How Apple and Google are redefining the PC

By Jason Ward
last updated

Smartphones have changed the face of personal computing. Google and Apple are marketing Chromebooks and iPads to optimize on that reality.

Personal computing used to be what we did at a desk in front of a big monitor, using a keyboard and a mouse that were connected to a bulky mass tethered to a wall outlet.

Sometimes you had the freedom of a laptop, but whatever the device, it almost always ran Windows.

While it's true that scenario still exists for over a billion people, it's also true that for a billion people most personal computing means using apps and the internet on smartphones or tablets that run Android, iOS or even Chrome OS (in U.S. education), not Windows.

Google challenges the old way of doing things

Google recently challenged the old way of personal computing in a Chromebook ad. The ads focus on the "new" way of computing that smartphones normalized for hundreds of millions of people, highlighting a problem Microsoft faces. Though PCs have a place and won't be going anywhere anytime soon, many consumers who "live in" apps and online don't need the power of a PC most of the time.

The ad kicks off with the statement: "If you're over the old way of doing things. If you wish computers were more like phones." Clearly, the old way of doing things referenced is personal computing on Window PCs using legacy or Win32 programs. The truth is that many people can go through a whole day (a week or a month) without using a Windows PC. And many who use one daily do so for work, school or some other task.

Many people don't need the power of the PC most of the time.

While this is good news for Microsoft in regards to the PCs role in relation to productivity, its bad news in other respects. The PCs place as a leisure or "low-impact" personal computer for emailing, web-surfing, messaging and the other "all day stuff" we do have been usurped by smartphones and tablets running iOS and Android. The PC, for most people, is too much power for such light-weight tasks. The "weight" of Windows and complexity of Win32 programs have been readily exchanged for light-weight mobile platforms and the simplicity of apps.

It is that OS and app simplicity and always-connected personal computing we've grown accustomed to in the last decade that Google is appealing to when it says: "If you wish computers were more like phones."

Defining the PC

The Windows desktop experience has been under assault ever since the consumer-facing smartphone was popularized. Light-weight personal computing tasks have moved organically from the robust, sedentary desktop environment to the lean mobile space. Additionally, incremental increases in smartphone processing power and app versatility have progressively made the desktop even less important to daily personal computing needs.

Still, the desktop, dominated by Microsoft and Windows, has remained a necessity for a range of complex tasks smartphones and tablets still cannot accommodate. These tasks, however, are usually specific to particular industries, workloads or niche spaces. For the everyday user the full power of a PC, though welcome when needed, is an infrequent requirement.

Admittedly, Android, iOS, and even Chrome OS are not powerful or versatile enough to handle the full range of PC tasks users and enterprise may require.

Redefining the PC

Over the years Apple and Google have positioned tablets and laptops running their mobile platforms or Chrome OS as alternatives to Windows PCs. Microsoft has frequently shot back by leaning on our collective knowledge of what a computer is and our experiences of how we've historically used them.

That historic perception of personal computing was birthed and sustained over the decades in an environment where there was virtually no other concept of what personal computing could be. Ideologically and in practice personal computing was what we did on Windows PCs (or Macs). Microsoft can no longer lean on that. Personal computing is now also something we do on always-connected smartphones and tablets running a mobile OS and apps.

Google and Apple are leveraging the smartphone personal computing paradigm to position desktop experiences.

Both companies concede in recent ads (though not explicitly) that iOS on iPad Pro and Chrome OS on Chromebooks won't serve the full range of PC tasks that Windows PCs accommodate. Past claims by both companies that iPads and Chromebooks are PCs have been rebuffed by Microsoft which leveraged the legacy definition of a PC.

Now, rather than taking on PCs head-on, based on that historical definition, Chromebooks and iPads are being positioned on the foundation of how most people are experiencing personal computing since the mainstreaming of the smartphone.

Changing of the guard?

Whereas Google blatantly uses the phrases, "If you're tired of the old way of doing things. If you wish your laptop was more like a smartphone," Apple's ad, demonstrates desktop and mobile computing via an iPad as a challenge to the old way of doing things. In the ad, a girl using an iPad (which runs a mobile OS popularized by smartphones) does a variety of personal computing tasks. When an older woman asks her what she's doing on her computer, the girl responds with, "What's a computer?"

