What is this really trying to accomplish? Windows has the largest market share out of the big 3, by a large margin, so why is it "taking on Apple?" It seems like rather than defeating Apple, as the headlines say, they're trying to get people to upgrade their laptops, as stated in the article. If they're trying to do that by fighting Apple, they're in the wrong fight. Apple itself isn't really killing PC sales - it's their tablets.

Over the past 5 years, many consumers realized that all of their Internet browsing and social media updating could be done by a 7" device that fits in their purse or with the junk in their backpack, rather than a 13 to 15 inch, heavy laptop. Yeah, the Yoga can flip around and turn into a tablet, but the same thing could be accomplished better by a regular tablet and a separate keyboard. My 10" tablet is already unwieldy, how is adding another 3 inches and a keyboard behind it going to make that any better? Plus, it's easier for someone to go "Well, I'm just going to be at a family event, so no need for a keyboard," and throw their tiny Samsung Tab in their bag and go.

Even though laptops do more, for many people, tablets beat use though usability. Getting to Facebook on a laptop requires opening a browser, then navigating to Facebook (if they don't have it on their homepage). On a tablet, they go from 0 to Facebook by pressing a single button. The app system works extremely well with casual users, because it gives them instantly what they want. Once someone installs a service's app, they can get to it by pressing the button with their logo on it. There's no browser in the middle. There's no thought involved. It's just press and go. On top of that, push notifications allows users to always passively use apps. Checking Facebook for a message or response on a laptop is a process. Tablets do that for the user, so they can just wait for a little sound to go off and hit a button. Many are attracted to how easy doing things on tablets are, and the notification system gives them one less reason to get on their laptop, because the tablet sitting next to them, or in their bag, is already taking care of things for them.

The quip about extended battery life is misleading, and redundant as well. A laptop can last up to 18 hours, but as the disclaimer says, it's at 40% brightness. Even then,CNET tested it, and it gets nowhere near 18 hours when actually used. People in the Dell Forums are saying the same thing. Tablets are either around the same amount, or not that far behind when it comes to battery life. The Samsung Tab S2 has a battery life of around 5 hours. The nexus 7 got between 8 and 9 hours of use. If a tablet and a laptop has the same battery life, and someone's using it for light use, why not take a tablet and keyboard? The target demographic's needs could be quenched via that, without the extra bulk, and with no real hit to battery life. Also, how often are people away from an outlet for 18 hours, anyway?

Laptops aren't really an average consumer thing anymore. They used to be the easiest and most efficient way to get on the Internet without sitting down in front of a desk. Now, compared to tiny, basically screens that one can hold, they're considered bulky and unwieldy. If someone's going to be moving around while using a device, they're going to pick the smallest and most convenient device available. If someone's not using their phone, they're grabbing a tablet without even considering their laptop. ...

What is this really trying to accomplish? Windows has the largest market share out of the big 3, by a large margin, so why is it "taking on Apple?" It seems like rather than defeating Apple, as the headlines say, they're trying to get people to upgrade their laptops, as stated in the article. If they're trying to do that by fighting Apple, they're in the wrong fight. Apple itself isn't really killing PC sales - it's their tablets.

Over the past 5 years, many consumers realized that all of their Internet browsing and social media updating could be done by a 7" device that fits in their purse or with the junk in their backpack, rather than a 13 to 15 inch, heavy laptop. Yeah, the Yoga can flip around and turn into a tablet, but the same thing could be accomplished better by a regular tablet and a separate keyboard. My 10" tablet is already unwieldy, how is adding another 3 inches and a keyboard behind it going to make that any better? Plus, it's easier for someone to go "Well, I'm just going to be at a family event, so no need for a keyboard," and throw their tiny Samsung Tab in their bag and go.

Even though laptops do more, for many people, tablets beat use though usability. Getting to Facebook on a laptop requires opening a browser, then navigating to Facebook (if they don't have it on their homepage). On a tablet, they go from 0 to Facebook by pressing a single button. The app system works extremely well with casual users, because it gives them instantly what they want. Once someone installs a service's app, they can get to it by pressing the button with their logo on it. There's no browser in the middle. There's no thought involved. It's just press and go. On top of that, push notifications allows users to always passively use apps. Checking Facebook for a message or response on a laptop is a process. Tablets do that for the user, so they can just wait for a little sound to go off and hit a button. Many are attracted to how easy doing things on tablets are, and the notification system gives them one less reason to get on their laptop, because the tablet sitting next to them, or in their bag, is already taking care of things for them.

The quip about extended battery life is misleading, and redundant as well. A laptop can last up to 18 hours, but as the disclaimer says, it's at 40% brightness. Even then,CNET tested it, and it gets nowhere near 18 hours when actually used. People in the Dell Forums are saying the same thing. Tablets are either around the same amount, or not that far behind when it comes to battery life. The Samsung Tab S2 has a battery life of around 5 hours. The nexus 7 got between 8 and 9 hours of use. If a tablet and a laptop has the same battery life, and someone's using it for light use, why not take a tablet and keyboard? The target demographic's needs could be quenched via that, without the extra bulk, and with no real hit to battery life. Also, how often are people away from an outlet for 18 hours, anyway?

Laptops aren't really an average consumer thing anymore. They used to be the easiest and most efficient way to get on the Internet without sitting down in front of a desk. Now, compared to tiny, basically screens that one can hold, they're considered bulky and unwieldy. If someone's going to be moving around while using a device, they're going to pick the smallest and most convenient device available. If someone's not using their phone, they're grabbing a tablet without even considering their laptop. The only people that would refuse a tablet are the ones that are doing things that tablets can't do. They have their weaknesses, but they're not even a factor for most of the people that use them.

These companies are fighting the wrong person in a futile battle. They're trying to win a war of "who can do the most stuff, while being able to be easily carried around," with a piece of technology that was specifically designed to meet those requirements. People don't grab their 4 foot shovel to plant a flower pot. People don't eat soup with a ladle. To try to introduce a 2 foot shovel, or a slightly smaller ladle, into the competition isn't going to win people over, because a trowel and spoon are going to beat them, because that's what they were designed for. Laptops will never beat a tablet in terms of portability, ease of use, and efficiency in simple tasks.

And I'm saying this as a person that hates tablets.

Hungry for apples?