stiction provided by the hinge.  Microsoft know how to design a hinge and the phone screens will stay in whatever position you choose to leave them in.  The bumpers provide a little tactile grip to the edges which could be a tad slippy without them.

Microsoft provide a USB earphone set with the phone - the sound is great, and we can't detect any sound leakage in use at home.  If you want an input device the recommended extra is the Surface slim pen.  Currently discounted by £10, it is selling for £110 on the Microsoft shop and is a super accessory for the Duo.  What is stated but not necessarily clear is that most people also need to buy the charging unit for the pen to use it - mine sat unable to be used for nearly a week after getting the Duo as it arrived uncharged and I didn't have any way to charge it apart from ordering a charger, which is another £30 on top.  I say most need one - some Surface Pro keyboards including the one provided for the Studio seemingly come with a charger built in, so a small number of purchasers will be able to avoid that charge.

Is the pen worth £110 + £30 for the charger?  It certainly is a neat input device; you can open OneNote with a single click of the top of the pen and then open a page where you can use the Duo as an electronic notebook.  A double click takes a screenshot of both screens that you can then edit to include only the detail you need.  I don't think I've had my money's worth out of the pen yet, but it's early days and I'm finding new ways of using the Duo daily.

The device certainly is a smart, head turning piece of tech and I'm keen to keep it looking tidy.  To that end I've bought a felt slip case off eBay.  The seller tailors the case to include bumpers, if you have them fitted, and a loop for the slip pen that keeps it held tightly.  You just have to be clear when ordering what you need.  It increases the bulk of the device and makes it snug in my trouser pockets but it also means it won't slip out when sitting down and protects the device generally - I tend to sit the Duo on the slip case when it is out but not on active duty.

I'm pleased with the Duo so far, one month in, but I'll provide an update probably in the New Year on how it has performed over time.

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What Next - Sat Nav for the Internet?

An amateur graphic designer - not sure if that means unqualified or just unemployed - has drawn up a map of the internet.  It's not the first attempt at this and almost certainly won't be the last, but the man, Martin Vargic, has used an interesting approach to the subject.

Most previous attempts have focussed on the topology of the network, almost impossible today given the world wide distribution and the peer to peer contributions. In fact there are suggestions that the internet is like an iceberg, with the 'visible' net, that which can be found by search engines such as Google forming the tip. I'm not sure what the rest looks like because it isn't visible, but it's reasonable to assume the security services, military, governments et al have extensive hidden parts of the network for obvious reasons. So too does the business community - my online banking, for example, is only just submerged and hopefully only visible to me and my bank. The rest of that bank should be submerged way deeper again.



Then there are the shadow organisations, the ones opposing the law enforcement agencies and the secret services as well as the illegitimate commercial ventures. In short, the criminal and terrorist rings that move stolen goods and money around or plot to terrorise you and me. They appear to control a significant chunk of this hidden internet.

If we ever find out where it is hidden it should be easy to recognise, judging by announcements made recently by he British Prime Minister David Cameron. He has vowed to search every corner of the hidden internet to find and eradicate the bad guys. Noble, worthwhile and very generous given he's supposed to be running the country as well. At least his insight indicates that the hidden internet contains vertices, which are conspicuously absent from Martin's map, so that should be a giveaway.

What Martin has done, and very skilfully it has to said, is to create a faux map containing two continents, the old world and the new world. The old world contains the likes of Microsoft and Apple, while the new world contains social networks like Facebook and Twitter, search engines like Google and, well, Google (to be fair Yahoo does occupy an outpost of the new world and therefore, by default, so does Bing). In a suspiciously pointy southern sub-continent there is a region labelled internet crime. Perhaps that is the door to the hidden internet? Is there a sat nav provided for this virtual map? There are parts of this map I'd like to avoid.

Assuming Martin's analysis is a reasonable representation of the internet and that the online equivalent of tectonics prevails, we should see the collision of the old and the new world sometime, probably in our lifetimes thanks to Moore's Law and the internet corollaries, and a new new world emerging. Perhaps the collision will seal off the hidden internet, or at least the bits most of us could live without, which would be rather unfortunate for my alter-ego B L O'Feld. Of course, if anyone could turn colliding continents into a business opportunity, it would be him.