Apple and Google suggest Windows PCs are a relic from the past.

The brilliance of the ad is that it uses a woman who apparently lived through the "Windows personal computer era" and acknowledges the iPad as a computer. By using the "voice" of a user, Apple evades claiming the iPad is a computer but suggests it is indistinguishable in function from one. The girl, who grew up in an era dominated by mobile OS personal computing, is blissfully unaware of the term "computer." The experiences simply work for her.

Microsoft moving Windows forward

Still, this strategy leaves a gap where specific PC tasks are beyond Chrome OS, Android, and iOS in desktop scenarios. Consequently, Windows PCs still have a place. Can Microsoft leverage Windows 10, and features like Sets, to make the Windows desktop more like the web-based experiences many of us live in and which Google exploits via Chromebooks?

Will Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and the Westminster app bridge transform the app experience on Windows 10 to feel more like the mobile experience that Apple and Google are leveraging? Finally, can Core OS and CShell extend Windows 10 to fill the mobile gap in Microsoft's armor?

If Microsoft can make this tremendous uphill climb, its strategy conceptually fills the full range of desktop computing Apple and Google cannot, while positioning a mobile presence that will have a minimal immediate impact even if successful. Still, weaknesses in Apple, Google and Microsoft ecosystems prevent any one company from executing a comprehensive strategy encompassing the mobile and desktop spaces, however.

Microsoft's Core OS strategy is an ideologically different approach than the competitions

Windows as a web-like service

Apple and Google's attempts to redefine the PC based on the mobile experience can potentially begin to resonate with consumers. If so most consumers may "forget" about the more complex computing Windows is capable of since basic computing is good enough for most people most of the time. Particularly with the support of Microsoft's cross-platform efforts.

Making Windows 10 more like a web-based experience may be one of Microsoft's best defenses against Apple's and Google attempts to redefine the PC.

Jason Ward
Jason Ward

Jason L Ward is a columnist at Windows Central. He provides unique big picture analysis of the complex world of Microsoft. Jason takes the small clues and gives you an insightful big picture perspective through storytelling that you won't find *anywhere* else. Seriously, this dude thinks outside the box. Follow him on Twitter at @JLTechWord. He's doing the "write" thing!

