Can Desktop, laptop or tablet be replaced by Microsoft’s Hybrid PC [GUEST POST]

Desktop computers are now considered technological relics as they were once replaced by a surge of laptops- - and now tablets duly took the place of laptops. Are tablets in for some taste of its own medicine or are laptops going to be termed fossils?

Windows 8 Hybrid system

Travelling for business and working from home; these might seem difficult tasks even when done separately. There are loads of things to manage before you can actually to make a head-start into that business meeting because of which you travelled such a long distance. Coordinating everything while you work from home to ensure that everything is in place is just as fretful as the boardroom drama.

For situations exactly like this Microsoft has introduced its hybrid system that infuses convenience with functionality. Windows 8 is also designed on the same lines. Like the Windows 8 Hybrid PC, Microsoft had launched Windows XP Tablet PC edition. The latter failed to impress the crowds mainly because of a lack of tablet apps. The main difference between Windows 8 Hybrid PC and Windows XP tablet PC edition is that in the Windows 6 version, Microsoft is offering the feature of touch-first while the Windows XP version just gave you an option to launch Windows programs and operates it with a stylus.

A two-fold system, the Windows 8 Hybrid PC can run even the old documents of Microsoft Office under Windows Blue and then quickly move over to running tablet apps. Now there is no need to waste your time fretting over the question how to sync it with other devices to transfer files. You can still sync with Microsoft’s SkyDrive which gives the users 7GB of free space. But managing data on that space is a lot more complicated than what the average user believes. Computer monitoring software has plagued almost every part of the tech world. It remains to be seen whether the security measures for the SkyDrive will be adequate enough.

The flaws

The technology initiated by Asus’s Transformer line running Android, Windows 8 Hybrid PC’s tablet screen can be detached from the keyboard so that it can be made a laptop as well as a tablet. The Asus Transformer range typically has 10 to 12 inches widescreen while the Windows 8 version cannot be called a laptop with its size and for an average tablet, it is too big.

The Surface Pro seems very light and small. It is after all running Intel Core i5 and for a PC that powerful, its feather weightiness does raise some questions. The battery life is also compromised upon but if compared to Asus Nexus 7 with 7 inches of screen that runs Android OS, it seems heavy and clunky.

Even with many options similar to Microsoft’s Surface Pro, many people still choose to have a laptop and a tablet separately. Microsoft has compromised at several places as far as Surface Pro is concerned; there is no denying the points due to which the hybrid PC stands tall among its competitors.