

iPad, Surface, Ultrabook: Are we there yet? - jongalloway2
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/iPadSurfaceUltrabookAreWeThereYet.aspx

======
rayiner
I recently tried an experiment in downsizing everything to an iPad. On one
hand, an iPad + good keyboard cover (e.g. Zagg Keys Pro) makes for a very
capable machine. You have to adopt a less schizophrenic workflow, but the
basics are all there: e-mail correspondence, reading documents, light
composition/editing of documents, etc.

On the other hand, it's not a super enjoyable platform for programming just
yet. Emacs-ing into an AWS account works great, but the 10" isn't big enough
for two buffers side-by-side. A 13" screen is just perfect for two 80x25
buffers.

I ended up getting an Air to supplement. It doesn't replace my iPad--reading
and marking up PDF's (which I do a lot while researching cases) is just a joy
on an iPad between the Retina display and touch manipulation.

This arrangement doesn't achieve the dream of consolidation, but: 1) together
they're no heavier than my 13" MBP; 2) it's super handy to have the second
screen.

I'm not thrilled about the combo devices. They all involve substantial
compromises, which is why I assume Apple has stayed away so far. And as a
practical matter, I think a 3 pound MBA + 1.5 pound iPad, with a combined 16+
hours of WiFi-enabled battery life, is more manageable in practice than a 3.5
pound convertible with 4-5 hours of battery life.

Out of the combo devices, I think the dockables actually have the most
promise, though there isn't a good one yet. I'd love to see something like the
Asus TF810C (dockable Clovertrail Windows 8 machine), except without the
garish spun metal backing and with a Retina-class display:
[http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/en_US/pd/ThemeID...](http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/en_US/pd/ThemeID.27509700/ASUS-
VivoTab-TF810C-Tablet/productID.256540300).

------
Joeri
> Now that we can get 1080p resolution (or larger!) on a 13" or 11" screen
> there's less reason to go large.

I've tried the 11" macbook air and simply couldn't get over the fact that the
screen is too dense/ small. The ipad, or even the mini, are fine, but that's
because apps are designed for low information density / large font sizes.
Desktop OS's simply don't fit well on screens below 13" unless you have
excellent vision, which I don't. Windows 8's solution of lowering information
densities to cope with small screens is a non-solution, because the reason to
use a proper laptop is to be productive, and productivity requires information
density. I expect the tide to turn and screens to become larger again. 13" is
the bare minimum for me.

> The touch keyboard on the iPad is excellent, really

Again, not for me. I can't type properly on it. I'm using it right now and not
liking the experience. I agree that it is as good as touch keyboards are going
to get, but that simply is not good enough. I'm glad the tide is shifting and
people are realizing that a proper keyboard attached to a tablet makes sense.

~~~
xxpor
Psh. We can get a 1080p screen on a 4" phone. Where's the retina air?

~~~
rayiner
My prediction is that Haswell will free up enough power budget on the next MBA
to fit in a Retina screen.

------
primitur
I'm using a Motorola Lapdock with an MK808 PC-on-a-stick right now to post
this message. I'll never buy an Apple machine again; instead I'll just upgrade
the PC-on-a-stick to something new, in a few months.

Everything my mega-Linux DAW workstation at home can do, this thing can now
do. I don't need Apple; the ultra-light solution I can stash in my pocket,
plug into my friends HDMI screen, or hook up to a lapdock, is all I need ..

~~~
msh
Could you expand on this? Googling the mk808 it sounds like its a tv device.

~~~
primitur
Yes, I built a user-upgradable ultra-notebook out of an MK808 and the
(strangely) discontinued Lapdock, for ~$150. Had to make a cable, though..

The MK808 is a TV device! But its also an Ubuntu workstation. It runs Android
and Ubuntu.

