Thinking Tech Aloud?

Good Tech Read: Soon We Won’t Program Computers. We’ll Train Them Like Dogs - Jason Tanz - Wired

Good Tech Read: OneCore to Rule Them All: How Windows Everywhere Finally Happened - Peter Bright - Arstechnica

Tech read: Please don’t learn to code - Basel Farag - TechCrunch

Inspiration to Aspiration While rumors and speculation on a Surface Phone have been around for a while a lot of discussion remains on what a "Surface Phone" device could be. Should Microsoft introduce this device, they certainly want to achieve a level of success akin to the Surface product line. To date Microsoft has found hardware success in the emerging dual category market - think Surface Pro and Surface Book (tablet/laptop) – and in that line of thinking they've suggested they are aspiring to do the same for phone/mobile computing.

"We need some sort of spiritual equivalent on the phone side that doesn't just feel like it's a phone for people who love Windows" - Chris Capossela, Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer

The Great Windows Phone Debate At the time Microsoft released the Lumia 950/950XL they were the Windows Phone flagships – Windows Phone taken to refer to any Windows powered handset – created for the fans. OS and app ecosystem aside, a run down the specs list placed these two devices in league with the current competitors in the iPhone 6S/6S Plus and various Android flagships. In spite of this consumer reaction was largely placid, and besides knocking on the ever present app gap issue the propagated majority opinion that a metal body enclosure is a flagship feature gave the tech media more ammo to dismiss Microsoft's latest entry in the high-end smartphone market. Strongly opinionated voices continue to lament such issues on comment forums for blaming Windows Phones "death", while holdouts point to a highly anticipated and rumored Surface Phone as the platform savior. However even in these factions consensus on how a Surface Phone can redeem consumer interest is hotly debated – ambitions for the enterprise sector is of little concern in these circles.

Pen support, integrated kickstand, all metal magnesium casing, Intel x86 chips, and a keyboard cover – my personal favorite (sarcasm) – are all bullet point items proposed to define a Surface Phone. At first consideration I envisioned a Surface Phone in a similar light, as these features would squarely give such a device Surface brand association, and with a focus towards consistency in design language I naively stopped rationalizing there. However, Surface as a brand has come to mean a lot more than just a marketing label for Microsoft's premium hardware. It's designating a device as inspiration for product category reinvention, and while many would jubilantly welcome a Surface branded smartphone I now asset such a simple foray would be harming to the brand's signature.

A Revolutionary Smart PC Phone Solution So how can Surface Phone fight for supremacy in the highly contested smartphone market? High end specs – is a never ending race, killer features – are subject to personal utility, premium design – is a matter of material and design preference. Competing within these categories with a phone-centric device Microsoft is unlikely to find success no matter how cutting edge the device hardware, how productive the Windows 10 experience, or how beautiful the chassis. I believe Microsoft's best chance forward in mobile is to circumvent smartphones altogether by reinventing mobile computing within the PC market. Not only in bowing out on smartphones will Microsoft be able to pivot and run unchallenged in a new product category, but I believe it will benefit by dissociation from any lingering stigmas with its phone business – as lasting consumer and media perception may be as big an obstacle to fight as the app gap.

Consider that the prefix "smart" has been attached to smartphones to denote the expanding capabilities phones have acquired as they take on more PC-like functionality; however PC terminology never progressed to reference its increasing capabilities under a "smart" badging. Furthermore recognize that our lexicon maintains reference to smartphones based on its legacy function, while the telephone capabilities have been delegated to just another app, and is not even a number one use case of smartphones anymore. Its obvious smartphones have become pocket PCs people actually want, but their potential for continued development languishes under their classification as "phones". Why should calling and SMS messaging be a feature restricted to phones? Would it be so much of a stretch to conceive of PCs able to natively make and receive phone calls or send and receive SMS texts? In our fixation on developing mobile into all-purpose devices we may be overlooking that it might be easier to just bring phone and texting to PCs. A realized "Surface Phone" should embrace such a break from convention, eliminating the "phone" moniker from any potential product branding and exist outside the confines of a "smartphone" product label. Promoting the ultimate Windows 10 mobile experience with a "mobile slate PC" – one potential form factor description – where call and texting capability are integrated as just another OS and device feature could be Microsoft's best strategy going forward in mobile.

