I have been saying that the first PC vendor that delivers a mobile machine that has true full screen touch operation at current laptop prices will gain huge market share. Currently, Microsoft with Surfaces has shown that it recognizes the competitive advantage, but the pricing is atrociously high – typical of what Redmond has done in the Tablet space. Redmond in its Windows bailiwick appears unwilling to risk big home run hits.
But Apple, which heretofore has been steadily moving up the touch screen and gestures scale with iPod, then iPhone seems to have plateaued at MacBook Air. This is just a iPhone screen substituted into the touchpad. Yes ultralight and somewhat green-energy saving; but not the winning play. Maybe Cupertino believes the masses are not ready for touch screen and gestures . Or maybe the big touch screen technology is still not cost effective. Or maybe they are still working out the kinks of keyboard plus touch screen operations. Whatever the case, this is opportunity loss time in the PC market… which brings me to my main topic Virtualization opportunity loss.
Virtualization Opportunity Loss 2
The same situation is arising in the Virtualization market. No vendor – note even Dell renascent has done virtualization right. The basic problem is that Vista is a pig and response time for making fixes to it will inevitably be slow and drawn out. Even more telling and enticing is that Linux-based PC desktops run in 1/3 to 1/4 of the memory of Vista while delivering equivalent if not better experience. And with a whole swath of of PC desktop apps having gone over to SaaS and Web delivery, there is opportunity for a Windows substitute in both home and business settings like never before. Several commentators have noted this being the Windows Strain on the marketplace.
So given the opportunity, one would ask why is Dells Linux thrust so timid. Instead of offering a machine with Linux as the base operating system (lets get real performance out of those Dell boxes) and Xen/VMware preloaded with Windows XP for whenever you absolutely positively have to be in Windows … there is nothing. Apple, Asus, VMware, Xen have done very little other than Apples BootCamp in the potentially huge Virtual Windows Substitute market. Instead its Redmond doing the most virtualization plays. And why not – they know that with Vista the Pig they are vulnerable for the next 2-3 years until Windows 7 comes out.