Microsoft Surface – should Apple be worried?

It has been known for a long time that the new version of Windows 8 would be making its debut on a tablet later this autumn, but few actually knew Microsoft would be taking a similar route to market as Apple and actually creating its own product to do so.

Traditionally Microsoft has relied on 3^rd party manufacturers such as Dell, HP, ASUS, etc. to create devices for its operating system – but not this time. Microsoft has proved it has the muscle to deliver a hardware platform with its X-box gaming console so it should not be a surprise, but this may seriously affect its relationship with its traditional partners who have until now provided the hardware platform. But really, will it? Are they going to switch on-mass to Android or is Apple going to allow them to create tablets for IOS?  I don’t think so. Many of them already create tablets in Android and they will not stop doing so; however, they can also now create a Windows version too.

I think the creation of the Microsoft tablet was driven by two goals. Firstly, to create a test hardware platform for them that they could develop Windows 8 on to make sure it really does work; and secondly, to show the manufactures the standard and quality of the product they expect for their operating system to sit on. They know that this is the final throw of the dice in the tablet war and it has to be right, it has to be “aspirational”. Microsoft has set the standard and the manufactures now have to follow.

By creating two versions, Microsoft has cleverly extended the reach of their Windows 8 operating system. At home sitting on the sofa you can use the Windows RT much like an IPAD browsing the internet, doing online banking, listening to music, etc., but it can do more of the things you do in the office as well. Corporate customers can truly begin to switch from the traditional laptop to a single device for both the office and mobile use with the Windows 8 professional version offering the power to be a true single replacement.

When it comes to specification, it is obvious that Microsoft have been doing their homework. The Windows RT is a 1/10^th of a mm thinner than the IPAD and sports a larger 10.6 inch against 9.7 for the IPAD3. This means it can support true 16.9 widescreen which the IPAD can’t, which for the movie aficionado might be important. It does, however, due to this larger screen, weigh in at around 20g more. It has Gorilla glass to prevent scratching and comes with a clip on magnetic cover much like the IPAD.  However, unlike the IPAD it also doubles as a full size keyboard which makes it more “laptop” like when in use. To further extend this view it also has a built in stand so the screen can be tilted at a comfortable 22degrees mush like a laptop.

Microsoft have invested heavily in creating their own alloy for the casing and stand to make it light and strong and they say that in future they could reduce the thickness from the current 9.6mm . Other innovations also include a full-size USB2 port which means you can connect it to traditional accessories such as a mouse, keyboard, external hard drive, etc. and this should further extend its flexibility. In terms of memory it matches the industry standard of 32 and 64GB versions with the option to extend with a micro-SD port.

Although the RT is more like a laptop, Microsoft seems to think that a single device would not meet all demands, so they have brought out a 2^nd product. This will run the full version of the Windows 8 professional operating system and use the Intel based chipset, unlike the ARM in the RT, but has an increased thickness and is slightly heavier. It does, however, sport a USB 3 port for added speed and flexibility. It also comes with either 64 or 128 Gb of memory, reflecting its more corporate aim point. Of course, running Windows 8, which will be the new single OS for Microsoft, means that it will run all the same programs as the traditional desk/laptop.

The real question is of course how will Windows 8 as the single OS across phones, tablets and PCs fair. Well, having used the pre-release version, I found it stable at least. The new UI will take a little while to get used to, but having used windows mobile 7.5 extensively, which has a similar look and feel, I found it quite intuitive. I am perhaps not the average user though and I think the start button will be missed, although getting used to using the “windows” button on the tablet and keyboard to return to the UI starts to feel more intuitive after a while. I found that all the programs I had loaded in Windows 7 continued to work under windows 8 and if, as I am sure many will, you can go straight from the UI to a traditional desktop and it feels very similar to windows 7, although you will note the absence of the start button on the bottom left. I am not sure how it will work with the tablet but if it works as intuitively as windows 7.5 on the mobile, it should be a winner.

So the $64000 question – is it better than the IPAD? – well, judgement must be reserved until we see its use in anger. The IPAD has been successful for good reasons. It is a quality device that is aspirational and works very well with lovely presentation and finish and IOS has a wide range of applications available for it. This alone makes it a device which everyone wants. If Microsoft can create this aspiration for their product, then they could be in a position to challenge this dominance. The majority of us are familiar with the Microsoft suite of products and use them on a day to day basis, and the ability to transfer these across to the tablet must give them a fighting chance. The Windows PC is the only platform that has more applications available for it than IOS, so this should level this playing field here, too.

