Laptopmag.com has a hands on look at the Intel Classmate PC which is to be officially unveiled next month at CES. The online publication is particularly impressed with the Tablet form factor, though it sounds like the Tablet bits are not included, yet Intel is working with ISVs to get around this or at least to provide learning appropriate material.
In terms of the ISV community, what is Microsoft indicating here since its Tablet bits aren’t on board? Weird.
I guess that a school could wipe out the OS and install the Tablet PC OS (I’d recommend Vista :-)), but doesn’t that seem like an indirect way to approach the world. Does Microsoft believe its Tablet bits are the best solution for education or what? I do. So why isn’t Microsoft leading the push with its own bits and its own Tablet ecosystem here and getting the Tablet bits on the Classmate PC? Yes, this is an Intel machine, but please.
Look what’s going on instead. The device is pre-loaded with Evernote, ArtRage, and Vision Objects Pen Input. Are any of them using Microsoft Tablet bits. Hmmm. All the ecosystem equity goes elsewhere.
Now maybe this device is doomed for failure. Is that the bet here? Microsoft betting against its own Tablet concept? For education? Tell me that’s not so. Or because Intel is doing it Microsoft doesn’t want to touch it? It just doesn’t sound good.
Now I fully realize that in business–even one as big as Microsoft’s tradeoffs have to be made. This may be a case where that needed to be done. However, there are some things that are just good to do. Detroit auto makers are learning that lesson the hard way.
Promoting education is just the right thing to do. And Microsoft has this Tablet technology that can make a difference. If only it would use it. How hard can it be?
If anyone wonders why developers are going in droves to the iPhone platform–even with Apple’s lockin–this is a perfect example of why. The message is very clear with Apple. Microsoft’s? Uh. Not so.