Apple's interest in supersized iPad signals mimicry of Microsoft

Computerworld - Apple's reported interest in a larger iPad tablet with a 13-in. screen shows that the Cupertino Calif. company is thinking along some of the same lines as its rival Microsoft, analysts said today.

"A 13-in. iPad would be an improved productivity device, particularly when connected by a wireless keyboard, [and] would be like a Windows 8 detachable," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, in an email Monday. "The improvement in content creation and editing [would come from] being able to see more of the content."

Moorhead and others envisioned a larger iPad -- Apple's current tablet line maxes out at 9.7-in. -- as a hybrid combining traits of traditional personal computers and touch-enabled tablets.

Microsoft has placed a huge bet on that category -- which it dubs "2-in-1" to reflect the dual threat -- by pitching its own Surface line as such, and encouraging its OEM partners to get more creative in what defines a PC.

Is Apple leaning that way, too?

Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal, citing sources at Apple's Asian component suppliers, claimed the U.S. company has asked for designs and prototypes of 13-in. tablet screens.

While Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, could see a 13-in. iPad as simply a supersized tablet -- a "coffee table tablet," as he put it -- that size would also lend itself to a thin, battery-sipping device somewhere between Apple's current tablets and its MacBook Air.

"Apple long ago gave up the keyboard-based device market outside of the wealthiest countries," said Gottheil, referring to Apple's miniscule personal computer market share. "But with the price and portability of a tablet, a way to couple the keyboard with the tablet and some basic windowing in iOS, they could complement the MacBook Air on the lower [price] end."

If Apple was serious about a bigger iPad -- as the Wall Street Journal noted, prototypes do not a shipping product make -- Carolina Milanesi of Gartner also imagined it as a 2-in-1, but by necessity.

"A 13-in. [iPad] would only make sense if it came with a clamshell design and a detachable screen, as a piece of glass that big needs securing," said Milanesi via email. "But it also implies a use case more similar to a notebook, [that] basically you sit down more than walk around with it."

A move on 2-in-1 devices would require some tap dancing by Apple executives, who have ridiculed Microsoft and its tablet-plus-notebook concept.

In April 2012, CEO Tim Cook dismissed the idea that Apple would imitate Redmond and its partners. "Anything can be forced to converge. You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user," Cook said then. "We're not going to that party."

But Apple has retreated from passionately defended positions before.

"Apple could work around [that] with a statement along the lines of, 'People love the iPad so much that it has become their productivity device of choice, and because of that they use it in a more traditional way,'" said Milanesi, putting words in Apple's mouth.

"They have been reluctant to do this," Gottheil acknowledged. "Mostly, I think, because they think Jobs wouldn't have done it. But I can see Jobs doing exactly this. They're not going to lead into that market, but in their minds, iOS is a modern, 21st century OS, the next step in the evolution of operating systems, a hassle-free computing platform."

This article, Apple's interest in supersized iPad signals mimicry of Microsoft, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about Tablets in Computerworld's Tablets Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Microsoft predicts another cruel quarter for PCs

Computerworld - Microsoft last week prepped Wall Street for a 2% slip in Windows revenue for the third quarter, but warned that PC shipments will continue their double-digit tumble.

"In Windows, we expect revenues to continue to be negatively impacted by the decline in the consumer x86 PC market," said Microsoft CFO Amy Hood during an earnings call on Thursday with financial analysts. "Excluding the impact of the Windows upgrade offer in the prior year, OEM revenue should account for approximately 65% of the division's revenue and should decline mid-teens."

Because sales of Windows to OEMs like Lenovo, HP and Dell historically track closely -- although not exactly -- with the number of PCs that come off factory lines, Hood essentially revealed Microsoft's prediction for the quarter ending Sept. 30: PC shipments could decline around 15% year-over-year.

By pegging PC shipments as down "mid-teens." Hood forecast a decline three times greater than the current estimate of research firm IDC, which several weeks ago said the third quarter would be off about 5% compared to 2012.

Recently, however, IDC said it suspected that its third- and fourth-quarter estimates were too rosy. The company issues monthly updates of its quarter-by-quarter PC shipment forecasts, and will probably revise its numbers downward around the end of July.

If Hood is on target, about 75 million PCs will ship in the third quarter, down from 88.3 million in the same period last year.

That would put the year on a rough pace of about 300 million PCs, a decline of some 50 million systems compared to year before, or an annual contraction of around 14%.