In terms of the corporate user, the CIO has really been waiting for a viable competitor to Apple. The IPAD has sneaked in via the CEO/Senior management route without clear thought to its use and implications: they wanted it, so they used it. Unfortunately for IT, the management of the device has always been an issue; it is designed as a consumer device, not corporate , so does not come with the management tools necessary to make sure it fits in with corporate policies. Here with the wealth of corporate products available in the Windows world, perhaps Microsoft might finally have the advantage.

Putting out a tablet with a new OS is a gamble but is one which they needed to do now while they still retain the dominant position in the PC OS space. If they had left it much longer the erosion of their market may have reached a point of no return.  The creation of two versions could also prove to be a master stroke. It has always been difficult to create a “one fits all” device and so they have decided to try. In creating a corporate and consumer version of the same product, they might have just got it right. Only time will tell, but healthy competition can only be good, both for corporate and consumer. If this does not work, the future certainly looks to belong to the Apple!

David Tuck, Principal Consultant

Does the future of business mobile computing lie in hybrid tablet devices?

As a legion of hybrid laptop/tablet devices are thrown into the market, riding the wave of the trendy but not-so-business-friendly iPad whilst trying to overcome its limitations in a bid to conquer a place in the corporate world, a few thoughts come to mind as a reflection on the future of business mobile computing.

Tablets in their pure and hybrid forms have been around for several years, but it is only recently that they have reached some sort of success thanks to the right marketing, targeting and perhaps timing. Perhaps they could only be accepted as the natural successor to smartphones and e-readers, and had to hit the gadget-thirsty consumer market before they could be introduced in a corporate environment.

However, tablets like the iPad aren’t specifically built for work. Apart from the security issues that are still to be fully assessed, there are some technical aspects which makes this device unfit for business in its present form. Its touch-screen technology is not ideal for writing long documents and emails, for instance, and the attachable keyboard is an extra expense and an extra item to carry around, making it less comfortable than a normal laptop. Another issue is that the screen does not stand on its own. To write on it, the device has to be held with one hand, leaving only one hand free to type, or placed horizontally on a surface or one’s lap, an unusual position which makes it harder to compose long texts. A holder can be purchased, but at an extra cost. It must be said that consumers of mobile computing are not eager to carry around extra detachable parts. That’s what mobile computing is all about – compact and lightweight devices to access resources from different places or while travelling.

The latest hybrids launched on the market try to overcome these issues, for instance keeping the laptop’s two-piece, foldable, all-in-one appearance and merging it with the touchscreen concept introduced by tablets. For instance, Dell is launching a 10-inch hybrid Netbook/Tablet device where the screen can be rotated to face upwards before closing the machine, so that whilst the keyboard disappears it remains on the upper surface, appearing exactly like a Tablet. Toshiba’s Libretto, instead, is an even smaller device (7 inches) that looks like a normal mini-netbook but is composed of two screens with touch-screen technology. One screen can be used for input and the other for displaying information, but they can also be used together as a double-screen, for example to read a newspaper the ‘traditional’ way.

Although the two hybrids both show an effort to meet market requirements for a marketable device – small and fast, easy to carry around, one-piece, foldable, able to stand on its own, touchscreen – this still doesn’t make them ideal and safe for work. It is possible that they become popular among a niche of professionals to whom the design and some of their functionalities may appeal, but it is highly unlikely that they will replace traditional laptops in the IT department or in organisations where IT needs to be efficient and extremely safe.

First of all, the capacity and speed of these devices is limited, and so is the screen size. Furthermore, although the touch-screen technology may probably become the way forward at some point in the future, at the moment it is not advanced enough to make it better than a traditional keyboard. When typing on a touchscreen there is no tactile response at the fingertips, hence it is necessary to keep glancing at one’s fingers to be sure you are hitting the right keys. Finally, the risk of a ‘cool’ device is that it is an easy target for theft, which can represent a risk to the business from a data protection point of view especially if the device does not allow a sufficient level of security or has some faults to due its newness.

Although the mass of tech-crazy professionals that populate organisations in all sectors are looking more and more for a one-for-all device, it is unlikely that this becomes the mainstream solution. It is more likely that people will have a travel-size device for their free time or when they are on the go, a smartphone for calls and quick email checking and a super-safe and bulky laptop for work.

