

Microsoft: iPad’s Closed Platform is “Humorous” - pohl
http://technologizer.com/2010/01/28/microsoft-ipads-closed-platfor-is-humorous/

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dasil003
No Microsoft, this is what's humorous:

 _Developing applications for the iPhone and iPad is expensive, he said,
because iPhone OS uses the Objective C language rather than Microsoft’s more
pervasive .NET platform._

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Groxx
Same here, I literally laughed out loud at that, and read it to a nearby
programmer. I've used .NET and Cocoa, he's used .NET, and we both think it's a
laughable claim. Personally, I _vastly_ prefer Cocoa's API / frameworks to
.NET.

Programming for Apple products is frickin easy.

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jsz0
_"With Microsoft’s platforms, developers can build whatever they want"_

Except on the Zune & Xbox platforms that is.

~~~
volida
If you can compete with the million dollar budgets of video game companies I
don't think anybody can stop you from developing for Xbox.

~~~
jsz0
Microsoft certainly can. You have to accept their license agreement and
possibly an NDA to develop on the Xbox platform. I don't think the exact terms
are public knowledge. We can look at the XNA license/participation terms for
some hints though:

 _"Microsoft reserves the right to take down a game retroactively without
notice. Microsoft encourages peer reviewers to report objectionable content in
a game."_

 _"Peer reviewers will reject your game if:

-Your game contains prohibited content, which is content not allowed on Xbox LIVE services -You misrepresent what is in the game play or in the promotional materials for the game. All games must have a trial mode that showcases the actual game experience. If you fail to do so, or use this method to provide your game for free, your game will be failed in the Peer Review process. Games are NOT available for free currently on the system. This system is NOT a video hosting service and should not be used as such. -The promotional content for your game ( for example, the box art, description, banner or title) is not appropriate for all ages on Xbox LIVE Marketplace -The game crashes, it has too many bugs, or it is technically defective in some way"_

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umjames
If I understand this correctly, you can't make free games for Xbox? At least
you can make free apps for the App Store.

~~~
potatolicious
Worse, you can't make free _updates_ for Xbox games. MS demands that all
additional content cost money - this has been a point of contention between
Valve and MS recently, as they are in the habit of releasing frequent, small
content packs their games, and the pricing structure prevents this.

~~~
Gmo
I'd like a source for that claim, because there are some free DLCs for XBOX
360 ...

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Groxx
I love Gruber's assessment:

 _Yes, there is much jealousy from iPhone developers at the sacks full of
money being made by Zune and Windows Mobile app developers._

<http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/01/29/msft-ipad>

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codekiller
Show us how to design a mobile platform, Microsoft.

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MrSartorial
I think that the author is completely right about the iPad (the names still
makes me grimace) being an appliance. As are all of Apple's products, more or
less. Microsoft is a little off the mark on this one, but it IS their job to
criticize their competitors. I look forward to seeing their technological
rebuttal since they sound so cock-sure. They better act fast.

~~~
pwhelan
Well... Microsoft has had tablets around that can do all of those things for a
while. They can do more, actually. No, they do not look as sleek nor are they
as targeted. However, all it takes is one hardware vendor to put together
something solid together and MS has a strong competitor to the iPad that
doesn't tie one down and could provide a much richer applications world.

~~~
dasil003
This attitude is why so few companies even come close to replicating the Apple
experience. It's not about "what the device can do", it's about elegance and
design from end to end. No one will ever make a Win tablet that can compare to
the iPad because the applications will not target that specific device, they
will always have a watered down UX.

~~~
pwhelan
Maybe I just don't get it, but if the opportunity is there, then what stops an
established company or a startup from making a tablet that does exactly this
but is more flexible? Probably easier with a linux variant? My point is that
this device could likely easily be replicated with a ux that treats the owner
like an owner. By restricting everything so much, Apple has seriously limited
its options -- especially in enterprise computing.

I don't know if the tablet market will progress the same way as the smart
phone os market has, but I doubt Apple has hit a home run here. I look for a
"Symbian tablet" or RIM-like product to take the majority of the market share
and profits.

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johns
I wonder if Brandon will stop by to comment on this:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=BrandonWatson>

~~~
rajat
Well, not here, but he has commented on this: <http://www.manyniches.com/fun-
stuff/broken-tablets/>

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pi3832
When did fanboys become apologist?

