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The competition for Chromebooks isn’t Windows PCs, it’s tablets

A story made the rounds a few days ago about Microsoft battling Chromebooks with two cheap Windows PCs. It’s good that Microsoft is taking Chromebooks seriously. It should. It’s a device people with low computing needs might deem good enough. It’s a capable device for mail, web browsing and light office work; and for most people, that’s all they ever need. All for $200 to $350.

But you know what else is excellent for low computing needs? Tablets, which have already been eating into the PC market for years for precisely that reason. If Chromebooks didn’t exist today, I suspect more tablets would have been sold in its place instead of Ultrabooks.

The only thing Chromebooks share with laptops is a keyboard. When your grandparents’ old creaky laptop dies, will you buy them a $200 Chromebook or a $24 keyboard to pair with the $500 iPad they already know how to use?

This is what gaming on Apple TV should be like

Yesterday’s post talked about how Apple should execute a gaming-capable Apple TV.  Today, I’m putting my product manager hat on to sketch out in more detail what the end product can look like.  I don’t do it with a fanboy’s wishlist, but with what is realistic and practical for a good engineering team to achieve.

Be forewarned, this post is going to feel dense and maybe even boring if you’re not into this kind of thing.

On to gaming on Apple TV:

  • What it is exactly — streaming device plus controller
  • How it works — only show compatible content, with an interface similar to the current Apple TV and navigation by either controller or app
  • How much it costs — $45 to make, $60 to sell

If Apple makes the product I am proposing, it could disrupt the entire game console market that Sony and Microsoft are currently racing to win.

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Why we didn’t vote for Taamkru to win Echelon

e27’s Echelon is the TechCrunch Disrupt of South East Asia; it’s the region’s largest and arguably most influential tech conference.

Echelon also has its own start-up battlefield, and in cornerplay tradition, we’re giving our high level assessment on the winner: Taamkru, an iPad educational game for kids five and below (iOS only for now).

In the words of the company:

Taamkru helps your preschooler achieve academic success in both an enjoyable and productive way while allowing parents to monitor achievement with personalized progress reports…Taamkru’s kid-tested inventory of nearly one million creative learning exercises has been developed by trusted child development experts and aligned with Ministry of Education standards. Our productive learning app has been carefully designed for preschoolers to use and help them achieve academic success with fun, interactive and premium quality educational content of increasing difficulty.

Taamkru is a worthy winner, but it wasn’t my first choice for the competition.

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Future of tablets is >13 inches at <2 pounds weight

Microsoft will hold an event on May 20 to debut the mini version of the Surface. Rumor has it that in addition to the Surface mini, Microsoft will reveal a new SKU. CNET reports that SKU to be Intel-based.

A true Windows experience on a Surface 2 form factor would be ideal for many who need the OS. However, I echo Paul Thurrot in hoping that the screen size of this new SKU is 13-inch and upwards. In fact, I think the entire tablet industry should go in this direction.

Usage for tablets can be divided into two categories: one-handed and two-handed.

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