The problem, here, will be how to access the same resources from the various devices without having to transfer and save all the documents and applications onto all of them. This could be overcome with desktop virtualisation which makes a user’s desktop and resources reachable from any device and anywhere in the world – abroad, home or on a train. Unfortunately this requires a reliable, strong and stable internet connection which at present is still not available everywhere, and especially not outside homes and offices.

As for the far future, portable devices will probably be very different from what we are used to – they will be as thin as a sheet of paper, with touchscreen technology that is more advanced than the one at present, and users will be able to roll them away and carry them in a pocket. The projected keyboard might become popular as well – although it already exists, consumers are still not embracing this new way of inputting information but this might change with time.

In fact, the future of computing is not only determined by technological developments. Adoption in the mainstream culture is essential and it can only happen when consumers are ready to accept variants of what they are used to. It is only through a cultural change that things can really progress onto new forms and it is through the choices and preferences of the new consumer/professional figure that the future of mobile computer will ultimately be determined.

Will Rodbard, Senior Consultant

Find this article on Business Computing World: http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/does-the-future-of-business-mobile-computing-lie-in-hybrid-tablet-devices/

The quest for a portable office – are all mobile devices safe for work?

“Free as a bird, is the next best thing to be,” sang the Beatles. This is what modern workers want more and more: they want to be able to work while commuting, on a business trip and at home, even in the middle of the night or at weekends.

Naturally, the need for greater out-of-hours and out-of-office accessibility to work resources has grown with the development of new, smaller and lighter devices that are constantly coming out and gaining ground in the market.

With the choice getting wider by the day, professionals, who are getting more and more tech-savvy, want to be able to have their say when it comes to choosing their mobile devices. They want to be free to use what they like and are used to, for example their own mini Netbook or smart phone, rather than being forced to use machines approved by the IT department, often heavier and less discreet.

Some organisations have considered setting a budget for hardware expenses and allowing each individual to choose their own machine. Although arguably democratic, this move can turn out to be a disaster for two main reasons: firstly, the organisation would need to provide widely skilled, up-to-date support to cover all of the machines; secondly, and most importantly, the trendiest and newest gadgets often present the most risks concerning security.

While iPads and iPhones may appear more attractive than laptops, Blackberry and other handheld mobiles, it is not by chance that they are not popular in the workplace: they are not suited for remote VDI access and lack security lockdown features. Many smartphones were not originally designed for business or corporate use, therefore do not support data encryption. In addition to this, because of their novelty they may be more vulnerable to viruses and hacking. Let’s keep in mind that trendy devices are more eye-catching and at a higher risk of being stolen. If the device is not effectively password-protected and its data encrypted, then the thief will have full access to the crown jewels.

Another risk linked to mobile devices is that the smallest, lightest ones have less storage capacity, therefore users end up transferring and storing data through the use of external devices such as memory sticks, and sometimes other unconventional tools which allow data storage, such as digital cameras memory cards or mp3 players, perhaps to conceal sensitive information. While small devices like memory sticks are easy to lose, the unconventional ones do not provide adequate levels of data protection.

Even with the new Data Protection regulations which came out this year, forcing private companies to declare breaches to the Information Commissioner who is free to make them public, and facing breachers with fines up to £500,000, it still seems that many organisations do not fully understand the need to enhance their security measures. A survey conducted by ICD Research in association with CBR found that organisations are planning to spend 42% more on mobility this year, whilst 36% will spend the same budget as the previous year. However, surprisingly, 61% are planning to spend the same amount of money on security as the year before, and only 28% are going to increase spending in that area. From this data, it appears that although organisations recognise the need for mobile devices and to embrace mobility, they do not completely realise the importance of security, which becomes even more crucial when work is taken outside the office doors.

To be effective, security must work in layers, and protect access equally from the outside and from the inside. Apart from passwords and physical barriers to impede external access, it is important to update antivirus software regularly, especially on the more modern devices, which are typically more vulnerable to bugs and attack by hackers.

It is important as well to allow data to self-protect, in case the previous measures fail to be effective or in the not uncommon case of human error. Only recently, the news came that a police officer emailed some 100,000 criminal records to a journalist by mistake, due to the auto-complete function in his email account. Although human error cannot be automatically prevented, there is a way to save the organisation from a breach of data security, and that is to encrypt all documents, even when they are just sent between co-workers. Data is exposed to risks whilst in transit, attached to emails, when the transmission channel is owned by an external provider.