The map is a creative way of looking at what now surrounds us, permeates every crevice of our lives and in many ways is the real world. It probably isn't complete, but then again what map is? And it probably will look very different this time next year given the rate of internet change. Martin may have created a new internet profession, populated at the moment just by him. Maybe that should occupy part of the new world hinterlands on his first update. I suspect he could be very busy.


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Will Microsoft Drop Bing?

Microsoft are in for a busy year, by all accounts. Windows is scheduled to have another upgrade, to 8.2. This is eagerly awaited by those who want to stay with Microsoft but don't want to play with the metro interface. The Start button is returning and users will be able to pretend they are on an upgraded Windows 7 environment without ever seeing the metro tiles again. Those tiles will also be capable of being placed on the 'traditional' Windows screen and run like icons. I'm pretty cool with the metro look, but understand why people don't want to change from what they know. In fact, if Microsoft pull this off they will have totally blind-sided Apple with a two faced interface, one for work, one for play, all in one package.

But this isn't even the biggest challenge for Microsoft. They are going to get a new CEO mid year when Steve Ballmer stands down. Apparently they have narrowed the list to twenty candidates. I floated my resume, but I'm guessing I didn't make the shortlist. Some of the candidates are internal departmental chiefs and some are from outside of the company. One who can claim to be a bit of both groups is Stephen Elop, currently deputy CEO of Nokia, the company Microsoft is busy buying.

Elop has played a ballsy game because he has stated he will slay a couple of sacred cows if he gets the gig. Specifically he says he'll sell off XBox and will kill Bing. Seemingly he wants Microsoft to get back to basics, to re-entrench in their core business model. Personally I think he'll have an uphill battle with both ideas, particularly since Ballmer wants both to be ring-fenced. Of course, like all big organisations, his words only carry weight while he's the boss and I'm sure there are hawks and doves in the upper echelons for both products. What I think Elop's doing is ensuring he controls the conversation if he gets called forward, can make his case, concede where necessary and attempt to make the board think he is a leader prepared to make hard decisions.

In the final analysis, do his ideas make sense? Well, unsurprisingly I don't have access to the critical numbers needed to decide if either or both systems deserve to be culled, but I can make an educated guess at the practical issues.

Taking XBox first, it probably soaks up a huge amount of resources and is attempting to make Microsoft look like a viable content provider to challenge iTunes. If it was sold off Microsoft would still reap the Windows spin off advantages without having the operating overheads. But they would lose control over XBox just as it is maturing. XBox will become less of a games console and more of a human to machine interface in the next couple of years and I'm looking forward to that ride. I think selling it now would be a marginal short term gain and a long term loss to the company. Hopefully Microsoft will see sense and keep it.

But Bing is a different problem. I've been consciously using Bing for about six months and can say that generally it is as good as Google most of the time. I don't think it is ever better than Google so by definition it is slightly inferior to the search engine that has become a verb and adjective in most modern languages. It probably costs a shed load of cash to populate and I'm guessing it pulls in a fraction of the revenues that Google gets. However, if Microsoft exits the search engine then the world will be a poorer place. I can still remember the early days of Google when I got the answer to whatever query I made without having to wade through a page of sponsored links. OK, Bing plays the same game, but I think they are more upfront about it, probably because they don't attract as much result skewing investment as Google. If they abandon Bing then there won't be any realistic alternative to Google, who will get ever bigger and more powerful. If only as a market balancing service I hope that Microsoft retain Bing, or maybe they could sell part of it and keep it running at arm's length.

I also hope that everyone reading this blog entry considers using Bing at least once a day out of the many searches you carry out. If you use Internet Explorer you've got a permanent Bing entry box in the top right corner - try it, if only to search for Google. Anyone who has read my blog for a while will know I'm not a big fan of monopolies, and letting Bing go would create the biggest, most influential monopoly this planet has ever seen, one unlikely to be challenged by the likes of the Russian Google, Yandex, for example.

This is going to be a big year for Microsoft. I hope it ends with XBox and Bing intact.

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2014 - Downturn for Apple?

Apple have had it all their own way for the last seven years or so, and justifiably so given they gave the mobile phone market a massive kick in the rear and created the tablet market.  And did they dominate? You bet.