I plug it into the Lapdock: oila, user-upgradable laptop. I plug it into the
TV: oila, I can play games and movies and so on. Time to do a backup - plug it
into a USB hub and the home server images the disk. Time to get a new one? Put
the old one in a drawer as a backup, buy something else that fits in the
Lapdock for ~$80.

I write software, and right now I'm working exclusively in MOAI, so building
the MOAI host in Ubuntu on the MK808 was a matter of an hour of work, and
beyond that - I have a full-blown Ubuntu workstation to work with. When I want
to play, switch to Android and off we go ..

It is truly fabulous!

~~~
msh
Sounds interesting. What is the speed of that thing, can it hand JS heavy
webapps in a desktop browser properly?

~~~
primitur
1.g5hz Quad-Core, 2gigs of RAM. Its not enough RAM .. if this catches on, I
hope that mfr's will allow us to deck these things out with 16Gigs .. that'd
be amazing.

<http://www.cloudsto.com/new-mk802iiis.html>

^^ nice, and cheap!

Also really nice:

[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/872297630/gamestick-
the-...](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/872297630/gamestick-the-most-
portable-tv-games-console-ever)

------
afsina
Curious, no mention of the elephant in the room (Android).

~~~
pavanky
> I've been blogging here for a decade and I stand on my reputation for being
> fair and impartial to the best of my abilities.

 _ctrl + f "android"; none found. shrug. give up_

~~~
sbuk
What if he's got no experience using Android and sensibly decided to make no
comment on it?

This insistence on balance is getting tedious. Humans like something better
than others, often with prejudice. When I see someone claiming about bias or a
lack of balance I just read it as the have a different opinion and want to
whine about it.

~~~
gbog
> This insistence on balance is getting tedious.

Balance? No, here I would insist on honesty. Had this guy been honest, he
would have mentioned Android and maybe Ubuntu, at least to tell us he has not
much experience with them. But as GP said: elephant in the room.

Can you imagine a guy talking in general terms about high-end cars,
emphasizing proudly his "reputation for being fair and impartial", talked at
lengths about Mercedes and Audi, and about Audi and Mercedes, and never even
mentioning BMW?

Anyway, the Giant Mammoth in the room just shows how Microsoft fears Android
much more than Apple, and rightly so.

~~~
shanselman
Honest it was just because a rooted TouchSmart is a crappy Android tablet. You
can decide that means my employer affects my blogging so that I ignore that
"elephant" or you can read my detailed post on how to root your own
TouchSmart. ;)
[http://www.hanselman.com/blog/HowToUpgradeAnHPTouchPadToAndr...](http://www.hanselman.com/blog/HowToUpgradeAnHPTouchPadToAndroidIceCreamSandwich.aspx)

~~~
gbog
Good to have you here. You said you are fair, let's see: do you think Android
has some significant room in tablet space?

~~~
sbuk
That's a loaded question if ever there was one!

~~~
gbog
Well, the GP writes a blog about future and tablets, has a self-declared
"reputation for being fair and impartial"; why would he not reply to a common
question as Android's room in tablet market?

~~~
sarvinc
The GP has already answered your question but I can't help asking what does
this prove? If the GP said "no I honestly don't see a place for Android" would
that make him less honest or bias? He may be wrong or right but I'm not sure
how you could judge bias by the answer.

------
smegel
> An Ultrabook (I have a generic) is a 11" or 13" laptop with a touch screen.

I don't think touch screens were a mandatory feature of ultrabooks. _shrug_

~~~
RexRollman
Personally speaking, I am not a fan of putting my fingers all over the
display; I prefer having a clean screen.

------
ranqet
Hypothetically, if Apple were to allow the ability to run iOS/iPad apps within
OS X, and put a touch screen on their laptops and desktops, would people use
this?

This is basically what Windows has done with laptops and desktops with touch
screens. I don't think I'm alone in feeling that it's weird and awkward.

