I’ve been reading through the various projects that Microsoft has on the go such as .NET MAUI is the .NET Multi-platform App UI, Windows App SDK and many more. It is amazing how in a space of 22 years Microsoft has gone from ‘protest Windows dominance at all cost’ to now ‘we’re not going to sacrifice the rest of Microsoft to prop up a product that is declining in relevance’. The big focus these days are on hardware, cloud services, middleware software, providing software for both Android and iOS plus much more. Windows is now a vehicle but if customers prefer to drive another vehicle then Microsoft will provide their software for that vehicle – being it Android, iOS, macOS or even Linux for that matter.
I’ve also been following along the development of Windows 11 – the ‘move fast and break things’ associated with Windows 10 development left a bitter taste in the mouth for many end users who frequently found that their installation was messed up even when not operating on the insider builds. I haven’t run Windows 11 code on my MacBook Pro but all the feedback appears that although they are moving the platform forward they’re doing it in such a way that it doesn’t isn’t as disruptive and willing to hold back on a feature before merging it into the pre-release version. The other lesson Microsoft learned is “don’t throw away code that works…renovate it” and that is what they’ve done with Notepad, Media Player and progressively with Explorer.
Another great video by Rene Ritchie regarding the whole meme that the ‘iPad is broken’ as put out there by the Tech Bros on Twitter, YouTube and Reddit:
The big problem as far as I see it are the number of people online who have convinced themselves that ‘Pro’ still means ‘Professional’ (and in their mind ‘Pro’ means ‘replacement for my Mac’) given that it hasn’t literally meant ‘Professional’ for years. The use of ‘Pro’ these days pretty much means ‘this is the ultimate version with all the bells and whistles’ just as you could buy Microsoft Office Standard then Microsoft Office Professional (does the inclusion of Access really magically make the suite of applications more professional than the standard version?).
The iPad is designed to be the appliance for people who want to get on the net, watch videos, email, maybe update their blog, tweet something then turn it off. They want an device that is an appliance that they turn on, use it, then turn it off – the complexities of a traditional disappear. Yes, that does mean that the iPad is simplified, there are certain things that cannot be done or if they’re done it isn’t as flexible as a traditional computer but that is the point – the more powerful you make the OS the more complexity you have to introduce where as the iPad isn’t that, it’s an appliance. As or why it is called an iPad Pro – it is a description of the hardware, “this is the best hardware you can find on an iPad” is the point that the ‘Pro’ is trying to get across, it isn’t saying that it is suitable for a professional (how many of those who buy the MacBook Pro do so because they’re professional vs. someone who just wants the best laptop money can buy from Apple?) but rather that ‘this is the top of the line best in class iPad’.
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