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Mobile Internet forcing computers to evolve

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Mobile internet is actually becoming the internet, not making the PCs to evolve but rather making the internet to change towards mobile devices.

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GPUs are great at high reptitive tasks, but are terrible for general purpose work. They work great for things like Folding@Home, Bitcoin mining, drawing millions of pixels on a screen, etc. They however can't handle the constant task changes that a CPU deals with.

Not to mention, they use a buttload of power.

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badsey3Dec. 23, 2012 - 03:52AM JST

You're starting to get way off topic there. While OpenCL/CUDA are great for improving computing power in certain things, normal use workloads are too varied to be highly parallelized GPU chips to do anything.

The thing about calculating power vs electrical power has nothing to do with efficiency. If you compare performance per watt, you'll see that the newest Intel chips (including motherboard, memory, SSD, fans) are actually more energy efficient than the typical quad core ARM Cortex A15 system (memory and board only, adding anything else makes it far too lopsided against ARM). Electrical power is simply how much energy is used per second by the system. While you can't expect a 100W chip in a tablet, you can expect a 10W chip to fit the battery and cooling demands.

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it's calculating power vs electrical power

BitCoin (electronic currency) miners are using GPUs (graphic cards). BitCoins are mined thru a math program (free). They say it is unprofitable to do it now -so I can't recommend it. The Mhash/Joule is what you look at unless you get your electricity for free (College students etc). https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Mining_hardware_comparison

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badsey3Dec. 22, 2012 - 03:46PM JST

Big fan of SDKs and programming in general.

Then you'll love Windows. Plenty of SDKs to try out. .Net especially. Works with both 8 and RT tablets.

Wacom always seemed like a quality company -and I like that.

I've used them for years, really good products, and great driver support, if more companies were like that Windows tablets would be absolutely burning the charts about now.

Printing companies would demand a Mac example where I am from. (big paper industry area)

That has nothing to do with anything. They did that only because of program licensing fees. Print files are 100% identical. In fact, even Win RT can print 100% identically to it (but ios and android cannot, no matter what applejuice says)

Mac was more correct to Pantone etc. =What you see on your screen (PC) would not always be correct even with the color calibrator. =Artists are picky people.

That's complete bs touted by apple fans that really don't bother checking it. . Windows since XP supports full color profiling for any monitor. A calibrated color profile will be identical. And in fact, it's all a function of the monitor, and Apple monitors are absolutely horrible for their price. Any real professional would go with an Eizo or similar, it's the same price for far better color quality... And you can use it in any OS just fine.

Interesting with the Motorola 68040/68030 and color processing compared to PowerPC and then Mac/Intel. =this only proves that people are very slow to change.

It's very similar to the x86 vs ARM issue with tablets right now. The x86 vs ARM issue is a bit more one sided though, with x86 being the far better one when power is needed, and a ARM for battery life. The new ATOM Z2700 range chips are supposed to change that, but they simply make x86 just as weak as ARM. It's no longer graphics vs everything else as it's calculating power vs electrical power.

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that is good answer. I have gone to mostly Unix (Linux) now. Not a graphics professional -so I was just wondering. Big fan of SDKs and programming in general. Wacom always seemed like a quality company -and I like that.

Printing companies would demand a Mac example where I am from. (big paper industry area). Mac was more correct to Pantone etc. =What you see on your screen (PC) would not always be correct even with the color calibrator. =Artists are picky people.

Interesting with the Motorola 68040/68030 and color processing compared to PowerPC and then Mac/Intel. =this only proves that people are very slow to change.

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badsey3Dec. 22, 2012 - 02:09PM JST

For some reason iOs seems simpler to me

I never found three and four finger gestures to be simple or even practical. If you are a regular point and click type person, Windows 8 metro, android, or ios should all be practically the same. If you are a power user, windows 8 is the only thing you would ever use on a tablet, with android after that.

But that is a personal choice, though I suggest you try out android and Windows 8 tablets before you give up on those two options.

with the SDK you can program what you need/want.

No, you can only do so if you have an OSX computer (compared to android or windows apps that you can program and compile anywhere), and side-loading is a pain (not to mention only possible with a developer account). And don't forget that developing for ios costs money simply to get access to the sdk and side loading, while android and windows are free.