But the quarter could be even worse for PCs than Hood hinted: Windows OEM sales don't always match PC shipments, sometimes lagging behind several percentage points. Some of that can be attributed to non-Windows personal computers, like Macs and Chrome OS-based notebooks, but Microsoft also regularly cites China, as Hood did last week, where a significant number of machines leave factories minus an OS. Later, resellers or customers install one -- in many cases a pirated copy of Windows that generates zero revenue for Microsoft.

Windows' revenue, on the other hand, will decline by just 1.9% year-over-year, Hood said. According to the clues she gave analysts, the Windows group will post revenue of about $3.18 billion for the quarter, off 2012's third quarter's $3.24 billion.

The substantial decline in Windows OEM sales, said Hood, would be offset by revenue generated by the Surface tablets -- which, at least for now, will continue to be reported on the Windows Division's books -- and volume licensing, including Software Assurance annuity payments from large companies.

If Hood's PC prediction comes true, it would be the sixth straight quarterly contraction by the business, set a record for the sharpest single-quarter decline, and put 2013 on pace for the largest-ever shipment drop in the nearly 20 years that researchers IDC and Gartner have tracked numbers.

Microsoft has predicted that Windows sales to OEMs will drop by 'mid-teens' in the quarter ending Sept. 30, implying a decline of approximately 15% in PC shipments for the period. The column tinted red is 'Peak PC,' the third quarter of 2011, when the largest-ever number of personal computers rolled off factory lines. (Data: IDC, Microsoft.)

This article, Microsoft predicts another cruel quarter for PCs, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about PCs in Computerworld's PCs Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Microsoft ships Office 2010 SP2, starts upgrade clock

Computerworld - Microsoft yesterday released Office 2010 Service Pack 2 (SP2), a cumulative update that includes previously-released bug fixes as well as several performance, reliability and stability improvements.

The appearance of Office 2010 SP2 also switched on the countdown clock for Office 2010 SP1, which will be retired in 12 months, requiring users to upgrade to the second service pack if they want to continue receiving security patches and other updates.

Microsoft offered a public beta of Office 2010 SP2 in April, when timetables for earlier service packs, including Office 2010 SP1, hinted that the second upgrade would not ship until November.

Other parts of the Office portfolio, ranging from SharePoint Server and Visio to Project and language packs, also have been updated to SP2 status, Microsoft said in a blog post Tuesday.

The company claimed that Office 2010 SP2 and SharePoint 2010 SP2 are also more compatible with the Redmond, Wash. firm's newest software, such as Internet Explorer 10, SharePoint 2013, Office 2013 and Windows 8.

Service packs are on their way out at Microsoft, which has dispensed with them entirely for Windows 7 and has shifted to a faster release cadence for Windows 8 and a continual update process for Office 365, the rent-not-buy subscription plans based on locally-installed copies of Office 2013.

While Microsoft will wait 90 days before starting to push Office 2010 SP2 to customers via Windows Update, those who installed the original suite using the company's "Click-to-Run" streaming technology -- first used to deliver Office 2010 -- will automatically receive the upgrade next month.

Users have until this time next year to upgrade to SP2 without interrupting security updates. Office 2010 will exit Mainstream Support, which provides bug patches as well as feature improvements and enhancements, in October 2015, and will be retired five years later, in October 2020.

Even though Microsoft discontinued retail sales of the suite earlier this year, copies can still be found at several online outlets, including Amazon.com, which sells the software at prices starting at $175 for a three-license pack of Home and Student 2010.

Office 2010 SP2 and associated software upgrades can be downloaded manually from Microsoft's website.

This article, Microsoft ships Office 2010 SP2, starts upgrade clock, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about Applications in Computerworld's Applications Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Microsoft ships Office 2010 SP2, starts upgrade clock

Computerworld - Microsoft yesterday released Office 2010 Service Pack 2 (SP2), a cumulative update that includes previously-released bug fixes as well as several performance, reliability and stability improvements.

The appearance of Office 2010 SP2 also switched on the countdown clock for Office 2010 SP1, which will be retired in 12 months, requiring users to upgrade to the second service pack if they want to continue receiving security patches and other updates.

Microsoft offered a public beta of Office 2010 SP2 in April, when timetables for earlier service packs, including Office 2010 SP1, hinted that the second upgrade would not ship until November.

Other parts of the Office portfolio, ranging from SharePoint Server and Visio to Project and language packs, also have been updated to SP2 status, Microsoft said in a blog post Tuesday.