65 Comments
  • Brock Lesnar
  • Is a wuss.  
  • The new "Sets" fearure seems to be Microsoft's attempt to make Windows more like ChromeOS with everything running in a browser tab. I can't wait for this feature on Windows. I hope it comes to the Enterprise version sooner rather than later. It could certainly make tasks more efficient.
  • Couldn't agree more. :)
  • I commented on the apple ad the other day and how that simple perspective really should but MS on notice.  I have seen a large number of schools and corporations switch to chromebooks as of lately.  And corporations are just accessing published apps via Citrix or something else....    I don't care what anyone says without the phone presense MS needs to pick it up.
  • Is the Set coming to windows 10 or windows 10s? or is it a browser thing
  • This article buys into the bullshit marketing those two companies are making to sell inferior products and experiences. An iPad is not a PC and neither is a Chromebook.
    Microsoft themselves got their load of crap when trying their angle with the original Surface, and even just now with Windows 10 S. So spare me this kind of stuff.
  • I think you missed the point. A full PC isn't required by most people these days and they just introduce unneeded complication. A full PC is as much as a negative as a positive depending on your needs.
  • Right, thanks bleached. Fdruid I think you missed the gist here. I never said in thr PC iPads and Chromebooks are PCs, as a matter of I explicitly said that both company's acknowledge thier devices don't have the power or range of abilities as PCs. What I did say is that because of how smartphones changed personal computing MOST people don't need a full PC MOST of the time. And it is this reality that Apple and Google are positioning thier "desktop" alternative's to take advantage of.
  • I'd rather read about the Windows on Snapdragon-powered laptops devices like what HP and ASUS unveiled.  That's more of a redifining of the PC to me than some iOS non-Pro device.  I have never met anyone who uses a chromebook.  Who actually uses these things? 
  • I agree that Microsoft's and Qualcomm's partnership are much more innovative that what Apple and Google are doing. They're trying to leverage their smartphone strength, as I point out in the piece, iOS and Android don't have the power or flexibility of Window however. Windows has power and flexibility but lacks the mobile ecosystem to compliment the always-connected, all day power, and other mobility strengths always connected PCs bring to the table.
  • Jason, I agree so much with what you said. I was willing to completely dive into the Windows ecosystem fully.  To never use a non-Windows based device OS again in my home.  I was excited about Windows 8 & then 10.  I got a Nokia 920, 1520 & Surface Pro 3.  I was looking forward to eventually getting an all-in-one phone using Continuum one day. As I saw the Windows Mobile ecosystem come crashing down (Slowly, but surely), I finally had to make the decision...  I wanted a phone & PC that practically ran the same OS.  With an ecosystem that was well established & the owner of it (As well as the app developers) were invested long-term in it.  I turned to another, very faithful, ecosystem.  One that I had previously left years ago.  Unfortunately, my Surface Pro 3 is hardly ever used.  I'd be fine selling it.   Some may not consider my PC a "PC", but it performs most of my tasks very well.  I still do have an actual non-windows, non-mobile OS "PC", but I still don't use it much.  My 'non-PC' PC is useful, dependable, mobile, has a long battery life, etc.  I can get on my phone & use basically all of the same apps from the huge ecosystem.  How is that not a PC?  No really, it's personal computing.  Productivity and consumption. I used to be in the non-PC = non-productivity camp.  Windows all the way.  Now, my devices allow me to be productive & great for consumption.  The apps, hardware, & OS have matured enough to make this possible. Microsoft is practically the reason why I left...Especially their lack of support, but also their investments into creating apps for other OS's.
  • I just thought about it...When it comes down to these other OS's having less computing power, which makes them less useful, or "not a PC", I recall that I was willing to invest into Continuum devices.  Which in all actuality weren't 'full power' Windows machines.  It would be able to do a lot, but I'd still have to occasionally turn to my 'full PC' for certain things.  So, I was willing to take a "power/processing hit" anyways.  I was willing to take on having to deal with the mobile app-gap as well.  I was willing to call it my main computer.  Essentially my PC.
  • Secondary schools and other work environments where computing is necessary, yet without the learning curve or high repair costs; thus maximizing productivity.  
  • People don't really need smartphone most of the time, but everyone is still buying latest iPhone or similarly powered android phone, instead of something that would be good enough. If you can get full featured Windows PC, in form of tablet, laptop or 2-in-1, why would you opt for basically a large smartphone+maybe a keyboard or pen, with android, ios or chrome, which could be good enough most of the time? Nobody cares for good enough! Consumers are spoiled and they want the best, not just good enough most of the time.