A Possible Tech Development in Semantics From the Windows Central contributor who likes to share his views in six-piece editorials – not complaining as his collective pieces are some of my favorite readings from the #techmedia coverage I follow – comes the latest: 'Smartphones are Dead'. The previous 'Windows Phone Isn’t Dead' was a good read focusing on Microsoft's refocusing and retrenching of their mobile phone platform and hardware. Naturally, given the topic, the article comment forum discussion quickly fell to blasting haters as trolls or lamenting desperate fan boys holding on their last bastion of hope. In any case I appreciate the editorials Jason Ward puts out for Windows Central. To me they are a rarity, showcasing well-presented and researched perspectives on Microsoft's strategy with Windows 10 Mobile in the past or most recently considering a potential shift in what is considered mobile phone computing. Good reading, I highly recommend if you enjoy technology development conversations and can approach the topic with an open mind, otherwise feel free to take the comment discussion down the typical wormhole.

Facebook F8 Spring time appears to be the time for tech company keynotes and latest on the scene was Facebook with their F8 developers conference. Delivering heavy on their social platform future Facebook discussed their 10 year plan envisioning the advances AR & VR will bring to social sharing and the gains bots will bring in joining our messaging conversations. Overall nothing that got me to excited, but then again I'm no developer and on the consumer side all I essentially use Facebook for these days is to post photo albums and occasions messaging. I am interested in the bot platform, but more for what I hope it brings and the potential shift it might have on the industry. Just one thing I want to pick over: on the day 1 keynote Mark Zuckerberg said he wants to capture his daughter's first step in virtual reality video to share with his family and friends, because you know nothing will make that memory special like obsessing over having your VR camera at the ready. I guess in this new era it's not enough to just enjoy the moment without ensuring a lens is catching it too. I admit I'm not the leading example as I look to stage enough photos when I go hiking, but I don’t think I'll be strapping any VR headsets to my face to watch footage of friend's or even relative's children's pinnacle moments growing up.

Bots, Bots, and more Bots Microsoft recent made a big deal of "conversation canvases" as a new platform at build 2016 with a focus towards integrating bots into those discussions and declaring "bots are the new apps". Given bots are a relatively recent development in tech and I haven't interacted with any I hadn't given the concept much consideration before Microsoft's presentation. Admittedly the demo made it look impressive, but comments made in the second day keynote of build 2016 really honed in on the advantage I see bots presenting over traditional mobile apps. Instead of re-watching the keynote to pick out those lines I found this quote in an article which summarizes the same point:

Bots are like app snippets, and Microsoft thinks they are the future of computing. Why? Because there are thousands of one-off apps out there that are unnecessary and expensive to develop and maintain. Think of an app to buy tickets for a ferry. Convenient? Sure. But how often are you using it? Bots, when combined with something like Cortana (on all platforms) can jump in to do these (trans)actions without you needing a dedicated app. Apps are cool, but a hundred apps on your phone most of which only get used a few times a year? Microsoft thinks we can do better. - Daniel Rubino, Windows Central

Makes tremendous sense to me and combined with the mobility experience bots provide, as envision by Microsoft accessible via any messaging, email, or SMS client, should pose very interesting to businesses and developers looking to target all consumers. In regards to bots taking over for apps in these one-off instances, it will depend on the ease in finding them through messaging services and breaking habits. With the general public, including myself, preferring human phone operators over automated call-in services (granted internet-bots are intended to be much smarter than these 'tele-bots') I think breaking the stigma of automated services will be the biggest obstacle these new AI services face (likely a larger issue with older generations).

