Alt.Windows: Microsoft's Competitors
As a final wrap-up to my 2011 retrospectives, I thought it would be fun to list the top 10 SuperSite for Windows articles from 2011. So here's the first batch, covering #6-#10, with some additional commentary.
more Apple's iPad and similar tablets could possibly replace traditional Windows-based PCs and Macs as the mainstream personal computing devices used by consumers. But that can't happen unless Apple makes some changes and improves the iPad's functionality while retaining its famed ease of use. Is it possible? Here's what I recommend.
more Apple's new iCloud service is the most compelling and complete consumer oriented cloud computing service available today, offering deep integration between Apple's devices and the company's other products and services. iCloud is a no brainer for any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad user, and that's true whether you're a Windows or Mac fan.
more The final product completed under the aegis of Steve Jobs provides a fitting legacy for a man who valued design over practicality. Despite criticism of its year-old design, the iPhone 4S is a wonderful and desirable smart phone that fixes the problems of its predecessor while offering an amazing mix of software, services, and content that the competition will struggle to match.
more The iPhone 4S is a great mobile companion, with an excellent camera, useful online services integration, the best apps selection anywhere, and a slate of functionality that is competitive with anything offered on Windows Phone, or Android for that matter. I get why people like the iPhone so much. And while I could quibble over technical issues, the simple fact remains that the iPhone 4S is an excellent smart phone. All you need to do is carry one around to find that out.
more Despite Apple's ambivalence towards Windows PCs, the iPhone 4S offers decent Windows integration features, including Wi-Fi and USB-based sync with iTunes, native camera photo acquisition, and, via a new iCloud control panel, compatibility with many new cloud computing services. It's not a completely seamless experience, but then the iPhone 4S, like other iOS-based devices, is heading towards a PC free future anyway.
more The iPhone 4S has many advantages over competing smart phones, but its Retina display is a mixed bag. It offers a high resolution and a high pixel density, resulting in razor-sharp graphics and text. But the iPhone 4S display, at just 3.5 inches diagonally, is a bit too small compared to other modern handsets. That can be a problem in the hand, of course, but also for your eyes.
more The paradox of the iPhone 4S is that you want one because it's so beautiful, but you can't bear to use it in the real world without first covering it up with some form of thick and ugly protection. It's the ultimate example of form over function, and completely understandable why people fall under its spell.
more My iPhone 4S arrived today, two days earlier than Apple promised, which I suspect was purposeful and a nice little introduction to the broader Apple user experience. The best bit so far? The camera, which is easily the best phone-based camera I've used so far.
more As the basis for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, iOS is installed on hundreds of millions of devices, a platform that constitutes one of the single biggest competitors to Windows there is. So it should come as no surprise that iOS 5, the latest version of this software, is a compelling, evolutionary update that all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users are going to want to download and install as soon as possible.
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