~~~
InclinedPlane
Some degree of cross-pollination is desirable, at least in terms of usability
for the average computer user. It would be a mistake to imagine that the
particular limitations and constraints of either iOS or OS X as they exist
today are global optimums.

~~~
ranqet
I agree, and we do see plenty iOS feature appear in OSX and vice-versa
(notification center for instance).

But it should be kept in mind that we are dealing with separate paradigms. The
way one uses a tablet is very different from the way a laptop used, and
software should be designed along these lines.

------
perlpimp
"You eraserhead people are weird."

TrackPoint has been the most efficient way to get cursor around the screen.
Touch interfaces are somewhat there but as per professional software
development they are not. And so for other areas. Touch interfaces are
inefficient, moving hands around is more difficult then fiddling with track
point - as what we weirdos do.

Anyway. Its stupid. What you want doesn't matter, what is amazing will come
and bite you and you will be surprised. Thats how it works. Period. "Or
Revolution will not be televized" etc etc..

~~~
shanselman
I hear you but if that were the case, wouldn't the iPad have a Trackpoint?
Seems the TrackPoint will always be a niche, like the SpaceOrb - a superior
controller, unquestionably, but still the one that lost.

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bobbles
IMO the perfect tablet would be a full size ipad in the ipad mini form factor
with a retina display

~~~
seunosewa
A full size iPad in the iPad mini form factor? I don't get what you mean;
could you elaborate?

~~~
SquareWheel
I'm guessing he means the screen resolution or DPI, but that's not really what
"form factor" means so I'm not sure.

~~~
jarcoal
I think he's referring to the bezel. After using an ipad mini, the regular
ipad just looks... thick.

~~~
sarvinc
Also, maybe, the thickness?

------
MatthewPhillips
One of the coolest things about Windows RT is that you have access to the
filesystem like on any normal computer, and the integration with cloud
filesystems like SkyDrive and Box.net. These are treated as just another drive
and are available from the file picker. Dropbox isn't there yet but I imagine
it is coming.

~~~
josteink
I fail to see how this is different from any Android tablet, except
artificially crippled.

The Windows RT tablets will have the "desktop" mode, but refuse to run any
desktop apps not shipped with the device. You can't compile a standard
Windows-application for ARM, copy it over and have it run. That's a no go.

On Android-tablets, you can whip up a terminal and execute any binary you
like, no matter where it came from.

You can compile Linux user-land tools for ARM and use them as you please. In
fact somebody already did that job for you so you can just deploy them on your
tablet.

I fail to see how Windows RT offers anything which haven't already been here
for years.

~~~
MatthewPhillips
Android doesn't have a file picker. I can't open Random App and open a file
from the internal storage or cloud providers.

I'm not saying Windows RT is perfect or even that good, I'm just saying that
this one particular thing, they got right.

~~~
josteink
_Android doesn't have a file picker._

Maybe stock doesn't, but install any file-manager from market, and voila you
have just that.