Why do people still cling to Windows when you have the choice of Unix and the Mac

Nobody seriously uses pure unix, it's in less than 0.5% of computers, almost all of which are servers. OSX is unix-like, but not unix.

And the reasons are many, from very easy application porting (no need for multiple front ends for different desktop managers, no code workarounds for different unix-like projects), to having more useful applications available than every app store combined. I personally use it over linux for my projects because I can minimize my time learning OS specific modifications and go straight to what I need.

has always been superior in graphics

No, it used to be faster in graphics applications back when it used motorola chips. When they switched to powerpc chips from IBM, it became slightly faster than unoptimized graphics applications on intel chips, but most of the professional packages already switched to using SIMD instructions that leveled the playing field in graphics. Ever since they switched to intel though, there is absolutely nothing making them better (same chips can be had for both OSes), and it's actually slower for video graphics due to a lack of DXVA like code.

(color recognition and real print color)

In fact, printing from macs was horrible because of their stupid gamma curves that were not industry standard. Soft-proofing was a must on OSX, and no "color recognition" differences, whatever that means, since color profiles are industry standard.

Wacom has always been an interesting company to me -but I never bought a tablet. Is there a huge difference between Mac/Win Wacom?

WACOM makes digitizers, not tablets. They specialize in pen input devices, including screens with built in digitizers. There are no apple products with Wacom or Wacom-like capabilities built in, but there are a few Windows 7 and Windows8/RT devices with it. Unlike regular touchscreens that have no pressure input, the Wacom devices have 10bit (1024 level) pressure sensitive input (with pen). You can get addon (USB) input devices including ones with built in monitors for both OSes, and the Windows 8 drivers now support all Windows 8 gestures.

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Basroil: -(smart) people VM everything now. I am still stuck on Win2000 though (laugh if you want) and have never been a fan of Windows 95/98 etc (feel Win2000 was finally the real deal). For some reason iOs seems simpler to me and with the SDK you can program what you need/want. Why do people still cling to Windows when you have the choice of Unix and the Mac has always been superior in graphics (color recognition and real print color)

Wacom has always been an interesting company to me -but I never bought a tablet. Is there a huge difference between Mac/Win Wacom?

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w00t! Finally got my Acer W700 (128 SSD) ordered. Took forever. Thing has been out-of-stock everywhere since it released. Went out of stock right after I finished ordering it too.

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@zichi

So you used an unfinished product and base your opinion on that?

Also comparing the years that Win 7 has been out against an OS that hasn't even been out 6 months. Hmm...of course Windows 7 is going to outnumber it. Pretty obvious there. Windows 8 adoption rate is lower than Windows 7 (not by much) on release, but Windows 7 had the benefit of coming out after Windows Vista.

@basroil

I use MPC-HC on my Win 8 Pro box without issue. Drag and drop, works fine. The only problem I have with Windows 8, is the flicks I did with Win 7 aren't there. Like flicking left-to-right to go back a page in IE. I have no idea why that functionality is gone. It says it's suppose to work with pen, but still doesn't. I haven't got constant internet on my tablet, so I don't know if there are some updates that fix that issue. Gestures work fine.

May just download some flick software to bring it back, if there isn't an update to fix it.

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Korlacan KhanthavilayDec. 21, 2012 - 09:29PM JST

I have absolutely zero issues with Win 8.

My only issue is that MPC-HC doesn't properly hook, so you can't drag and drop files into it to play them. But that has nothing to do with the OS, just a bad installer.

Windows 8 is the perfect example of computers evolving, people are reluctant to change simply because they are used to the way they always do things, even if it's completely outdated. Hell, I'm starting to get pissed off at my Win7 laptop for making me use keyboard shortcuts or lose a few seconds by moving the cursor over to a little used corner to simply open a program i don't have pinned to the taskbar. Being a gamer, I absolutely love the corners system in Win8 though, I can finally use my high DPI settings to just make small flicks and do everything without even touching the keyboard, just as fast as the keyboard. As more computers start showing up with touchscreens, it will be even more intuitive and easy. That or microsoft finding a way to use kinect SDK ideas with a regular webcam, controlling the computer from a few meters away with just hand gestures would make the home theater idea actually work (some people already have done that with Kinect for Windows and Win8)

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I have absolutely zero issues with Win 8. Zichi probably has never used it. All he does is post someone else's opinion about it. I don't even think Consumer Reports has used Win 8, cause they apparently don't know that the Metro UI, is a gigantic start menu. They also somehow expect computers to perform at their best with a new OS, when that's never been the case. It always takes time for companies to optimize their OS/software.