To insure an enhanced level of security, training should be provided to all members of the organisation, as most breaches happen at end point. A security culture must be introduced with mobility to reduce the attendant risks and, most importantly, a loss of reputation for the whole organisation, and not only the employee responsible for the breach. It is only embracing such measures that mobility, efficiency and security can finally meet.

 

 

Ayodele Soleye, Senior Consultant

Find this article online on Director: http://www.director.co.uk/ONLINE/2010/06_10_ipad_security.html

Will Tablets rule the future?

Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently announced the start of a new, post-PC era, declaring that Tablets such as the iPod might be replacing PCs just like ‘old trucks were replaced by modern cars’. Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer reacted by saying that PCs are undergoing many transformations and tablets are just one of the experimental forms we will see, adding that the PC market has still a lot to grow.

As an experiment Keith Smith, Senior Consultant and Adrian Polley, Technical Services Director take the sides of Jobs and Ballmer and discuss the two different viewpoints.

Are Tablets the future? 

It’s a strong possibility.

Keith Smith, Senior Consultant

Nowadays there is an increasing need for light and easily transportable devices, which are at the same time aesthetically pleasing. From this point of view, Tablets tick all the boxes: they offer flexibility and mobility in use as they are not restricted to a keyboard, and because of their shape they can be used in places or positions not conducive to a notebook such as in bed, standing or with one hand. Apart from this, what differentiates Tablets is that they give users the possibility to write directly into the device using their own handwriting, which is something normal laptops do not allow. Users can then share their “ink”, the data which is input and displayed as handwriting, with other tablet and non-tablet users and integrate it with other business applications, for instance Word. There is also the option of using the traditional mouse-keyboard combination, although the elements have to be purchased separately.

After the warm welcome the iPad received, it may prove difficult to go back to portable PCs as we know them. This is especially because the Tablet offers the “touch environment” which makes navigation easier than notebook equivalents of keyboard, mouse and touchpad in certain situations, and offers faster input for creating diagrams or playing games.

The fact that users can use a stylus to input information, which builds on peoples’ traditional use of a pen, makes it even more accessible as for a lot of people it is easier to use than a keyboard.

The functions that characterise Tablets make it ideal for personal use first, which may then leak into the business world when issues such as security will be properly addressed. Although a lot of work still needs to be done, especially to gain credibility in a business environment, Tablets can be seen as the first step to a technology that is minimal, versatile and why not, democratic.

 __________________________________________________

I don’t think so!

Adrian Polley, Technical Services Director

There is a lot of fervour around this ‘innovative’ piece of technology, but contrary to what many seem to believe, Tablets are not so shockingly original, nor can really be considered the anti-PC – there have in fact been PC-based Tablets since 2001. These are generally standard Laptops with a rotating screen that can be used to write on, so that they have the general functionality of a laptop with the convenience of a pen-based device. This device was lauded as the natural successor to the laptop, but even though marketing enthusiasm has increased with both the Windows Vista and then the Windows 7 launches, take up has been relatively small compared to overall laptop sales. The dual functionality made these types of Tablets considerably more expensive than comparable laptops, which could be a reason for their limited success. There is commercial appeal in the iPad because of its ease of portability and accessible price, but these are both possible because it lacks traditional PC or Mac components. This might make it lighter and sexier, but does it meet normal functionality needs?

There is a major issue with Tablets that concerns user input.  In spite of 20 years’ worth of development of voice and handwriting-based input, the vast majority of user input to a computer is still done via the keyboard, which is considered to be fast and accurate. The lack of an equally efficient means of input into a Tablet device relegates it to those tasks which are primarily consumer based, such as viewing and interacting with content that is provided without having to input a lot of information.  This may suit consumer applications, but only a certain class of business applications. Until the input problem is resolved, Tablets will always be an item in the business world that is niche and not mainstream.  As has already been proven with PC-based Tablets, users are generally unwilling to pay the premium required to get the Tablet functions on top of a standard laptop, let alone to lose some of its main functions completely.

Apple’s Tablet may have sold to millions of technology fans, but widespread day-to-day and business adoption is probably not going to become a reality anytime soon.

Disclaimer: this is a role-play exercise and may not represent the writers’ real views on the subject.