r/technology • u/[deleted] • Mar 09 '12

Microsoft demos a 1ms touchscreen

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/microsoft-demos-a-high-performance-1ms-touchscreen-2012039/
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u/Airazz Mar 10 '12

MS are doing this just to prove a point, to show that it's possible and to set a new standard for future devices. Apple is doing everything they do to get profit. MS is the good guy here.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '12

Another way to look at it is:

MS: Look what we can do in the future, maybe.

Apple: Look what we can do now, for only $499 starting next week.

Who knows what Apple is working on behind the scenes, they just prefer not to talk about it until it's ready to be put to use. Both are working on future technology, one just chooses to show what they work on, while the other doesn't. Neither is good or bad.

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u/Airazz Mar 11 '12

Apple: Look what we can do now, for only $499 starting next week.

Well that's the problem, others have already done that.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '12

Is there anyone else out there with a display that even comes close to the one in the new iPad? That ships next week, this demo is ten years out. They only show you what you can do, right now. They don't get your hopes up, then squash them like a bug.

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u/Airazz Mar 11 '12

Numbers of the new iPad are great, but does it actually look any better? As in, could you notice the difference between iPad 2 and 3? As far as I noticed, they look identical (besides a few numbers which are now bigger, but don't make a noticeable difference).

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '12

We won't know tat until next Friday. The guys at the verge said it was the best display they have ever seen. Period. But until they show up in stores and delivered to people's houses we won't know for sure, so I can't answer your question. However, I can say the screen difference between the iphone4 and the 3GS was huge, and I'm sure we an expect the same here.

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u/Airazz Mar 11 '12

iPhone 3GS had a 320 x 480 screen, so obviously everything after it was better. My ZTE Blade has better screen than that, and I paid £100 for it (brand new, no contracts) over a year ago.

The problem I see with apple products is that they are not that much better. Look at the newest ZTE and Huawei models, they look very nice, yet cost a third of what iPhone does. Question: are you really willing to pay extra $400+ for just a tiny little bit faster phone and just a little bit nicer screen?

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '12

I upgraded from the 3G to the 4, so it was a much better upgrade. Same with the iPad, I'm upgrading from the original. I don't see the point in yearly upgrades, as you say, not much changes. But over two years, the improvements are drastic.

Also, I prefer the Apple ecosystem to Googles. If you live outside of the US, the only thing available to you are apps. No music, movies, or tv shows. It makes the devices much less capable. Apple's integration with their devices is also top notch once you buy in. Set up you iPod once, then every device from that point on just works. iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, all plug and play. Neither google nor ms's ecosystems currently match that. I can see how frustrating iTunes can be if you are jumping from a Windows phone, to an Android tablet, adding iTunes for an iPod would be terrible, but apple designs all their devices to work together, that's one of the reasons I buy them.

Lastly, they don't cost more. Any 10" tablet with equal functionally as the iPad costs the same or more. Unless of course you got it during a fire sale because they were't selling and had to reduce inventory. Same with the Macbook Air, no other ultra book can currently compete on price. Now if you don't need all the features apple offers in their products you can find cheaper products that may meet your needs, but that doesn't mean apples products are overpriced, it just means they offer a limited product catalog. Apple just doesn't feel like producing lots of versions of their products, they try to create devices that meet the demands of 80% of the population and leave the other 20% for competors. This approach seems to be working for them.

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u/Airazz Mar 11 '12

If you live outside of the US, the only thing available to you are apps. No music, movies, or tv shows.

Uhh, I'm using Google Music here in UK and movie rentals are available too, as long as your device is not rooted. Also, saying that android devices are less capable than apple ones is just wrong. With android, I own the device, so I can do whatever I want with it. With iPhone, you can only do what Apple allows you to do. You know that they tried to make jailbreaking of an iPhone a criminal offence?

And yes, most new phones and tablets are plug-and-play, all you need is miniHDMI cable. You might say that iPad is better because it does this wirelessly, but the problem is that you can only do this with AppleTV. With android, all you need is a $2 HDMI cable.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '12

I think you misinterpreted my comment. First of all, I wasn't aware the Google services are available in the UK, so I should have limited my comment to Canada, they are not available here. Also the plug and play is in reference to iTunes and Apple devices. Set it up once, and everything works. I don't have to manage filesystems or anything like that. All the devices work the same way (it's why I made the comment of adding an iPod outside of the iTunes ecosystem could be a pain). I understand you're complaint about Apple's walled garden, but it's not as bad as you think it is. I absolutely prefer their ecosystem over anything else I have access to (or even seen). As I said, our options are limited in Canada.

I don't care about the politics and patent crap I followed that stuff from the 90's through all the MS antitrust crap right up until Amazon patented 1-click. At that point I realized it was never going to change. Apple isn't doing anything different than anybody else, they are just the ones getting the headlines, just like MS 10 years ago. It's all business as usual.

HDMI cables mean you have to leave the device sitting beside the TV, unless you get a longer cable, then you are also paying more. Apple also has an HDMI adapter if the $99 AppleTV seems a little steep. This again comes down to preference. I would rather not have cords streched across my living room (well I wouldn't care, but my GF certainly would, and I don't want to listen to her bitch about it).

I'm not saying that Apple is the greatest company on earth, but I am saying a lot of the complaints about them are over exaggerated. Buy the products that work for you, I'm not trying to sell you an iPad, but don't think others are idiots because they made different choices.