Apps and Software By Lee Mathews Aug. 21, 2014 10:26 am
Breaking news: Microsoft thinks the new generation of cheap Windows laptops are superior to Chromebooks. Ok, so that doesn’t shock anyone, but maybe you’d like to know why Microsoft thinks that way. It turns out they’ve posted a helpful little list on their website.
No, they don’t resort to those silly Scroogle tactics. It’s a pretty straight up list. While both Windows laptops and Chromebooks let you surf the web and run web-based apps, here’s where Microsoft says Chromebooks fall flat:
It’s not exactly a scathing condemnation of Chromebooks. Really, it’s pretty tame compared to some of the anti-Google propaganda Microsoft has turned out. It’s also worth a closer look.
For starters, it’s really only four different gripes. The first three — office, apps, and games — could all just be considered PC software. The fourth and fifth we could lump together as hardware. Sometimes, though, when you’re trying to sell something you have to spell things out. To the average computer buyer, concrete examples are important. Software might not resonate, but Call of Duty and iTunes do.
As far as printing goes, Microsoft does acknowledge Cloud Print, but also notes (rightfully so) that not all printers are compatible out of the box. To use them, they’ve got to be connected to a Windows PC or Mac and shared out via Chrome (or at least to a Cloud Print-enabled router). That’s not quite the level of simplicity that many PC buyers are looking for if they’re still concerned about being able to print.
Now, as someone who despises desktop clutter, I don’t really find that to be much of a negative. Again, a lot of the general public is used to being able to to drop things there — on a PC, a Mac, or even on an Android phone. On a Chromebook, you’re limited to the task bar or the launcher.
The $199 HP Stream with Windows
So far, so good. These are valid criticisms, and they’re definitely issues that a large number of PC buyers care about. Microsoft does, however, miss the mark with their parting shot.
You can, in fact, store files somewhere other than Google Drive on a Chromebook — an SD card or USB flash drive, for example, just like you can on a Windows laptop… or even directly to the internal drive. It’s extremely unlikely that Acer would have bothered shipping a Chromebook with a 320GB hard drive if you really could only save files to the cloud.
Still, I’d much rather see Microsoft posting a list like this than another petition or by selling any more Scroogled products. As for whether consumers are swayed by these arguments, we’ll have to wait for the next round of quarterly earnings reports to find out.
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No, they don’t resort to those silly Scroogle tactics. It’s a pretty straight up list. While both Windows laptops and Chromebooks let you surf the web and run web-based apps, here’s where Microsoft says Chromebooks fall flat:
- you can’t run Microsoft Office
- you can’t install Skype, iTunes, Photoshop, or Quicken
- you can’t play PC games
- you can’t just print to any old printer
- you probably can’t use your existing USB peripherals (like your scanner or USB turntable)
- there’s no desktop for you to place shortcuts or files on
- you can’t choose where your documents go
It’s not exactly a scathing condemnation of Chromebooks. Really, it’s pretty tame compared to some of the anti-Google propaganda Microsoft has turned out. It’s also worth a closer look.
For starters, it’s really only four different gripes. The first three — office, apps, and games — could all just be considered PC software. The fourth and fifth we could lump together as hardware. Sometimes, though, when you’re trying to sell something you have to spell things out. To the average computer buyer, concrete examples are important. Software might not resonate, but Call of Duty and iTunes do.
As far as printing goes, Microsoft does acknowledge Cloud Print, but also notes (rightfully so) that not all printers are compatible out of the box. To use them, they’ve got to be connected to a Windows PC or Mac and shared out via Chrome (or at least to a Cloud Print-enabled router). That’s not quite the level of simplicity that many PC buyers are looking for if they’re still concerned about being able to print.
Now, as someone who despises desktop clutter, I don’t really find that to be much of a negative. Again, a lot of the general public is used to being able to to drop things there — on a PC, a Mac, or even on an Android phone. On a Chromebook, you’re limited to the task bar or the launcher.
The $199 HP Stream with WindowsSo far, so good. These are valid criticisms, and they’re definitely issues that a large number of PC buyers care about. Microsoft does, however, miss the mark with their parting shot.
You can, in fact, store files somewhere other than Google Drive on a Chromebook — an SD card or USB flash drive, for example, just like you can on a Windows laptop… or even directly to the internal drive. It’s extremely unlikely that Acer would have bothered shipping a Chromebook with a 320GB hard drive if you really could only save files to the cloud.
Still, I’d much rather see Microsoft posting a list like this than another petition or by selling any more Scroogled products. As for whether consumers are swayed by these arguments, we’ll have to wait for the next round of quarterly earnings reports to find out.
More...