Tesla Model 3 Unveil As excited as Tesla fans were to attend the model 3 unveil, and as exciting as it was for the world to get its first peak at Tesla's first mass production electric car, Elon Musk's presentation keynote was anything but. No discredit to the man's business or capabilities but his presentation skills are not to par with the products he makes. Ignoring Elon's apparent unease at public presentation, the main reason the keynote really left me dissatisfied was the near complete lack of details provided on the model 3's design or engineering. I guess I've gotten used to the hardware unveils in the technology sector where companies like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and others obsess over the smallest details when first showcasing their new products. While getting eyes on the product is great as an engineer I also want to get a technical feature breakdown of what I'm looking at, but unfortunately that's not what Tesla was ready to announce with part 1 of the model 3 unveil. I guess I'll have to wait with everyone else till part 2, expected to come much closer to actual production release.

Vizio Presents: A Smarter Interaction Model for Smart TVs Since leaving cable TV behind and embracing streaming services I've rarely looked back, and when I have its only to be reminded what a haven of disappointment cable TV is dispersed between the "conspiracy" of commercials. As I've saved on expense by opting to stick with the 'ad-sponsored' free choices for similar reasons I've never invested in a TV. However as I look forward to a future with a mobile 2-in-1 device as my primary driver I've begun to entertain the idea of a larger screen for my video media consumption. Retaining no interest in cable I've looked at both native smart TVs (OEM offerings) and smart TV platforms (Roku, Google Cast, Fire TV) to go in on the "Apps are the future of TV" claim. Personally I hope "on-demand a-la-carte is the future of TV" regardless of content provider. Google cast, I believe, offers the best realization of this interaction model, and now Vizio has worked with Google to elegantly integrate Google cast technology inside their newest TVs producing the first Smart TV product I am genuinely intrigued in.

So as you may have seen I did end up applying to the WinBeta open writer position, because it’s always interesting exploring, and to my great delight I got an expedient reply. The response outlined a few more details on the position schedule, 6am – noon (PST), so 9am – 3pm EST for me, either Mon – Thurs or Tue – Fri, and asked me to follow up if interested. As I wasn’t expecting such a quick response from WinBeta I felt strangely caught off guard as how to reply. Of course I’m interested in the position and would be ecstatic if I could simply reply “YES!!!”, but as I can’t ethically balance the shift schedule with my current job and I’m not ready to quit it either in pursuit of this new opportunity I was torn on how to reply. Option 1 was following up with questions of my own and further showcasing my immense interest in the position. Eventually though I would need to provide a real response, and I would have had to say, “I can’t commit to the hours you’re looking to fill, but hey I’m so awesome would you consider hiring me in another capacity or letting me work a different schedule?” Option 2 was being candid upfront and saying “I understand you’re looking to fill the shift hours but I can’t commit to those hours, is there any other way I can actively support WinBeta?” Essentially the deliberation was whether I would look better being honest from the being, risking my chances for consideration, or waiting to the end to spill the truth, hoping they would be interested enough to accommodate me.

After much deliberation and numerous times disrupting C2, while she tried to be a productive grad student during our lock-in for last weekend’s snowstorm, to get her thoughts I decided on option 2. I figured the end result would be the same following either option, they need the open position filled so they’ll go with someone who can commit to it. So I placed my hopes on being straightforward in what I can do and we’ll see what response I get from that, worst response now would be no response.

In reflecting on my decision later and still now, I believe I made the right choice even if it ends up squashing my hopes early. While I laid in bed Monday night, not able to fall asleep – thankful to learn the government would remain closed Tuesday following snowstorm Jonas, I decided a major reason I want the writer position with WinBeta is so I can join a team who are as passionate discussing Microsoft related news and its future as I am. Ultimately though I want to converse about much more than just Microsoft centric tech. While I want to immerse myself in the Windows 10 ecosystem with a PC, smartphone, fitness band, plus entertainment and IoT devices I remain interested in the developments coming from Apple, Google, and numerous other tech centered companies. Hell, if Windows 10 Mobile really dies, as the tech media at large is propagating because they refuse to look at Microsoft’s new strategy in the proper context, I will be deciding between Android and iOS. Having come from Android it would be the easy option to return to, but I could be convinced to give iOS a try, much like I decided on my own to do with Windows phone. In any case that’s a discussion for another time, in the mean time I found a new way to further involved myself in the tech conversations of interest to me.