Then along came Google with Android, playing a long game on the apps and the OS.  Now they have the lion's share of the mobile phone market if not the revenue.  Apple have maintained their traditional pricing structure, positioning themselves as the premium product and for a while that was certainly true.  However their reputation is wearing thin, their products are not as diverse as the competition and critically they are failing to win market share in developing regions.

While mobile phone growth has remained steady in the western markets the effects of the credit crunch on disposable income has slowed down discretionary spending, although the queues around the Apple stores seem to belie this.  Android phones are seen as more versatile in the developing regions - it has a similar number of apps to Apple now and there is a wide variety of products at virtually every price point available.

Google aren't getting it all their own way, though.  In these critical markets Microsoft are seeing major growth.  They're late to the party, but in these regions they're catching up. Their alliance with Nokia means that there are some competitive phones in the developing regions and Microsoft are expected to see serious growth and market share in 2014.  They'll not get anywhere Android, but they could equal or better Apple worldwide.  Apple may have a certain cache with discerning customers, but their product line is looking limited and not at all diverse.  If you want a larger screen, better consider an iPad mini, because the mobile phones are all pretty much the size they were when they were launched many years ago.

But it is in the app sales that the war will really hot up.  Google are recompensing app developers pretty much the same the same amount as Apple do, an area they haven't previously competed well in.  Given the larger market share of Android this may affect development choices, which have traditionally favoured Apple.  Microsoft's app store, although only one fifth of the size of Apple's and Android's, is growing at a faster rate than either, possibly through developers cashing in on existing code as they get used to Windows 8 programming requirements.

Apple may have to consider expanding its range of products to retain its market share in both hardware and apps, but due to its long established principle of only developing in-house it will struggle to compete with the range of Android and Windows 8 mobile phones coming out.  Consequently it will have to change its model or see itself side-lined in 2014.

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Windows For Free?

Microsoft are seriously considering allowing their Windows 8 (full fat and RT) OS to be installed on mobile phones for free. It's unclear whether they are considering this just for mobile phones or whether tablets would be included. It makes a lot of sense, Microsoft have allowed Google to stalk them with Android and capture a market share that could have been shared more equitably.

Apart from the Apple slice of the phone and tablet market, Google have been allowed to dominate the non-Apple devices apart from the few Windows CE devices that preceded Windows 8 and Microsoft have suffered a double blow as a result. You see, adoption of Android for phones and tablets hasn't only affected those devices but has also impacted on PC sales and allowed Google to muscle in with its Chromebooks. So market share has been lost in every market that Microsoft should have been aiming to be number one in.

It appears that Microsoft has reaped most of its mobile Windows license fees from Nokia up until recently, however the acquisition of the mobile manufacturer means that any license fees are at best an internal transfer of finances. To make any money out of the OS Microsoft may have to give it away.

The logic behind this is that to compete directly with Google then Microsoft has to equal or better Google's deal, and given that Google give Android away to all and sundry then Microsoft need to follow suit. In fact, given that independent device manufacturers have to incorporate Microsoft license fees in any devices they sell with Windows 8 installed it's a wonder any bothered so far. Allowing mobile phones and tablets to have free versions of Windows 8 starts the road to embedding the OS into the fabric and consciousness of future PC buyers. Given the interaction between devices running Windows 8 this should help drive adoption of the OS in laptops and PCs.  The biggest challenge will be the cut-off point between tablets and laptops - as Microsoft's own Surface devices demonstrate.  Where the free licensing stops and paid for licences starts could be the hardest decision needed.

Microsoft will need to reap revenue from tertiary elements such as Bing and the app store, as well as from in-app advertising. The Bing benefits should accrue naturally from more Windows 8 installations but the app store will need serious investment to catch up with the Android version. The Apple store, with over one million apps and growing, is going to be the toughest act to catch.

It remains to be seen if Microsoft are going to take the leap into giving their OS away for free, but if they don't then they stand to lose out in the mobile and tablet markets, which by inference could lead to the demise of their desktop and laptop base. That would leave a planet divided between Apple and Google which probably isn't a great prospect. Putting Microsoft between those two would keep the market keen, which is better for consumers.