The company claimed that Office 2010 SP2 and SharePoint 2010 SP2 are also more compatible with the Redmond, Wash. firm's newest software, such as Internet Explorer 10, SharePoint 2013, Office 2013 and Windows 8.

Service packs are on their way out at Microsoft, which has dispensed with them entirely for Windows 7 and has shifted to a faster release cadence for Windows 8 and a continual update process for Office 365, the rent-not-buy subscription plans based on locally-installed copies of Office 2013.

While Microsoft will wait 90 days before starting to push Office 2010 SP2 to customers via Windows Update, those who installed the original suite using the company's "Click-to-Run" streaming technology -- first used to deliver Office 2010 -- will automatically receive the upgrade next month.

Users have until this time next year to upgrade to SP2 without interrupting security updates. Office 2010 will exit Mainstream Support, which provides bug patches as well as feature improvements and enhancements, in October 2015, and will be retired five years later, in October 2020.

Even though Microsoft discontinued retail sales of the suite earlier this year, copies can still be found at several online outlets, including Amazon.com, which sells the software at prices starting at $175 for a three-license pack of Home and Student 2010.

Office 2010 SP2 and associated software upgrades can be downloaded manually from Microsoft's website.

This article, Microsoft ships Office 2010 SP2, starts upgrade clock, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about Applications in Computerworld's Applications Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Microsoft predicts another cruel quarter for PCs

Computerworld - Microsoft last week prepped Wall Street for a 2% slip in Windows revenue for the third quarter, but warned that PC shipments will continue their double-digit tumble.

"In Windows, we expect revenues to continue to be negatively impacted by the decline in the consumer x86 PC market," said Microsoft CFO Amy Hood during an earnings call on Thursday with financial analysts. "Excluding the impact of the Windows upgrade offer in the prior year, OEM revenue should account for approximately 65% of the division's revenue and should decline mid-teens."

Because sales of Windows to OEMs like Lenovo, HP and Dell historically track closely -- although not exactly -- with the number of PCs that come off factory lines, Hood essentially revealed Microsoft's prediction for the quarter ending Sept. 30: PC shipments could decline around 15% year-over-year.

By pegging PC shipments as down "mid-teens." Hood forecast a decline three times greater than the current estimate of research firm IDC, which several weeks ago said the third quarter would be off about 5% compared to 2012.

Recently, however, IDC said it suspected that its third- and fourth-quarter estimates were too rosy. The company issues monthly updates of its quarter-by-quarter PC shipment forecasts, and will probably revise its numbers downward around the end of July.

If Hood is on target, about 75 million PCs will ship in the third quarter, down from 88.3 million in the same period last year.

That would put the year on a rough pace of about 300 million PCs, a decline of some 50 million systems compared to year before, or an annual contraction of around 14%.

But the quarter could be even worse for PCs than Hood hinted: Windows OEM sales don't always match PC shipments, sometimes lagging behind several percentage points. Some of that can be attributed to non-Windows personal computers, like Macs and Chrome OS-based notebooks, but Microsoft also regularly cites China, as Hood did last week, where a significant number of machines leave factories minus an OS. Later, resellers or customers install one -- in many cases a pirated copy of Windows that generates zero revenue for Microsoft.

Windows' revenue, on the other hand, will decline by just 1.9% year-over-year, Hood said. According to the clues she gave analysts, the Windows group will post revenue of about $3.18 billion for the quarter, off 2012's third quarter's $3.24 billion.

The substantial decline in Windows OEM sales, said Hood, would be offset by revenue generated by the Surface tablets -- which, at least for now, will continue to be reported on the Windows Division's books -- and volume licensing, including Software Assurance annuity payments from large companies.

If Hood's PC prediction comes true, it would be the sixth straight quarterly contraction by the business, set a record for the sharpest single-quarter decline, and put 2013 on pace for the largest-ever shipment drop in the nearly 20 years that researchers IDC and Gartner have tracked numbers.

Microsoft has predicted that Windows sales to OEMs will drop by 'mid-teens' in the quarter ending Sept. 30, implying a decline of approximately 15% in PC shipments for the period. The column tinted red is 'Peak PC,' the third quarter of 2011, when the largest-ever number of personal computers rolled off factory lines. (Data: IDC, Microsoft.)