Beginning with the announcement of Windows 10 and the Universal Windows Platform, I have enthusiastically followed the development of Microsoft’s newest OS. To ensure I remain on top of the latest breaking-news I joined the Windows Insider Program - to test preview builds - and am constantly checking for emerging tech news. Since Windows 10’s unveiling, numerous stories have piqued my interest, but no article excited me as much as that advertising the prospect of joining the WinBeta team.

My name is [Seabass], and I am becoming a bigger Windows 10 and Microsoft fan with each passing week as I discover the latest developments across the Windows ecosystem. My residence, just outside of Washington, DC, has proved fortuitous for this growing passion, as I was able to attend Microsoft Device Night 2015 in Washington DC and I am able to get hands-on with the latest hardware at several local Microsoft Stores. While my passion on the subject of Microsoft and Windows 10 continues to grow I have found it far exceeds my friends’ interest in discussing the topic, and so I started detailing my thoughts on my personal blog. What started as a side interest has evolved into a serious passion, and I feel professional entrance into a tech journalist position is my next step. As a new member of the writing team I will bring a unique perspective in my admiration for the progressive vision of Windows 10. Working in the field will further excite my enthusiasm while motivating my performance.

Along with this application email, I have attached a copy of three entries I wrote for my blog and a few sample photos. I look forward to discussing the contributions I will bring to the WinBeta family. Thank you for your time and consideration.  

Respectfully,

OMG! WinBeta is looking to hire a new writer to join their team: www.winbeta.org/news/hiring-new-writer-come-join-team

What could be the pinnacle turnabout point in my career has come. As mentioned in passing in my Microsoft Device Night 2015 post [Oct 2015] that was just the quiet start to a career switch to become a tech journalist, and now an opportunity has arrived giving me a shot to apply at becoming a writer for my favorite Microsoft/Windows tech news site. My long envisioned (since Windows 10 came out) elaborate plan to slowly convert my blog away from my personal brand of jest, sarcasm, and wit that it is so famously known for amongst my closest friends and family to a tech centered admiration blog just got a major boost. Except now I can keep both, my personal blog for the fun and humor I see in life happenings plus a more focused tech fanboyism stream of articles, while getting compensated for writing about a major passion of mine.

The only thing to make this all better is if I hadn’t been such a slouch with my blog writing towards the end of last year and had all my backlogged tech centered entries done and posted. That way I could easily include them as examples of my written work in the field for the job application. As of now I have only written up two tech centered posts, but I have at least another 4 more in various stages of outline or drafts. Having them all done I think it would have showcased my portfolio of work as taking a more unique perspective on emerging tech news and developments than I find most tech articles to contain. From all the tech sites I follow, I find too many of them are void of a personal impact perspective and are largely short term focused with pieces on new product and tech spec reviews, mention of OS and app updates, plus of course keeping up on all the rumors. I would like to think my pieces include more character, reading more as an op-ed or editorial than a technical review paper. Where I think I differ most from general articles though is that I try to discuss a more broad scope reaction to tech: what’s the value in this new development how would/will it impact me, where do I see this technology going what boundaries is it pushing, and I apply this assessment across the board from the mundane of I/O ports to the latest tech gadget releases. Essentially more personal opinion based pieces, but I believe tech news sources are missing out with such omissions in their stories. Oddly enough I find more articles discussing such thoughts from business and financial sources, but maybe most tech junkies are just interested in the specs rundowns and don’t want to bother evaluating or forming their own thoughts on its value. Maybe it should just be this entry that I ultimately submit, nah this might not showcase me in the best light (especially given that my first sentence might having them questioning my ability to perform to their expectations).

