Will you want a Windows 8 Tablet or Convertible Laptop/Netbook?

**DF Bot** · 6th July 2011

Posted on Windows 8 News, Rumors & Tips
Many people are getting very excited about the new Tablet interface for Windows 8.* Based on the Metro UI first introduced for their Zune media player, and then enhanced for Windows Phone, it seems to have received almost universal praise.* Some current research is showing that Windows is the operating system most people want on their mobile devices too, perhaps because of the ability to run their favourite programs, perhaps out of familiarity.* We can be certain whatever the outcome that the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next January will be awash with Windows 8 tablets, Microsoft will make sure of that.* Windows 8 tablets will then go on to be a very strong challenger to Android, RIM and HP if perhaps not Apple.
Or will it?* You see I’ve always found it interesting that people say they would rather have Windows on a mobile device than any other operating system.* People have apps on their computers and they not only get used to using them, but all their data is there too, usually locked into a proprietary format.* So is it really true that Windows 8 tablets will take off, or is it more likely that Windows 8 will be more popular on convertible devices?

There are many of these already, some running Windows 7 and some running Android.* The different form factors involve flip round screens and tablets that plug into keyboard docks.* They include tablets, laptops and netbooks in their ranges.* In all there’s a tablet here for everyone already and Windows 8 is going to come in a shake this market up.
Using Windows 8 on a convertible device will make much more sense to many people on a convertible device than just on a flat tablet.* There will be huge numbers of ‘consumers’ of information who will want a tablet for web browsing, email and watching and listening to video and music.* Windows users though tend to be ‘content creators’ who could find this form-factor limiting.* What’s the point, many people will argue, of having Windows on a device if I can’t use Office or Photoshop?
I can agree with this myself, I have a Windows Phone that I’ve recently upgraded with the beta version of Microsoft’s new ‘Mango’ operating system update.* It was essential to me that I got access to this, and fortunately my job permits such extravagances, simply so I could get access to SkyDrive*in the Office hub.* Here I keep valuable spreadsheets and other documents that I need regular and frequent access to.* When Windows Phone shipped last year, not only could you not access or open documents stored anywhere in the cloud other than a company SharePoint server, but you couldn’t sync documents from your PC to your handset either.* Now I have full access to these Office documents on the move Windows Phone has become genuinely useful to me.* I can therefore completely understand what these people are saying.
So what would be your preference?* Microsoft are soon going to start demoing a variety of different form-factors and new devices showcasing Windows 8.* We’ll see some of them at* September’s BUILD conference when the new OS is officially unveiled.* It’s impossible to predict what new and imaginative form-factors hardware companies may yet have to announce but for the moment the list sits like this…

Traditional Laptop
Traditional Netbook
Traditional Tablet (with option of Bluetooth keyboard)
Convertible Laptop
Convertible Netbook
Tablet with Keyboard dock

It would also be interesting to know if you are a ‘content creator’ or ‘content consumer’ on your Windows PCs.
Please let us know in the comments below what type of Windows user you are and what type of tablet device for Windows 8 (if any) you’d like to be using, it will be very interesting to hear your views.

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