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iPad Pro for 2014

There are strong rumours circulating that Apple are likely to launch an iPad Pro device in the first half of next year.  If anything, this is an overdue development for the Apple tablet and one that Microsoft have shown to be ripe for the taking with its Surface tablets.

There's no argument that the iPad has infiltrated itself into business use way beyond its capabilities - lets be honest here, it's not the most secure of computing devices.  However it became such a must-have device but was and is priced as a premium commodity that inevitably it was those who were heading up the upper echelons of businesses and organisations who managed to get hold of the devices first, flexing their corporate budgets to obtain something that was initially quite elitist.  The question of security was probably swept under the carpet - if the boss wants an iPad, he gets an iPad.

Roll forward a few years and the iPad is still a premium commodity item, is still as insecure as ever and to be fair there's a few other premium tablets vying for part of Apple's business at a similar price point, although the trend has been towards the budget end.  Ultimately the iPad and most of the other slates are just consumer devices, only some tablets cost more limbs than others.  However Microsoft have shown that there is a need for a secure tablet in the market - or as secure as any Microsoft product can be as they are inevitably the target for the majority of the attempts to compromise their OS due to their ubiquitous position in the business and domestic sectors.  Whether it has been Microsoft entering the tablet arena that has spurred Apple, or whether if was always part of their game plan, isn't known.  But it seems like they are moving towards a Professional-orientated iPad next year.

Whether the device will be iOS or based on iMac software is an interesting starting point for consideration - the systems are too far apart to be merged at this point in time.  But there is a compelling argument for either approach - make the iPad Pro an extension of the MacBook range and software and you have what Microsoft have been aiming at, at the risk of alienating the traditional iPad power users who would happily pay for the Pro as an extended iOS device, or base it on a secure version of iOS so that it can access all those apps - now understood to have passed the 1 million mark - at the risk of limiting its compatibility with traditional Apple computer users.

Cost is going to be an interesting element, too, given that the consumer device is already priced high.  Apple tends towards premium pricing generally and let's face it, Microsoft have eased the market for this with its Surface Pro pricing strategy. Apple laptops and desktops have tended to be more expensive than their Microsoft software based competitors historically, so pitching just above the Surface Pro price point probably wouldn't be unreasonable to the Apple faithful. Of course Microsoft have the initiative here and could drop the Surface Pro pricing ahead of any iPad Pro launch, increasing the differential price pressure on Apple.

The biggest question, though, has to be around connectivity. Apple really has to think long and hard about its resistance to using industry standard interfaces such as USB, HDMI and micro SD slots. OK, we're all getting our heads around the cloud now, but Wi-Fi isn't as omnipresent as it should be. Of course Apple would likely include 4G as standard in a Pro model, but that may not fit in fully with every commercial organisations security profile.

An iPad for the grown up world is long overdue and looks like it should be here before mid 2014. Not only should it gladden the hearts of the iPad professionals and their long worrying ICT managers, it should exert a downward pressure on the prices of the consumer devices of all flavours.  In fact Google should worry because this is a race they currently cannot compete in and could lead to an erosion of the Android brand. Microsoft should view this as healthy and supporting their strategy; Apple competing validates the sector and makes it more robust.

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Has Microsoft Got Apple Rattled?

The release of the new Surface tablets, especially the Surface Pro, seems to have started a bit of a measured round of verbal tennis between Apple and Microsoft.  The fact that the rhetoric is restrained indicates that they are playing a serious game here.

Apple are talking up the iPad Air and are touting an Office-like clone that will run on the iPad.  That has to be a way forward and takes the iPad out of the serious toy world into real productivity arena.  Like Microsoft or loathe them, they've forced this agenda.  I've been saying for the last two years that the lack of productive uses for tablet computers has been the elephant in the boardroom.  Sure there's a lot of serious applications for the likes of the iPad and its Android cousins, but until Microsoft launched the Surface earlier this year complete with the ability to run Microsoft Office and to connect to a secure network (for the Pro version anyway), the elephant roamed unchallenged.