  • People don't know how to use their smartphone to do anything, period. Most people don't even use the calendar or any other basic function. This whole trend is just dumbing it down for everybody. Then we will get dumb machines like the iPad, and don't even get me started on Chromebooks. People pay that money to Google so they can keep leeching every drop of personal information out of them however they like? Insane.
  • not sure why you got as many down thumbs as you have. You only stated to truth. The average Apple consumer could care less about having a full PC. What they want is a device that can run facebook, twitter, snapchat, etc... apps. They don't want to actually "use" a PC that requires them to learn anything. I know this from professional experience over the past 15 years supporting users in an enterprise setting.
  • Spot-on fdruid, it's just bs marketing in an attempt to convince people of something that is simply not true.
  • What I love is that Windows on PC is more like a (Windows) phone. Live tiles were on phone first, then migrated to PC. Google and Apple marketing on this point only work because Microsoft's marketing didn't. ☹ . Hanging on to Windows mobile till the end! (Or release of Surface phone).
  • Surface Scribe... It's a no brainer.
  • Same here man, hang in there.
  • Sorry, mistakingly reproted your comment. Large fingers. Apologies...
  • Regardless, Windows isn't going anywhere anytime soon... But GoogApple has a pretty good thing going on, and that's why MS must continue to modernize Windows... MS needs to continue with new Surface form factors to fit everyone's needs.
    ......
    But, MS still is in a terrific position with Windows. At work Windows is used 100% to control our system, for the offices, and to program our components. At technically school Windows 10 is on almost every computer (our PLC lab still uses 7 because of our ladder language programs licenses)... But, Mac, Chrome, and iOS, are absolutely nowhere to be found, and I doubt if they will be anytime soon. People talk of trading in their Chrome Books for "real" PC'S because they just can't run what they need to get through certifications. You can't even run Person's online study materials on iOS, Android, and Chrome browsers... Yet, my basic Surface 3 can keep up with all that.... Windows is safe for the foreseeable future,,,, but I will admit that iDroid is a threat. But, about as much a threat WP was at it's best to iDroid,, when it comes to getting real work done. Industry just doesn't have time to toy with iPads, and Chrome books.. That's the bottom line.
  • And, I don't think it matters what most people need most of the time.. It matters more to the extent of what they will need. And, since they will need the computing power of Windows at some point that's what they will buy.... Reason being, people aren't gonna by two similar form factors, one that's powerful, and one that's light... That's not economically sensible, and most people can't afford to do that. That's why they will buy a device that can take care of all their needs... Granted there are those who never need more, but I doubt if that has anything to do with the billions of students, and professionals who need a real PC to get things done. Let's get real.
  • Yeah, it always cracks me up to see the kids with their expensive Mac Books running a mirror of Windows 10 in class.
  • I can speak for the Federal Government...99% of the computers are Windows based.  Mostly Dell's.  I enjoy using that Dell.  We haven't moved to Windows 10 yet, but some places have.  I can't imagine performing any serious database development on an iPad or Andriod.  Many powerful & modern applications will not run on iOS or Andriod.  I can do some graphic design on an iPad, but for the most part, I'd rather use a Windows device.  As rodneyj stated/inferred, I practically have no time to learn how to perform more advanced graphic design on iOS.  The advanced graphic design on iOS doesn't compare to what I can do on my Windows based Dell. At work, some phones are blackberry's (older ones).  iPads have started to show up ~5 years ago or so though.  Since iPads can be put on Active Directory now, it makes iOS more enticing to the IT & users.  I've never seen a Windows phone here.  There are iPhones also.  Even an Andriod.   Concerning Schools: I've heard, I believe multiple times, that students were VERY ready to trade (Maybe even burn) their Chromebook for a Windows machine.  They had a disdain for Chromebooks.  Even if you (Have to) use Google Docs, you aren't stuck to a Chromebook...Free the students!  :) ...But I believe I have read about & heard from even local school district folks that iPads are also being invested into instead of Chromebooks. I do agree Windows is here for a long time, but Microsoft has got to make the right moves to keep the next generation of users motivated to use their OS.   I've been thinking for a time that maybe Microsoft needs a leadership change.  