

Webcast: Windows 8 Launch (Live) - vyrotek
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/windows/liveevent.aspx

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vyrotek
He's absolutely nailing this Surface presentation right now. I think he's
doing a great job selling it and I think the audience is finally warming up.

~~~
laacz
Yes, Surface presentor was really good. That's what the presentation should
look like.

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heyitsnick
My big question watching this webcast (and reading reviews of windows 8 online
is), how does it all work when you step outside the ecosystem? I want to keep
using chrome, not IE; dropbox not skydrive, gtalk not skype. VLC and a third-
party media player, not the baked in tools.

Will these applications integrate well and can i switch off the defaults? For
example, bookmarks on the homescreen, easily accessible play/pause controls
etc. Or will i feel like i'm wrestling with the OS because i'm not using the
Microsoft tools?

~~~
ConstantineXVI
Just like Windows always has, and then some. Chrome's already got a Metro-
friendly build (though the UI is still identical to the desktop); and Dropbox
et. al. can hook in via "Contracts" (similar to Android Intents) to other apps
and Windows itself.

~~~
pat2man
Its not quite identical, if you launch it via the desktop its the same but if
you launch it via the "metro" launcher its more like a Chromebook.

~~~
ConstantineXVI
Different styling, but same overall UI. No modifications I'm aware of for
touch use or "Metro" restyling has been done so far (and I doubt they're
concerned until x86 tablets ship in significant number or if/when Microsoft
gives way on alt browsers for WinRT)

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dangrossman
I'd like to pick up a Windows 8 (Pro, not RT) tablet right now. I wish
Microsoft had more control over hardware. This webcast isn't going to end with
"and you can buy it right now" since stores won't start selling stuff 'til
tomorrow... and I'm not confident stores near me will have any tablets for
sale tomorrow either. The nearest Microsoft Store is 4+ hours away.

~~~
mbrubeck
x86 Windows 8 tablets from several manufacturers have been available for pre-
order (e.g. on Amazon) for a couple of weeks now, for shipment tomorrow. (Of
course, that doesn't help if you want to go into a store to play with
different devices before buying one.)

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walru
Where's Billy Mays?

Seriously though.. this only highlights how much better Apple's presentations
are. At least they focus on keeping people on stage who know the ins and outs
of the tech they are showing. This lady struggled with the term 1080p..

I'm beginning to warm up to Windows 8, though I still think usability is kind
of a mess, and once you scale up to a 20"+ screen the launch pad looks
'confusing'.

That said, I'm very impressed with all the different devices they have ready
at launch, but something tells me this is the part where they are missing the
secret sauce that Apple posses. As a general consumer I'm simply befuddled at
all the options - the paradox of choice - and I'm more likely to just go
simplify things and go buy that Apple one instead.

~~~
moystard
I don't know if we can still use the Apple keynotes as references as Tuesday
one was really painful. It was slow, packed with marketing keywords, and Tim
Cook was unable to ramp up the suspense through his speech...

PS: I am not watching the Microsoft one right now, so I have no idea if it can
compare.

~~~
walru
I agree.. Tim Cook's presentation was borderline painful to listen to, but
Phil Schiller was as toptastc as ever.

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PhrosTT
I gotta say they really have a coherent message now.

~~~
simba-hiiipower
absolutely; and i feel it’s because they’ve really pulled everything together
nicely and built a very compelling ecosystem. people tend to define the merits
of an ecosystem based largely on app counts, the real value (in my opinion) is
in the range of services you get on a platform, and how much you can
accomplish utilizing them..

connecting to my microsoft account today, i pretty much have access to
services that cover nearly everything i need out of a computing device:

\- email (outlook.com)

\- messaging (skype)

\- cloud storage (skydrive)

\- productivity (office)

\- collaboration (onenote)

\- entertainment (xbox music / xbox video)

\- gaming (xbox live)

\- social media integration (facebook, twitter, linkedin, ... info pulled-in)

\- roaming settings (windows, windows phone)

\- roaming favourites (internet explorer)

that makes for a pretty compelling offering to me, and i honestly don’t see
any of the others in the market coming close to this.

on the development side, while they’re not quite there yet, they also seem to
be the closest in offering an ecosystem where a single application can be
accessible on the widest variety of devices and form-factors; i'd say that’s
pretty damn cool, and as a consumer i'm looking forward to the experiences
that will bring..

~~~
kefs
..until you have to move internationally.

[http://owened.co.nz/how-microsoft-might-sink-its-own-
ecosyst...](http://owened.co.nz/how-microsoft-might-sink-its-own-ecosystem)

~~~
joenathan
Name one provider who offers similar content that doesn't have this issue.
With all the legal and localization issues this is a difficult problem to
solve.

~~~
kefs
The solution is to do it manually.

A dedicated team to manually transfer your account across locales could do the
job right the first time.. and it retains a happy customer within your
ecosystem.. which is the whole point.

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neya
Why isn't Techcrunch or Gizmodo streaming this on their websites like they did
for Apple's event?

~~~
fumar
That is a good question. The Surface presentation was solid. Except for their
pull quotes at the end..."The best screen ever..." ha

~~~
meaty
It's not all about pixel count.

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xenen
I'm really happy with what Microsoft has been doing lately, but this
presentation is kind of failing. It's not really getting the audience that
excited. This doesn't affect my opinion of the new products, but it's not
helping Microsoft's competitive mission, and that makes me cringe a bit.

------
fumar
Watching Ballmer speak at the end was hard. I wish they simplified their
keynotes a little bit.

Off-Topic Question...

I need to purchase my girlfriend a birthday gift. She "really" wants a tablet.
I think a laptop would suit her needs the best. However, "must make g/f
happy", is what my brain says. Do you guys think the Surface RT is a solid
choice? I asked HN here <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4697945>

I ask, because I cant seem to pull the trigger on any tablet.

~~~
kmfrk
Depends on whether they worked with Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram,
Amazon (Kindle) to make some apps available on day one. If not, then probably
not.

I don't like the idea of buying the first iteration of any hardware either,
regardless of whether the manufacturer is Apple or Microsoft.

~~~
maskedinvader
amazon just launched kindle for windows 8, so one of them is in, I am
confident apps for the others should be out soon. Netflix , hulu apps look
gorgeous on windows 8 pro desktop

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sek
Ballmer recites hundreds of features, how long did he take to remember
everything, how should a viewer?

Some stuff next year, some now... How should i know what are the important
ones, he sounds kinda bored. The crazy Ballmer is 10 times better.

~~~
greyboy
I'm not so sure he was recalling all those details from memory. You could see
him looking at a prompt of some sort quite often (looking down/up, etc).

Of course, that might reinforce your position.