~~~
MatthewPhillips
File managers aren't file pickers. 3rd party apps do not integrate with them.

~~~
josteink
That is where you are wrong.

Just like gallery-app can be a file picker, so can a file manager be. Like
cm's file manager is.

Or it can be something else entirely, like a dropbox frontend. You've just got
to have a little bit more imagination ;)

In Android, 3rd parties don't need to integrate, the OS does it for them via
intents. That's the number one thing which makes the OS so flexible and
exciting.

------
kijin
> _One day, someone will make the perfect computing device. Or will they? I'm
> starting to think it's just not possible._

I agree with you that it's not possible, but not for any of the reasons that
you listed in your sizable blog post. Most of the things that you listed could
technically be combined into a single, extremely expensive device. But the
reason it is not possible to make "the perfect computing device" is not
technical, it's philosophical.

General-purpose computing devices have such a wide range of uses and every day
humans are coming up with so many new ways to use such devices, that it does
not make any sense to cram them all into a single "perfect" device. "Perfect"
is relative. Perfect for whom? A Ruby programmer who likes to hang out at
Starbucks? A graphic designer who juggles $10K worth of Adobe software? A
photographer who backpacks around the world, often in rugged terrain? A
scientist who needs a way to visualize the latest data from his particle
accelerator?

Give me the most perfect Ultrabook that you can find, and I'll still complain
that it doesn't come with multiple screens. Give me the most perfect
tablet/keyboard combo that you can find, and I'll still complain that it only
comes with 1 terabyte of storage. Or that the keyboard doesn't have a numpad.
Or that I only get 30fps on my favorite game. Or that the pixels are too
large. Or too small. Or whatever. Because anything you think is good enough to
count as perfect will be seen as terribly deficient by a lot of other people
who have different needs, and vice versa.

For a while, I hoped that the success of data sync tools such as Dropbox would
make ideas like "the perfect computing device" irrelevant. Because people in
wealthy countries would just buy several devices, from 27" desktops to 7"
tablets to 11" ultrabooks to 3.5" iPhones, sync them all, and use whichever
device suited their needs at the moment. It would be the combination of all of
them and the way a person makes use of them that would be perfect, not any
individual device. But it seems that some people are still looking for the One
Device to Replace Them All.

~~~
ImprovedSilence
agreed. but please apple, for the love of god, let me have a file system on
ios devices! that would be. so. close... and i could just dock that to any
workstation ( monitor,keyboard,speaker,etc) i wanted to. maybe ipads runing
osx in "launchpad" mode? but with access to the desktop when docked?

------
rdl
My favorite portable device right now is an MBA13 with an iPad (4) in the same
bag. Use the iPad for reading long documents or very minor editing, and the
MBA13 for everything else.

~~~
jarcoal
This is my setup as well, except I use an ipad mini. It's the best computing
arrangement I've ever had.

------
JosephHatfield
If a screen could be developed that could be adjusted to different sizes as
needed, that would make a single unified computing device much more feasible.

------
rjzzleep
nope, going to take a while before the batteries catch up. 2014 was intels
prediction. hopefully it'll be earlier than that.

------
InclinedPlane
Are we there yet?

I know Hanselman is very sophisticated and tech savvy, but this is utterly
naive. We won't be "there" for years and years, this is still just the
beginning. I suspect that the computers that people use in 2030 will be more
different from the computers of today than those of today are from those of
1996. There will be many familiar elements of course, from desktop, laptop,
and mobile hardware and software, but there will be just as much that is
unfamiliar to us today.

The system-on-a-chip based computer is as much a revolution as the cpu-on-a-
chip "micro-computer" was, and this will result in people using computers in
new ways, people owning and using computers who never have before, and an
explosion of innovation in computer software and technology.

~~~
DigitalJack
We're already there and we'll never be there. The goal posts never stop
moving. The trick is to remember where you thought the goal posts were a few
years ago and realize how awesome things are now.

------
mtgx
Sorry, but there won't be a "perfect computer", if by perfect computer you
understand the convergence of smartphones, tablets and laptops.

Smartphones are too small for a lot of tasks now, tablets are mostly used for
consumption and when you're mostly static, not mobile, hybrids have a lot of
compromises between weight, mobility, price, size, etc, and laptops will be
mainly used for work. Plus, look at this trend - we've been using _more_
devices, not fewer.

If anything the ultimate computer will end up being the smartphone, because
you have it all the time with you, if certain technologies make it a lot more
flexible in what you can do with it in the future, like say holographic stuff.
But by the time the smartphone can do that, we may see those technologies in
totally new devices, like smart glasses or watches, or who knows.

If you look at the whole computing industry since mainframes until
smartphones, we can see at least 3 trends that seem to always be true, with
each new generation of "computing device". They are cheaper, smaller, and
easier to use. So the next generation of computing devices, whatever that is,
should also have those three attributes. And with each generation, we'll
probably continue to use the past 2-3 generations for stuff the new one isn't
very capable of, although less and less.