But the tablets that Microsoft have launched, along with similar hybrid devices based on Windows 8 by other manufacturers, have changed the game.  Although the RT version of the Surface seems to have stalled, it still represents an amazing amount of productivity for very little cost - around the price of a lesser spec iPad, but weighing only about an ounce more.  You get the touchy-feely iPad-like environment with the tablet, but also the ability to write novels, update spreadsheets, produce PowerPoint presentations with the magnetic clip-on keyboard.  Add SkyDrive with its free 7GB storage and the WiFi connectivity then you have something that is more than the sum of its parts.  The weakness is the apps; Windows 8 is playing catch up with iOS and Android, Windows 8 RT is going nowhere fast.  Because RT has only the Microsoft store available to access apps and won't run legacy Windows 7 or earlier programs it is struggling to convince.

However the Pro, at admittedly nearly twice the price of the RT, can do all of the above and more.  It is heavier, though, and thicker.  I've been using one this last week to see how it compares with traditional laptops when out of the office.  The jury's out at present, but for those situations where a mix of legacy software and business applications are required, the Pro may be the solution.  Connection to a secure intranet seems seamless and the machine is fast in use.

So can Apple catch up with the iPad Air?  Well, one area the Surface Pro is struggling is in the weight department - it is relatively heavy in use.  Apple have a track record of addressing weight issues.  The Pro does have a minimalist approach that Steve Jobs would probably approve of - power button, volume button and one USB port but when used with the new dock it seems to expand nicely.  Apple have yet to get over the USB port concept, which may hold them back.  The unknown quantity is the Office-like software being suggested.  There are a few Office clones around, with Open Office being the best well known.  It works reasonably well and produces MS Office compatible files, but I always feel I'm wrestling with it (I use it on a netbook).  Apple have an uphill battle to create an Office replacement that works on the iPad and makes users feel it is worth the effort. And good luck with printing - after two years we're still struggling to print from an iPad at home, but I find my Surface RT prints wirelessly without any apparent effort, although I suspect that was part of the 8.1 upgrade as I did struggle before.

So Microsoft have challenged Apple and their responses this week suggest that they have struck home.  Apple are getting serious about making the iPad serious.  It should also make Microsoft sit up too - Apple are a very capable company with a track recode of delivering - if Microsoft want to keep their lead in this serious tablet arena then they have more work to do.  Hopefully by the third iteration of the Surface Pro it will have the weight and thickness of the first generation RT.

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Could Microsoft Buy Nook?

Barnes & Noble are fighting an uphill battle, as are many of the traditional bookstores world-wide.  To be fair to B&N they recognised that the future of literature involved a heavy helping of eBooks and consequently invested in their eBookstore and launched generation after generation of ground breaking Nook eReaders.

The only mis-step I can see is that they took too long to establish themselves in the UK.  We may not be the largest eBook market on the planet - that's the US - but we're pretty big players.  They had an opportunity a year and a half ago when they were being wooed by Waterstones, a  UK bookseller filling a similar market segment to B&N.  I have no idea what went wrong - possibly they were a little too alike - but B&N didn't sign up and Waterstones started to stock Kindles, for goodness sake.

That brief outburst of frustration is not that there is anything wrong with Kindles - I have one and think it's great, I use the Kindle app on my Microsoft RT too. Technically I have it on my Nexus, but as I can't get past the cracked startup screen I don't count that one.  No, my frustration is due to Waterstones badmouthing Amazon and their overt attempts at ruling the eBook world.  If I didn't know better, I'd say I was writing copy for Waterstones back then, certainly I didn't have the monopoly on concern over Amazon.  But, the deal with B&N apparently gone south, Waterstones jumped into bed with Amazon even though their online eBookstore sells ePubs, not Kindle books.  Talk about mixed messages.

Anyway, B&N are struggling, have been for a couple of years.  They design their eReaders in-house, which is ballsy for a bookseller - it must be all those electronics books on the shelves - and they've been building them themselves too.  Now that does surprise me - I assume they are the first tier in the production chain, working with whichever factories produce their products, but now they are looking for someone to take over the whole production process.  They're still going to continue to design them in-house though, at least for the time being.

They'd be long gone, I reckon, if it hadn't been for a couple of handouts - or investments as the market probably calls them - and one of these was from Microsoft.  But the road is still very bumpy and there's a lot of concern about the future viability of B&N eReaders.  Speculation is that Microsoft may be muscling in for a takeover.

