Microsoft is bringing the sexy back
by Volker Weber
A few thoughts on yesterday's events, in a particular order:
- Ever since the candy colored iMacs, Jony Ive's first major Apple contribution, we have known that success is not achieved by megahertz and gigabyte. You need to delight people.
- Windows was relegated to accountants and gamers. Business needed a platform to run old-fashioned apps, gamers needed all the power they could get. It was a race to the bottom as business kept pushing DULL onto every single desktop. Lenovo kept squeezing manufacturers out of the market.
- With Surface, Microsoft changed the game. They failed twice. But with Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 they finally bit the bullet. Those were desirable machines. And their design has been copied by many.
- Last year Microsoft built the sexiest laptop ever. When Panos Panay, the best presenter since Steve Jobs, showcased Surface Book everybody wanted one, like now. Gadget bloggers went bananas without ever having used one outside the demo area. There is was again: delight. The aftermath wasn't pretty. Both Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 suffered from power management bugs.
- Now Microsoft did it again with Surface Studio. Man, look at it! I don't need a convertible desktop for a truckload of money. But it sure looks sexy on those 120mm Louboutins. Oh, wait, I got carried away.
So, here we are. Microsoft is making a machine to lure the creative community, which frankly has not been served well by Apple lately. At the same time, Apple is going after big business*. The caveat is Windows. Yes, the face got prettier. But the dragon is only sleeping.
*) You have to watch the first 55 minutes of this video. It teaches you how to prevent a migration (hint: application readiness assessment).
Comments
I am a bit confused, what Microsoft is doing there. A change from the big target group of powerpoint-clipart-users to the much smaller group of graphic enthusiasts?
But maybe the powerpoint users will use it as a whiteboard... (http://thenextweb.com/google/2016/10/25/google-launches-6000-whiteboard-g-suite/)
Sad to see that one must be young (and preferably beautiful) to be creative.
There was a very brief shot of a grizzled beard at 1:10, but otherwise this advert cannot be talking to me....
i definetely do not need one, but i sure as hell want one! What a beaut
Thomas, why "change" and not "add"?
Nick, beautiful people in ads, that is a riot. Never been used before, right?
To-the-point-analysis like always. If there was an Apple on the back of this thing my credit card would be in flames, but I don't want a Trojan dragon. This is the kind of innovation we creatives expected and got out of Cupertino since Steve took the reign back. Today might mark the once unlikely week where I get delighted by a Microsoft presentation and bored by one from Apple. But the day is not over yet …
Volker: most ads use beautiful people, but often with an admixture of crusties like me in recognition of how the working world really looks. Just interesting, I thought.
Fletcher Previn did a great show in the linked video although I admit that MacOS fullscreen mode alone is still driving me crazy here.
Microsoft Studio looks like a great device but as I still need a Laptop the Book would probably fit better for my purpose.
I don't think I need one but I want one. Can't remember when I thought this about a device from Dell or HP.
The mini-DP, is it just for a second display or can it also be run in target display mode?
Not that I have the money, but s.o. might want to attach the $2k book to the $3k display. Or the Lumia. ;)
Thanks to vowe, I got the Pro 3, the wife got the 3, my parents the Pro 4. Complaints reduced to a minimum compared to old laptop days. I pretty much like the way, MS is going.
I think that is for a projektor.
Hmmh, so Apple didn't have anything as sexy ;(
Also a tricked out MBP can only do 16 GB, same as my model from "Late 2013". How very disappointing ;(
Your comment on Panos as a presenter are spot on. Incredible to watch.