Really, Win 8 is all just a matter of choice, not so much about performance. If you can't live with the Metro UI, then just go Win 7. If you're willing to learn, go Win 8. Only took me a minute to get use to it. Not that I even use the splash screen all that much. I pin my most used programs on my taskbar. Same thing I did with Win 7.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

According to the same toms hardware news above: "As we've stressed in previous reports, there's really nothing to fear with Windows 8. "

Guess people like to skip the stuff that makes their argument fall flat on its face.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ipad-mini-benchmark-review,3367-8.html

Ouch, from the looks of that conclusion, tablets aren't going to be replacing laptops anytime soon, and the few that are will be Surface style ones with Windows installed.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Korlacan KhanthavilayDec. 19, 2012 - 06:17PM JST

I would love a Win 8 Pro tablet with a Wacom screen, but good ones simply aren't available. I need more than just an Intel Atom. I could get a capacitive stylus, but I don't feel like drawing with a sausage. Atom's actually fine for most things thanks to OpenGL acceleration of the canvas and plenty of memory, but filters will take forever.

I also don't see how an iPad can beat a Win 8 tablet for graphics programs. Cheap crappy apps that were built with little functionality for slow Arm procs vs regular Windows programs that will be running Intel Atoms, i3s, and i5s.

On top of not supporting SIMD instructions that photoshop and other heavy processing programs use (hell, I use them in my programs and they save a few ms every second it runs), ARM is a RISC chip and doesn't support most things natively, so clock for clock they are slower than equivalent size and efficiency chips like the Atom (even without accounting for OS differences)

Hell, the iPad doesn't even have enough storage for some of the files that would come out of Photoshop.

For "normal" use with 200mb files, it should be fine as long as you hook it up to a real computer constantly, but it sure as hell doesn't have enough memory to do it properly. Only 1gb memory even in the newest icrap, not enough for a dozen 20mp layers even if the program was very efficient, not without writing to a (slow) SSD scratch. Older devices have just 512mb or less, and that would be horrible for any graphics intensive programs.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Graphic artists could actually would do well with Windows 8 tablets that have a Wacom screen (they are actually Windows 7 tablets that can't do most gestures though, so not 100% great), because that means 100% compatibility with Photoshop and other similar programs.

I would love a Win 8 Pro tablet with a Wacom screen, but good ones simply aren't available. I need more than just an Intel Atom. I could get a capacitive stylus, but I don't feel like drawing with a sausage. I have my HP TM2T, so not a huge problem. I only do it for fun on the side. I just have to get use to hitting the tiny buttons on some of the programs that weren't built around touch (like Winamp).

I also don't see how an iPad can beat a Win 8 tablet for graphics programs. Cheap crappy apps that were built with little functionality for slow Arm procs vs regular Windows programs that will be running Intel Atoms, i3s, and i5s. I'd love to see an iPad app that can fully support every single function that is available in the top-tier Adobe Photoshop program. Bet you, zero exist. Hell, the iPad doesn't even have enough storage for some of the files that would come out of Photoshop.

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Asus Vivo Tab (Windows 8 tablet, not RT) supports full WACOM digitizers and has WACOM technology built into the screen. It is basically a portable version of the Cintiq 12WX from WACOM with a better (higher resolution) screen and no need for a separate computer!

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http://www.trustedreviews.com/asus-vivo-tab_Tablet_review

This is one of the best options for graphic artists on the go. It supports WACOM stylus input without ridiculous bluetooth workarounds (pogo connect) or dumbed down things like the "Bamboo Stylus". No lag, no wasted battery life running bluetooth, and 1024 pressure levels instead of the pathetic single pressure level of non-bluetooth solutions for icrap.