As a new member of the team I think I would not only bring my unique perspective in my reviews but my excitement in working in the field would make all aspects of the work a joy. WinBeta, being a Microsoft focused tech news source one would only assume they are working with all the latest MS software tools while trying out all the latest gadgets. The hope for me here is that with WinBeta seeming to be a relatively small and spread-out company they use the collaboration features in MS Office to work together. I would love to be part of a small company team that uses such resources to their advantage to bring a dispersed set of writers together, plus having reason to become a power-user of such features would certainly beat wishing the government might ever catch up to offer the same benefit. Then of course getting to preview all the gadgets first hand would certainly beat scouring the internet in hopes of finding reviews that answer the nuanced concerns and question I want answered. And lastly with all the writing I would get/have to do it would be a great opportunity to put my new coffee grinder and French press to work.

Digital Reality Devices With the development of HoloLens Microsoft entered the digital reality race. Microsoft’s mixed reality computing device is a different take on the virtual reality (VR) devices coming from the likes of Oculus, projecting holograms over real objects versus an immersive experience. While I believe Oculus’ hardware will be a big success at providing an enveloping gaming and entertainment experience, I find it will cut the user out from their peripheral reality, not ideally suiting it for all applications. For the intended market of the Oculus Rift, high end graphic first person perspective video games, the Rift will be near perfect as a first-gen VR device. However for more casual video games, best played with your friends altogether in one room, the exclusion offered by the Oculus Rift might not be best. As a casual gamer, when playing with friends I enjoy the personal interaction still afforded with collective gameplay on a big screen. Though I don’t think the HoloLens was introduced to fill this capacity, as the stage demo proved Microsoft is pushing for game development on this device.

My initial impression, and what it seemed Microsoft was first perusing when it announced the HoloLens is a new frontier of productivity and software interaction. Google essentially started this effort with Google Glass, and while the size and fit of HoloLens would render it outlandish, though not impossible, for public use, given it is an untethered device; it is by no means meant to compete in a similar capacity. Augmented reality (AR) being a less restrictive interactive environment compared to VR can serve better in the productivity market. This will offer an impressive new means to visualize in fields of industrial design, manufacturing, and engineering or architecture. Altogether it’s incredible to see both AR and VR coming to fruition, and I am eager to see what develops in both of these tech fields.

Continuum “The killer feature of Windows 10 Mobile”, or so it is being characterized by some tech pundits, but is it really? While I think Microsoft’s vision with Continuum is impressive the more I consider working with it the tougher of a sell it becomes. Continuum for Windows 10 Mobile enables the use of a connected monitor in a more traditional PC like experience, but to get the best PC experience out of the phone you’ll need a display dock, monitor, plus a keyboard and mouse. Given the need for all these separate accessories, who would opt for it over the convenience of a laptop? Managing this hassle of devices doesn’t make continuum for phones feel like a “mobile” experience, rendering it impractical to business user hoping to boost productivity on the go. For individuals looking to slim down to a single device future the productivity limitations of continuum don’t make it a solid offering either. Of course these are all current restrictions, considering this is the first production release of such a capability it is inspiring for future developments.

USB Type C Wouldn’t you know it the I/O port interface that is supposed to be “future-proof” replacing USB Type A and B only made it into new Lumia phones but not the Surface line. USB Type C is supposed to be the catalyst to a future with a single I/O port. With “Type C” just referring to the port connection, the only enthusiasm affiliated with it directly is that its reversible like Apple’s Lightning cable, the real excitement is its association with the USB 3.1 protocol. For discussion here the highlights of USB 3.1 include high transfer speed, video and audio transfer standards, and bi-directional power delivery all at the same time. What this hopefully leads to is new devices having only USB 3.1 Type C ports, switching away from the typical array of I/O ports and power connections. Considering a future where OEM’s proprietary power ports are replaced with USB Type C, external monitors are connected through the same ports as peripheral devices, and only one wall power connection is needed, is enticing. With USB 3.1 supporting audio it might even do away with the audio jack so common to all these devices. And as an enthusiast of consistency I want this future more than most might even care to think about.