Under Nadella, Microsoft has had some innovative ideas, but...Anyways. Although in schools, I have seen investments into Surface Pro's in schools also!! The younger generation more & more has never experienced a time without the internet & without mobile devices like iOS or Andriod.  They've had their Wndows computer as their main computer & a mobile device on the side.  They end up mainly using their mobile device more & more.  Even though Windows is incredibly powerful, the interface & mobility are critical for end users.  They've been kinda trained to use their iOS or Andriod device for WELL OVER 50% of their 'computer time'  Sorry (for some) to say...Ultimately, companies will invest into what their employees want to use.  It's more of a cultural thing now.  LIke the generation is kinda demanding it.  They probably will still have Microsoft Servers, but the general user may not be using Windows.  Plus the Bring Your Own Device (Which the Feds haven't really embraced on a large scale) is more catered to you bring your iOS or Andriod device & not Windows.  Even IBM has put a lot of investment into iOS...which I was really surprised & I wasn't so excited about.  I'd rather it be Surface Pro's I can't imagine that I would be required to use an Andriod or iPad anytime soon for the work I do or the work most anyone around me does...But there are some inspectors that would use iPads off site.  Allow a user to plug in 2 monitors, a keyboard, a thumbdrive, & a mouse into an iPad...You'll start to have some real stiff competition.  How many of those things can you do already?  I can plug in a thumbdrive & a keyboard thus far...That's it.
  • They need to finally drop the windows name...normal users equate it to the past and don't know any better and write it off just because of the history.
  • Then you're not getting out into the real world... What profession are you in?
  • @Tegument Agreed!  Get rid of Windows for any consumer product.  For office it's a different story Windows is key.  I will never, ever, never, ever use anything but a Windows product when it comes to real work.  Word, Excel, etc... any other brand is total crap no matter what anyone says. 
  • The last thing we need to create is more redundancy... It's not about Windows, it's about the device... MS must keep devices highly appealing, and continue to come with more mobile form factors. One won't be enough.
  • With regards to dropping the windows name, was it not beneficial to saturate the tablet & PC market with Windows OS, covering nearly all price points within global and domestic market for the past 15 years or more? Hiccups with RT aside, isn’t it better to invest in longevity of software and let the other markets deal with the losses of having to come up with the “ latest/greatest” hardware?
  • I think you need to watch the ad again.   It’s obviously a girl, not a boy.
  • I just have to say that I hate that Apple ad where the kid asks "What's a computer?" That kid full well knows what a computer is. While yes, the traditional computer design isn't the go-to as much anymore, they're still very much around. They're in stores. They're still the default for businesses and PC gaming. At some point, that kid has come across a computer. Instead, the kid just comes off as smug asking that question. I know that that's a small part of this column, but it's so annoying and I think ruins what Apple was accomplishing with that ad, showing that the iPad Pro can do most, if not all, the average user's daily tasks. The kid asking that question makes me think the tagline should be "iPad Pro: A PC replacement for hipsters."
  • Exactly... It's not reality.
  • Couldn't agree more.  Every time I see the start of that commercial I turn the TV now.  It is beyond imbecilic.  It only re-enforced that I will never buy any Apple products.
  • Yes, I hate that ad, too. It would have been better to say "I don't have a computer." Or "This isn't a computer." Or "I don't need a computer." Any of those would have gotten the point across, but to say you don't know what one is..that's stupid. This is more of the hipster Apple metality that has treated it so well for so long.
  • Now's the time for Microsoft to keep Windows what they use at home, for general usage.  My wife uses her large screened HP laptop with Windows 10 on it...or her phone.  She mostly does web surfing, pictures, create word documents, one or so more applications, & email via the browser.  Even a lot of communication between family/friends now is done on the phone.  Even a good amount of web surfing and email is now done on the phone.  Many people are the same.  I have a mother whom I'm helping get a new Windows 10 laptop, but she does a lot on her phone now & she probably would've gotten an iPad if she could afford one & I helped her get it.  I didn't advise her to get an iPad, but rather a Windows laptop.   The question is...How can MS keep those types of users on Windows?  (Besides price)   Any thoughts on that?
  • Well, what say, Microsoft is UP but Windows is Down.
  • I' was thinking the little boy was a little girl instead. Additionally I'm not buying that ad by either Apple nor Google. It's all cute and fun on those phone apps until you need to get real work done.
  • It IS a girl.   
  • Hey, let’s be open-minded here: It could be a transgender kid for all we know...