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https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/tech-specs.html

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopextended/tech-specs.html

Only Windows 8 tablets and the ModBook are supported by adobe products!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

icrap can't use any professional graphics applications, including Photoshop, gimp, related programs, and no icrap even supports pen input and never will be able to due to OS level restrictions.

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Korlacan KhanthavilayDec. 19, 2012 - 12:30AM JST

For students, it varies widely what could be used. Graphics artists, IT students, etc. The iPad is useless. No tablet would work for a graphics artist student and the IT student would be better served with a Win 8 Pro tablet, since it's an ultrabook without a keyboard.

Graphic artists could actually would do well with Windows 8 tablets that have a Wacom screen (they are actually Windows 7 tablets that can't do most gestures though, so not 100% great), because that means 100% compatibility with Photoshop and other similar programs.

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The iPad isn't a fully featured computer. It's very limited in it's capabilities. The only way to extend it's capabilities out is to remote to an actual machine. You won't always have access to 3/4G or wifi.

For students, it varies widely what could be used. Graphics artists, IT students, etc. The iPad is useless. No tablet would work for a graphics artist student and the IT student would be better served with a Win 8 Pro tablet, since it's an ultrabook without a keyboard.

A laptop/ultrabook/Win 8 Pro tablet can fill majority of computer user's needs. An iPad or Android tablet varies widely. I'd say a huge amount are unable to use an iPad or Android tablet for school or work. Not without remoting into a full computer through the internet/network.

An iPad or Android tablet is completely useless for me, for work related purposes. It's great for media consumption and websurfing, but that's about it. I'd have to leave my home computer on to make more use of it, at which point. I might as well just carry my 13" laptop/tablet with me. It'd give me the same features, while also allowing me to type at my normal 80-100 words per minute.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Really the iPhone (with an unlimited cell data plan) +wifi, bluetooth, usb changed all this. If you can do it with your cell-phone and put it in your pocket -Why do you need to bring a laptop with you.

The iPad basically is a computer screen that you take with you. Put the screen on a base with a wireless keyboard and you have your computer. I think the tablets make better sense for school especially if they are lighter and smaller 7". The 7" Nook is popular for reading and a 10" tablet is to heavy to read while lying down.

the 5-7" sweet spot: The iPad mini is the sweet spot in size, but cannot fit in pocket. So the longer phones with the bigger diagonal screens have the edge unless clothes come out with wider pockets to fit these devices. Maybe men need purses just for these devices.

There are still people lugging around Osborne 1 and Macintosh Plus/SE/Classic suitcase style "portable" computers -and I respect the people that can deal with the heft of these old classics. People need to respect portable computer tradition and bringing out the old classics is one way to get the youth excited about portable computers again.

http://fukuhara.com/fukuhara/backintheday/bytemagazinevol5no12/osborne.jpg WordStar/MailMerge/SuperCalc complete package! CP-M Zilog 80

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TheInterstatDec. 18, 2012 - 07:23AM JST

Yeah, there is having a lot of power under the bonnet and only sometimes utilising it, vs. having massive amounts of power under the bonnet and never ever even understanding how to use it and spending all day posting photos of your food on Facebook / moaning about things on text on forums.

And then there's having 100GFLOP worth of CPU power alone and regularly using it for work or play.

And then there's having to calculate your next screen within 16ms or looking like lag, which is one of the reasons android and iOS seem so laggy, and only seem to improve with better chips. While you can optimize software to remove lag (like Microsoft did with Windows Phone), it's a near impossible task for outdated phone OSes due to backwards compatibility.

The way most people use devices, "hurry up and wait" is the best method for longer battery life, and if your cheap ARM chip takes 5 seconds at 4W to calculate something (like a webpage), but a laptop chip takes 1 second at 10W and 4 seconds at 2W, the more powerful chip is actually more energy efficient. Not to mention it'll do more things you want it to.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yeah, there is having a lot of power under the bonnet and only sometimes utilising it, vs. having massive amounts of power under the bonnet and never ever even understanding how to use it and spending all day posting photos of your food on Facebook / moaning about things on text on forums.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@TheInterstat

More performance doesn't necessarily mean you have to make use of it through things like video editing, photo editing, etc. Even small tasks accomplish quicker, allowing the device to return to a more idle state. Allowing for longer battery life.