Now what’s the likely-hood this future is achieved, and why do I think it’s a shame the recent Surface lineup isn’t a part of it? Currently the USB standard Type A interface is entrenched as the de-facto I/O port for PCs, standard Type B is common to large peripheral devices (printers, etc.), and micro B dominates small devices (smartphones, tablets, external HDD, etc.). The large peripheral devices I don’t care about, they might convert eventually, but will certainly be last. Mobile devices are already converting, with emerging flagship phones leading the revolution. While numerous OEMs are taking advantage of the higher power delivery, advertising the quick charging capability, only Microsoft is capitalizing on the additional capability. The higher bandwidth plus the video and audio throughput is what enables Windows Continuum for phones.

On mobile PCs I’m glad to see some new products promoting USB Type C, most notably Apple’s latest MacBook plus Google’s Chromebook Pixel and Pixel C. Now I wish I could extend those props to the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, but I won’t refute that good reasons exist to stay with USB Standard A for some time. Foremost, Type C is not currently widespread so it would require users be prepared with an array of dongles to interface with other devices, but given the limited ports selection on these devices users likely need some already. Sure dongles are the worst, but it will take host devices making the switch to push the peripheral device industry to follow suit. With Microsoft having entered the hardware market to, “showcase what premier Windows devices can be,” they should be first to integrate and push new tech, even in things as mundane as I/O ports.  

I’m So Excited! One! Two! Three! Ten! Let Tuesday October 6th, 2015 stand as a day of record for Microsoft Corporation. This day Microsoft received widespread praise from the tech community, at levels long reserved for Apple Inc.’s absurdly successfully status-quo strategy with its increasingly stale product lines. Since the change in focus at Microsoft, under new CEO Satya Nadella, the Windows OS has garnered excitement again. As soon as the universal Windows 10 OS concept was announced I was onboard, not just as a Microsoft enthusiast but as a consistency enthusiast. Microsoft’s impressive progress in hardware design has also attracted positive attention. The Surface, a product seemingly ahead of its time at release, is now inspiring copycat products from competitors. At the same time Windows 10 is gaining market share and developers are building universal apps for the platform. Developments in the Windows ecosystem are continuing to prove it’s an exciting time to be a Microsoft fanboy.

Altogether it’s been an exciting several weeks in the tech industry with Apple, Google, and Microsoft having all delivered major product announcements. After Apple’s Device event, Google’s Nexus event, and all the accumulated time spent reading product rumors and leaks in anticipation of Microsoft hardware event I could barely stand waiting till October 6th. For Apple and Google’s announcements I was content to monitor a liveblog while at work. However, for Microsoft I would not be satisfied doing the same. I wanted to watch the live stream to get the full experience of the event. I wanted to see the marketing clips used for the launch unveils, I wanted to hear the full presentation detailing their improvements, and I wanted to witness the passion of Microsoft in launching their products. And man was it worth it, as the acclaim for Microsoft proves with one source describing it, “The most exciting tech unveil of the year, possibly in years”. While the early presenters were more subdued, Panos Panay’s presence brought such energy to the stage it got me in his words, “So pumped!”

Device Announcement Reactions: Xbox One No big announcements, just expanded memory and themed Xbox One bundles for the holidays. As only a casual gamer this product was of the least interest to me. I would have been interested in hearing what improvements Windows 10 on the Xbox One will bring, but as this was a hardware event I wasn’t expecting information on OS feature updates.

HoloLens While I can’t help but be a little skeptical of live demo presentations with this device, I must admit Microsoft’s ‘Project X-Ray’ demo looked impressive. Anyone else reminded of Descent gameplay given the graphics and robots attacking? I’m looking forward to more consumer use demos in the future.

Band 2 Of all the anticipated hardware releases this smart wearable was actually what I was most eager to hear about. While every emerging smart wearable is growing my interest in smartwatch ownership none was more persuasive than the original MS Band, chalk it up to its emphasis on fitness tracking in combination with notification features. Being the one device compatible with Windows Phones I considered procuring the original, but given all the reviews noting bad ergonomics as the major con I was hoping for a second iteration. Thankfully it looks like those criticisms were taken in stride. So while the original Band is getting massive price cuts in advance of the Band 2’s release I’ll likely still be splurging on myself this Christmas with a Band 2.