  • "a weak" - nice typo! :)
  • I would never buy a Surface device, because I don't need a Touch Screen or Pen and don't want to pay for something I don't need in the device price. Microsoft has worse custom options on their store Website than Apple or gaming laptop companies, and if I were buying a laptop for Media Editing/Manipulation I'd get a Gaming Laptop with a GTX 1050/1060 over a Surface Laptop, and then get a cheap MacBook Air to carry around on the side. The gaming laptops have specs on par with Surface and 15" rMBPs that cost almost twice, so you'll get the high specs and still have something to carry around that is light... and you'll still end up paying less. Buy an external monitor for your desk to go with the more powerful laptop with those savings. --- The issue with Windows 10 is usability. The more they push things to UWP, the less usable the OS gets for people like me. Have you see the new interface for setting file associations by app? Instead of checking check boxes and then pressing "Okay" when you're done, with the app the extension is currently associated with clearly visible (and the ability to sort so that you group all unassociated extensions together... Ugh... Now, it's like 2-3 clicks per file type to change the association. IT'S AS IF NO ONE WHO DEVELOPS WINDOWS ACTUALLY USES IT. The reason why people like macOS is because it's literaly a dream to use. You can throw as much FUD as you want about Apple, but the proof is in the pudding when you use their OS. It's well designed, consistent, and clearly designed with consumer usability as a first priority. This is also why macOS is completely usable (outside of special requirements) out of the box, while Windows 10... isn't.
  • I never saw the need for a Surface or a 2-in-1 for that matter, until I received one from the office (Surface Pro 3) and after my personal, traditional, Asus laptop (macbook-pro-ish) became obsolete for my needs, I didn't hesitated too much before jumping right into the Surface Book. 
    "if I were buying a laptop for Media Editing/Manipulation I'd get a Gaming Laptop with a GTX 1050/1060 over a Surface Laptop, and then get a cheap MacBook Air to carry around on the side"
    In my case I do 3D modeling, design, and some media editing... and while a Gaming laptop makes a lot of sense for that segment, I also do those things ON THE GO, and that is key for a product such as a Surface, because a regular gaming laptop will not give you more than an hour of battery for 3D design, on the other hand, my first generation Surface Book, allows me to work 4~5 hours of SolidWorks and media editing without a charger. Additionally, I used to take a class, and the touchscreen/pen combo where awesome for it, and it really improved the experience for me. As for work, the pen works great for making quick sketch and drawing ideas to share with partners and colleagues about certain projects. Even while using it in Laptop Mode (holding the back of the display for stability).   I agree with you that Windows still needs work in the Usability department, and it is very obvious that they are in a bad position because they need to push UWP, but most UWP do not provide the best experience for power users. I do, however, try to use UWP apps whenever I get the choice, just to have consistency and a bit of extra security.  
    "The reason why people like macOS is because it's literally a dream to use. You can throw as much FUD as you want about Apple, but the proof is in the pudding when you use their OS. It's well designed, consistent, and clearly designed with consumer usability as a first priority. This is also why macOS is completely usable (outside of special requirements) out of the box, while Windows 10... isn't."
    This I DON'T agree at all.... macOS is a dream to use to people who prefer it... but even with Windows imperfections, I still prefer it A LOT over macOS... and for me it is the little things.... simple stuff such as splitting the screen in 2 windows, is done in a fraction of a second, and the efficiency is incredible.... on macOS you need to manually adjust the windows pane and it feels very archaic. And they keep introducing counterintuitive ways to do things such as the touchbar / esc key, and the hardware is idiotic under the current supervision. pencil charging out of lightning port magic mouse underneath charging butterfly keys easy to break (impossible to repair) all usb-c, but inconsistency with mobile segment (the iPhone should DEFINITELY be usb-c at this point)   I will totally stick with Surface... and I am looking forward to upgrade to the Book 2 or the next revision.