If it's some crazy high performance proc that throws battery efficiency out the window, then ya. I'd probably say something about not using the performance either.

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TheInterstatDec. 17, 2012 - 06:05PM JST

I am not a computer geek criticizing people for using tablets; rather I am a realist criticizing people for going on and on and on about the power of one device over another, when in reality they don't do anything with it that warrants the power.

You'de actually be surprised at just how much power you use for certain things. Not necessarily long term power, but certainly short term power. For example, a modern game with 3d physics can do thousands of primitives within the 16ms timeframe needed for reasonable gameplay, yet even with NEON SIMD extensions you can only expect a few dozen on an ARM chip unless you start lowering parameters that cost CPU time. Video decoding, expecially non h264 up to 4.1 and h262 (mpeg2), take a great deal of processing power.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@Elbuda Mexicano; Thanks for the input, but I think you are missing my point. I am not a computer geek criticizing people for using tablets; rather I am a realist criticizing people for going on and on and on about the power of one device over another, when in reality they don't do anything with it that warrants the power.

Kind of like somebody debating between two wrist watches; one is resistant to 100m and another 200m... Then the only water submergence that it sees with when they go to their local swimming pool with a deep end of 5 metres.

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@ Willem

smartphone, tablet AND laptop daily ;) ALL have use cases!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Tabletpc is great but my iPad is even better :)

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

You're being a bit too general. Tablets and laptops will merge

If you mean the keyboards and separate screens are going to vanish, than no. I don't think so.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

consumer preferences diktat the success/failure of a product.Who knows a better product may be evolving somewhere in Japan to replace PC/Notebook/Tablet

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lostrune2Dec. 16, 2012 - 06:19PM JST

Tablets and PCs will eventually merge. The portability of the tablet with the power and versatility of the PC.

You're being a bit too general. Tablets and laptops will merge, the desktop computer still has a different purpose and the reason why they are still around in the consumer market.

But for now, generally tablets are mainly for consuming media while mainly PCs are used in creating media. Most people are just fine consuming, with just a bit of creating, so portability is more useful for them than power.

Windows 8 has changed that, and intel's new atom chips pretty much bridge the gap between ARM chips and x86 chips, being more power efficient than ARM chips but still supporting real programs natively. However, a lot of people are interested in power, and more than power, responsiveness and ability to multitask. There's still no mobile platforms that support proper multitasking (only one at a time operation with background functions) other than Windows 8 (RT has halfway useful implementation as long as apps support it, which all the launch apps did), and Windows 8 tablets tend to be a bit bulkier because manufacturers throw as much junk into them as they can.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

It makes me cringe when computer geeks cringe at what others do or do not do with their own computers, tablets, lives! It's none of your damn beeswax!! We are free to do what ever we want with our $$$$ and of some of us love tablets, and not want to be bothered with big, heavy old clunky desk tops, is it the end of the world??? No! Go on and get a real life!!

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Tablets and PCs will eventually merge. The portability of the tablet with the power and versatility of the PC.

But for now, generally tablets are mainly for consuming media while mainly PCs are used in creating media. Most people are just fine consuming, with just a bit of creating, so portability is more useful for them than power.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@Willem - you answered your own question; most people in the world do nothing more with their technology than browser based social networking, and at a push, a bit of shopping / youtube. It makes me cringe when I see people going on about high powered devices as if they need that level of processing power, then proceed to skim through a few photos of themselves at Disneyland doing V signs / eating ice cream.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I honestly don't understand why people like tablets so much. Those damn things can't do anything, they are just strong enough to load internet pages, photo's and view simple movies, but that's about it. What I need is power (video editing and laser programming), a real keyboard and a screen in front of me, not almost completely flat on the table and since I need to use it at more than 1 place also portability. A laptop has it all. I can even say I would rather drag a big PC with me to work than a tablet. And I also don't understand why there are laptops being sold with Windows 8 on it.. It's a laptop for a reason.. don't give us that clumsy touchscreen crap..

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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