Lumia Phones Of all the product announcements none were more leaked then the Lumia 950 and 950XL, and to make it worse they were all on the mark. Unfortunately that left Microsoft in a tough spot to tease out excitement from the crowd when showcasing these devices. With the internal specs and physical design exposed in the leaks some of the more unique features got there moment of fame on stage:

Adaptive antenna: Two antennas to offer “the best connection you could possibly have”.

Liquid cooling: These phones have “tablet class liquid cooling”, I don’t know of any tablets advertised to include liquid cooling, so kudos for putting it in a phone.

Continuum: Windows 10 Mobile productivity feature that brings “the power of the PC to your phone”.

Windows Hello (beta): Bio-authentication to unlock your phone, because fingerprints are so last week.

These are flagship phones for Windows 10 Mobile. Now Microsoft just needs the developer community to embrace Universal Windows Apps to bring its app store to par with Apple and Google, it’s only the same fight they’ve been facing since Windows Phone 7.

Surface Pro 4 All around a great refresh of the Surface Pro 3. Great new hardware specs and feature improvements for the Surface Pro and keyboard. Definitely the kind of device, if not the product line, I will be looking at in the future when it comes time to replace my laptop. As a casual PC user, I just want something portable and versatile for my light media consumption and productivity needs. The Surface tablet line meets those criteria in a premium looking and working product, albeit at a premium price.

Surface Book The rumor mill was predicting a 14” Surface Pro. I’m impressed Microsoft managed to keep this device such a secret. At first mention I was puzzled. Why develop a laptop, if you’ve already created, “the tablet to replace your laptop”? The design seemed peculiar too. The vent design is oddly characteristic of the Surface Pro, and the audio jack is at the top of the screen. Already I was convinced there was more here than meets the eye, but how awesome was it that Microsoft paraded his whole, “ultimate laptop,” discussion before revealing the screen detached? This reveal was the best of the event, it even managed to get a standing ovation. My only concern is the longevity of the muscle wire technology used to secure the screen connection. Springs and wires being energized with such frequency bring the concern of fatigue to the forefront of this engineer’s mind.

Favorite Event Quotes and Post Event Article Titles:

“If you haven’t thought about these phones, wake up! Spend a minute.” – Panos Panay

“Alt-tab on my phone, to switch between apps, that’s insane!” – Bryan Roper (personal favorite)

“I can be productive like a boss wherever I am now.” – Bryan Roper

“It’s kind of funny, there’s a pencil out there without an eraser.” – Panos Panay (Nice… gotta get one good jab in at Apple.)

“Microsoft is thirsty again, and it’s awesome” – TNW: The Next Web

Of all the things to come with the heralding of Windows 10 a universal OS is what I am looking forward to most. Technology-wise I see the future, if it’s not already, pushing consumers towards ecosystem OS commitments. As we move to the IoT age the decision on what new piece of technology we bring into our lives will no longer be dominated by competing hardware specs, but by the software’s interoperability, i.e. how quickly and seamlessly it ties into our already increasingly intertwined smart world. Numerous connected devices are available today, and consumers want the convenience this offers. However more than that they want the “smarts” to start working upon unboxing and connecting to their network not after installing and setting up another app on their smartphone. It will not be the user who can boast of having the most smart appliance apps on their phone but that with a integrated control first-party app who will enjoy the best experience.

Apple, Google, and Samsung are already perusing this endeavor, and with each taking advantage of their software and hardware integration they are poised to do well at a first effort. Thus while Microsoft might be seen as a follower and not a leader in this strategy they are approaching it in what I see as the smartest way. Microsoft is unifying the Windows 10 OS at the core level so that communication will be an innate feature of any device operating on its universal platform. The other players are baking in the communication through piecemeal approaches device by device, startup purchase by startup purchase.