  • Gaming laptops have 5+ hour battery life these days, off the charger. I have a good Asus and I can get at least that consistently. I don’t need 10 hours of laptop battery life cause I don’t use them off the charger that long, ever. What I need is good pricing for high end hardware so the device doesn’t choke on heavier workloads.  Basically, a portable and easily transportable d Skype replacement on the cheap.  The machine is more powerful than pretty much any surface book, but cost about as much as a base end model.  —- most Mac users don’t use full screen or split view. I doubt Apple is even fielding many complaints about it. I have never used this in Windows 10, not dis I ever used tiling or cascading in earlier windows versions. I’ve been using Windows since 3.0.  You don’t have to get a Mac with touch at. So what are you complaining about there. The touch bar is good. What isn’t good was removing the function row of the keyboard. The fact that you want a function row doesn’t automatically make the touch bar bad.  Apple still has the best biometrics on a PC, with Touch ID.  All Apple Mobile devices charge with lightening. Get over it.  Magic Mouse is wireless. It’s not meant to be charged during use. That’s why they put it there.  Butterfly keys are objectively awful. I don’t like their travel less MacBook keyboards.  Macos does high DPI exponentially better than windows. The dock is better than the Task Bar and I prefer their global menu. The entire UI is consistent with very few exceptions (most exceptions are perfectly rational). They have a FS that doesn’t require registry edits to avoid path length issues. Time Machine. Instant Hotspot. Continuity,Handoff, SMS Relay.  Their stock software is worlds bette than Microsoft’s, and about 1000x more powerful/capable.  Automator. Terminal. Photos Extensions. Their Dharing system is much better than That of Windows 10. Content Blockers and Tracking Protection.  Macos has App Management for dummies. It’s as easy as managing files in a folder.  Almost all of it’s marquee functionality can be experienced without online account requirements (Siri doesn’t require an Apple ID or iCloud, like Cortana).  Spotlight. Today > Start.  You sound like someone who doesn’t use MacOs on a daily basis. I use both. The UX is on a completely different level than Windows, which remains messy, inconsistent, and devoid of polish. Microsoft is revamping something every week, but they have not even began to tackle some of its biggest warts (like the registry). The software they package is designed for mobiles on an Os predominantly used on desktop form factors. Nothing is consistent.  When you use these OSes side by side, concurrently on a daily basis; it’s difficult not to notice this.  Ifnit weren’t for gaming, Microsoft would have lost a huge chunk of its market share a long time ago. 
  • That's not a boy in the iPad commercial.
  • Exactly.  Clearly, Jason has not watched the commercial.  Pink eyeglasses, pink iPad, green fingernail polish, matching green earrings, girl’s face and riding a girl’s bike.  Hello?
  • Hey, Jason.   Have you actually seen this commerical?   The “boy” is Hannah Alligood.   She is a girl.  Obviously.     Were the pink eyeglasses, pink iPad, green fingernail polish, green earrings, girlish face and riding a girl’s bicycle not enough?  If not, a simple internet search turns up her name.  
  • Apple's and Google's advert touch on the very aspects I have been posting and talking about for awhile now. Microsoft must stop putting ios and android on the forefront and focus on UWP first and foremost then ios and android. Windows on ARM will go much further with UWP apps and provide so many more growth points. Plus Windows 10 S makes perfect sense in replacing Windows 10 home in low end laptop space (sub £200 range) and they better ship with 64gigs of storage! The experience updating 32gig (28gig) storage budget laptops are not for the faint hearted or the average joe, i have had insane amount of issues - although fixable but still unacceptable. The easiest remedy is to mandate 64gig storage as a minimum.
  • Boy? What boy?
    Jason, it's a girl!
  • Jason, you referred to the kid in the iPad commercial as a boy-- that's not a boy, dude!
  • The old way of doing things was a service that you paid for and did with it as you wished.
    The Ggl model is free spyware that allows tech companies to use everything you do online for their own purposes.
    I couldn't care less about new devices, I want the old way of doing things again when it comes to how tech companies treat their customers.
  • Unfortunately, the old way of doing things isn't the direction Microsoft or other tech companies are going.  Fewer and fewer people even know of the old ways.  Although Linux & ReactOS (Which uses the NT kernel) seem to keep to the old way :)
  • "The brilliance of the ad is that it uses a woman who apparently lived through the "Windows personal computer era" and acknowledges the iPad as a computer. By using the "voice" of a user, Apple evades claiming the iPad is a computer but suggests it is indistinguishable in function from one. The boy, who grew up in an era dominated by mobile OS personal computing, is blissfully unaware of the term "computer." The experiences simply work for him." This is the absolute definition of the word - Farce We are nowhere near a mobile only computing society.
    This is teeny bopper / retired person demographic hogwash, trying to target the working class millennial dead brain followers. Yeah, it'll probably work.
