Switched On: Padded Windows

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

At the launch of the new iPad - superior for video chat, group presentations, and cutting cake -- Apple didn't miss a few opportunities to rub salt in the open air vents of Microsoft's tablet efforts. Apple noted that sales of the iPad have exceeded those of every other tablet PC ever sold, and that Microsoft (along with other competitors) were chasing doomed strategies that extended outmoded models.

Microsoft has been clear that it will continue to use its "desktop" operating system - Windows - rather than its mobile operating system - the device-specifying Windows Phone 7 - as its operating system for tablets. Considering the critical importance of an intuitive touchscreen UI on tablet -- where Windows Phone 7 excels and desktop Windows has struggled -- this seems risky on its face. But it is important to remember from Microsoft's perspective that the question is not whether Windows is the best choice for tablets but whether it is a better choice for Microsoft than Windows Phone. While the company faces an uphill battle regardless of which OS it chooses, its flagship could be the better answer for several reasons.

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Switched On: Padded Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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