Quote:
Originally Posted by Barrykgerdes
Yes! but they probably represent closer to 90% of potential users, a good market to attack.
I think Microsoft should reward Mark financially for his reports on Windows 8. 
Barry |
I find it hard to believe 90% of the market is business alone. If you think about it logically how many people at work own at least 1 PC at home if not more e.g. a laptop? it stands to reason using that 90% figure that if everyone sitting behind a console at work has at least 1 device at home then business can at best only account for 45% of sales. I have one laptop supplied by my employer but have a PC, laptop and tablet at home so its 3:1 for me and I am definitely not alone in this as I know many others who also own several devices.
Microsoft can throw money at me if they like I will take it
. But seriously I am excited about the possibilities of using the new platform in the classroom as it is far more interactive then win 7 ever was. We are virtually paperless at my college, every teacher and student has their own laptop with touch screens. There are no pens or text books or note books to be seen. Learning is no longer a 2D piece of paper and it is possible to deliver content in a far more interactive and interesting format as well as cater for the many different learning styles that are present in a class of 30 kids. For example in Science we have many different types of data loggers which the kids can hook up to their laptops and carry out experiments from simple heart rate and acceleration pracs right through to acid/base and redox titrations and just about everything in between. Smart boards allow us to draw a car on a slope, vary the mass/angles/gravity etc then simply tap the board and the car runs down the ramp showing the kids the effects of change. We have a software platform that not only allows us to mark rolls and other such mundane admin tasks, but also has the capacity for students to access notes, assignments, tutorials etc so they are never left behind even when home sick. As Microsoft has demonstrated the extra coding needed to convert existing static programs into interactive programs is minimal so I think many software companies will be jumping on board as the OS takes hold, it is only a small effort on their part to do so as none of the software will need a major re-write. As for companies well they will have to change as the majority of kids will be very well versed in this different environment (remember kids learn software at school now days not at work, most grade 2's and 3's would blow the average adult user into the weeds) and it would cost them money and time to train kids to work on old shoddy software.
What do I like about win 8? It's not a memory hog so is faster in every way, it boots faster, programs just open instantly, plug in a peripheral device like a camera or thumb drive and it there no more waiting 5 mins for it to be detected, they finally got rid of the bloody start button and put everything in one place that can be logically ordered on a single screen (i.e all astronomy programs here, graphics software there, no more scrolling through and endless list of randomly arranged applications, hated the start menu), programs (even older ones that would not run in win 7) and peripherals run better, no updates needed. I can still do everything I could in windows XP/7 but can now jump between that and the metro environment easily allowing for a much more interactive experience. The use of apps is brilliant (the best thing about apple devices also) as you can now download exactly what you want for little cost. It will be on tablets and phones as well so the learning curve is reduced. There are just so many more options.
Mark