  • I hunk it’ll work as well. One thing that Apple did accomplish is (like the removal of the headphone jack and fewer features, etc.,) showcasing their consistency to the task of convincing the general public-and shareholders-that people can do more with less while paying a premium to look cool/modern at the same time. That commercial is actually a sad look into the future progression of the Western ideology that convenience is key. Case in point, we didn’t see any huge biology books in the commercial, did we? Parents asking where the hell she’s been all afternoon and if she’d done her homework? Hell no. That ad was targeted at young people and, like a Disney movie, the adults are killed off (non-existent/of low importance) and the young were in charge of their destiny...In his case, with Mom and Dad’s cash, of course. The kid is convinced that what they don’t know about a full/complete desktop/enterprise OS won’t hurt them obviously, and it’s not Apple’s job to, either. At least the neighbor was nice enough to check on the kid, I guess.
  • Ipad pro is a big scam from apple , if as a tech journalist you defend it then you are a liar . The thing where windows is superior is giving computing at an affordable price . Android is also similar on a mobile platform but as a desktop platform it just fails as it just feels like a 12 inch phone.
  • Couldn't agree with you more
  • What does this have to do with the windows 10 mobile content I come here for? Why don't you stick to writing content for those platforms on your other apps. I literally couldn't care less about idroid.
  • There is no more Windows 10 Mobile content.   It’s dead, Jim.   This is Windows Central, not Windows Mobile Central.  As such, anything relating to Windows and Microsoft is relevant.  Thus, comparing to the competition is relevant.  Thus, you SHOULD care about iOS and Android, since they just combined to bury Win 10 M.  
  • Agreed.  It's best to know than to just ignore what the others are doing.  Because they aren't taking Windows lightly or ignoring it.
  • Nady6969 and roystreet thank you for your responses. Johnny, this is Windows Central and with the name change from Windoes Phone Central to the current name is also a mission that is inclusive of all things Microsoft. We are very aware that our core audience, those like myself (before becoming a writer here) were drawn here because of our initial phone-focused mission. We realize that you are still a faithful community who yearns for mobile news. But our mission, being broader than mobile, WILL include a breadth of content that is not phone related as our new homepage does a good job of reflecting. Additionally, as was pointed out, Microsoft does not exist in a vacuum and just as its leaders, engineers and others consider the broader trends, and watch what the competition is doing, our writing ✍🏿 does the same. What other companies do has an effect on Microsoft's actions. The scramble from Windows Mobile 6.5 to Windows Phone 7 after the advent of the iPhone is evidence of that. So Johnny, please keep this in mind as you visit this site. Your patronage is appreciated, and our content is much broader than mobile, though we still cover it. Please set your your expectations accordingly. Also, I'd also like to encourage you to take a deeper look at this piece and what it suggests about the mobile space and desktop computing. If you look at this in the context of the narrative I've been laying out for quite some time, through other articles, regarding Microsoft's strategy to move the PC to the mobile space, first with cellular PCs, followed by telephony-enabled ultramobile PCs, you see where each company is headed toward a convergence of mobile and desktop scenarios though to different degrees. With that broader insight as you look at this piece it has more to do with mobile than you may initially think. Follow my work here for more details on this: www.windowscentral.com/author/jason-ward
  • As I can see there is a new trend in Microsoft with their Fall Not-For-Creators Update - make windows good for an average Joe while all proffessional should go somewhere else. So yes, Apple and Google redefined PCs and Microsoft follows. But no, now there are specific PC tasks that can't be done even on Windows. for more about all the not for creators you can look for some of the complaints here or here and here we have an official answer from windows ink team
  • Looks to me like Apple and Google are conceding the PC market to MS.
  • The iPad ad just shows the Childs ignorance. They are all computers smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop. They all run the same basic apps but the Windows computer has the ability to run virtually anything you want on it. Take a Surface Pro and you can run most x86 applications plus a virtual instance of MacOS and Android so you are pretty much covered for everything. Flexibility that is why Wintel have lasted for over 36 years. Pushing Windows 10 and getting every developers application into the Microsoft Store makes a Windows device as easy to use as an iPad. With Windows 10 on ARM you get the ease of use of Store based Apps like on IOS & Android but you can also install x86 applications from outside of the Store. Only time will tell if this strategy will work out. With PWA's on the horizon the choice of hardware comes down to the consumer.
  • And where is Microsoft, Oh! yes, the consumer is not important.  Another failure on their list affordable Windows 10 Tablets/Laptops.  Another one down as Google and Apple pound Microsoft into the ground.