It makes a lot of sense, assuming B&N are truly up to their neck in muck.  Microsoft would get a foot in the eBook market, another step towards erasing the Apple differentiation and one that sits well with the Xbox music.  Also, the platform could be used to launch further Windows 8 tablets - maybe there's still life in RT after all?  And it keeps B&N as a viable entity in the eBook world and I for one would be grateful.  I'm unlikely to buy a B&N product right now - as I said they left it late launching in the UK and I'm up to my ears in Kindles, Microsoft Surfaces and cracked Google Nexii right now, but in another time I might consider it.  As an author who sells a proportion of his books through the B&N network to their clearly discerning readers, I want them to continue , if only to challenge Amazon.

The sale price is rumoured to be in the region of $1 billion, which suggests B&N aren't out of the game yet.  My guess is that Microsoft will be looking to get in before the main holiday sales push - there's only one real time to gain market share and that time is coming up in a few months.  So we should know before September  is out.

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Microsoft Gets Its Chequebook Out

Apple kicked the App market off when it launched the iPhone.  I think it must have been an interesting day when Steve Jobs walked into the boardroom to make his pitch.  What do you mean, you want to allow independent developers to produce apps for the new device?  You'll be letting anyone make docks, next.

Apple were right to let developers have their head.  Some have made a literal fortune out of the app market, and good luck to them.  Of course Apple knew what they were doing - all the apps had to be sold through the iTunes store and they took a skim off the top.  Millions upon millions of skims later and Apple are a cash rich company.  And those third party docks that meant we had a fantastic choice at next to no risk to Apple - I'm guessing there was a licensing fee involved too.  Talk about win-win.

Now everyone has to compete with Apple for the app market.  The savvy app companies develop their apps for all the successful platforms out there, which means Apple of course plus Android, naturally.  Somewhere out there is also Research In Motion's Blackberry devices, but they are hardly leading the way and developers could be forgiven for not prioritising them.

Microsoft are a little late to the party as well.  Windows 8 is still relatively young, although a few months makes a lot of difference in this modern age.  With the advent of viable smart screen PCs to take advantage of the new OS Microsoft are desperate to start to match Apple in the app market.  It's a tall order, with Apple claiming around 900,000 apps on the iTunes store.  Of course many of them won't have sold many units at all, a bit like eBook titles I guess, while others will have been a runaway success.  To be fair, Microsoft reckon that they have 48 of the top 50 apps in the charts in their store.  But looking at the app store on Windows 8 leaves me a little cold - I'm a hard consumer to please in the games market for example because I'm not too bothered about high resolution multi player games and to be honest all I want is some logic games that don't insult my limited intelligence while I'm waiting for the dentist to call me in.  I haven't found a decent Soduko to match the average fare for free in the Android market yet and Everett Kaser has obstinately said that he has no intention of developing a new version of Sherlock for 'another operating system' until it proves to be viable.

But they want more than that, which is reasonable given they want Windows 8 to be a success, especially in the critical smart phone market.  The mobile market is key to Microsoft's strategy because they are banking on us wanting to take advantage of the functionality in Windows 8 that lets us move seamlessly from mobile phone to PC to Xbox, that is we can start watching a film on one of those devices and pick it up where we left off on any of the other two. They're making grudging progress in the PC market which isn't unexpected - while many of us may choose to run Linux at home, corporately Microsoft is still king.

So the call has gone out to developers that the chequebook is open and Microsoft is prepared to pay up to $100,000 for apps that will run on Windows 8.  It sounds aggressive and as always it will be the small print that will decide if it's worth diverting developer work towards Windows 8, but I'm fairly confident that many operations will be sitting up and taking notice.  It's unclear on how the proportion of $100k is allocated, but definitely worth asking the question, I would suggest. If I was running a development house I'd still prioritise iOS and Android, but I'd have my patent pending Slide Rule app (what do you mean - what's a slide rule?  Don't you use log tables anymore?) running to see if the numbers stack up with the Microsoft offer.  Let's face it, they might not be the richest company in the world anymore, but being third or fourth is still pretty good.  Their credit's good for me.

If you know any app developers, let them know Microsoft are looking for apps and they're in a paying mood.  Maybe I'll develop that Slide Rule app for Windows 8 myself. It can't be any worse than the standard calculator app and might appeal to engineers of, ahem, a certain age.

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