Windows Tablets will fail. Are you sure ?

In response to this post on ZDNet: CES : Why Windows Tabkets Will Fail,

where the author James Kendrick seems to say that Microsoft has got it all wrong, I posted the following comment:

Hello,

When there were rumors of a windows Tablet (the courier, if you remember) I thought that Microsoft could offer a strong alternative to the iPad. What we see here is the collision between two kind of systems: Desktop OS Vs Mobile OS.

As usual, Microsoft starts from far but in the end they finally get somewhere. Look at IE, at
Axapta (CRM), at Sharepoint...

What you should ask is not: “what is good to Microsoft ?”, but “what is good for the user ?”

My answer is: it depends.

It depends on the needs and the kind of applications that make that person productive. If all his productivity applications are based on "Windows Servers" or MS Office or Outlook, or any other WIN32 the windows tablet might be the best for this person.

Before deciding I suggest everyone to make an analysis on the 4 Tiers of what I call the eReading Reference Architecture : eReader (ePaper or Tablet), Desktop, Internet and
Entreprise. See http://erra.appepaper.com/the-4-tiers-of-the-ereading-architecture

It's only when you look at the complete lifecycle of your digital contents that you can choose the right tablet for you.

In the case of ebooks, a Kindle is even nicer...

Have a great 2011 !!

J-F