This article, Microsoft predicts another cruel quarter for PCs, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about PCs in Computerworld's PCs Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Apple's interest in supersized iPad signals mimicry of Microsoft

Computerworld - Apple's reported interest in a larger iPad tablet with a 13-in. screen shows that the Cupertino Calif. company is thinking along some of the same lines as its rival Microsoft, analysts said today.

"A 13-in. iPad would be an improved productivity device, particularly when connected by a wireless keyboard, [and] would be like a Windows 8 detachable," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, in an email Monday. "The improvement in content creation and editing [would come from] being able to see more of the content."

Moorhead and others envisioned a larger iPad -- Apple's current tablet line maxes out at 9.7-in. -- as a hybrid combining traits of traditional personal computers and touch-enabled tablets.

Microsoft has placed a huge bet on that category -- which it dubs "2-in-1" to reflect the dual threat -- by pitching its own Surface line as such, and encouraging its OEM partners to get more creative in what defines a PC.

Is Apple leaning that way, too?

Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal, citing sources at Apple's Asian component suppliers, claimed the U.S. company has asked for designs and prototypes of 13-in. tablet screens.

While Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, could see a 13-in. iPad as simply a supersized tablet -- a "coffee table tablet," as he put it -- that size would also lend itself to a thin, battery-sipping device somewhere between Apple's current tablets and its MacBook Air.

"Apple long ago gave up the keyboard-based device market outside of the wealthiest countries," said Gottheil, referring to Apple's miniscule personal computer market share. "But with the price and portability of a tablet, a way to couple the keyboard with the tablet and some basic windowing in iOS, they could complement the MacBook Air on the lower [price] end."

If Apple was serious about a bigger iPad -- as the Wall Street Journal noted, prototypes do not a shipping product make -- Carolina Milanesi of Gartner also imagined it as a 2-in-1, but by necessity.

"A 13-in. [iPad] would only make sense if it came with a clamshell design and a detachable screen, as a piece of glass that big needs securing," said Milanesi via email. "But it also implies a use case more similar to a notebook, [that] basically you sit down more than walk around with it."

A move on 2-in-1 devices would require some tap dancing by Apple executives, who have ridiculed Microsoft and its tablet-plus-notebook concept.

In April 2012, CEO Tim Cook dismissed the idea that Apple would imitate Redmond and its partners. "Anything can be forced to converge. You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user," Cook said then. "We're not going to that party."

But Apple has retreated from passionately defended positions before.

"Apple could work around [that] with a statement along the lines of, 'People love the iPad so much that it has become their productivity device of choice, and because of that they use it in a more traditional way,'" said Milanesi, putting words in Apple's mouth.

"They have been reluctant to do this," Gottheil acknowledged. "Mostly, I think, because they think Jobs wouldn't have done it. But I can see Jobs doing exactly this. They're not going to lead into that market, but in their minds, iOS is a modern, 21st century OS, the next step in the evolution of operating systems, a hassle-free computing platform."

This article, Apple's interest in supersized iPad signals mimicry of Microsoft, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about Tablets in Computerworld's Tablets Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Microsoft predicts another cruel quarter for PCs

Computerworld - Microsoft last week prepped Wall Street for a 2% slip in Windows revenue for the third quarter, but warned that PC shipments will continue their double-digit tumble.

"In Windows, we expect revenues to continue to be negatively impacted by the decline in the consumer x86 PC market," said Microsoft CFO Amy Hood during an earnings call on Thursday with financial analysts. "Excluding the impact of the Windows upgrade offer in the prior year, OEM revenue should account for approximately 65% of the division's revenue and should decline mid-teens."

Because sales of Windows to OEMs like Lenovo, HP and Dell historically track closely -- although not exactly -- with the number of PCs that come off factory lines, Hood essentially revealed Microsoft's prediction for the quarter ending Sept. 30: PC shipments could decline around 15% year-over-year.

By pegging PC shipments as down "mid-teens." Hood forecast a decline three times greater than the current estimate of research firm IDC, which several weeks ago said the third quarter would be off about 5% compared to 2012.

Recently, however, IDC said it suspected that its third- and fourth-quarter estimates were too rosy. The company issues monthly updates of its quarter-by-quarter PC shipment forecasts, and will probably revise its numbers downward around the end of July.

If Hood is on target, about 75 million PCs will ship in the third quarter, down from 88.3 million in the same period last year.

That would put the year on a rough pace of about 300 million PCs, a decline of some 50 million systems compared to year before, or an annual contraction of around 14%.

But the quarter could be even worse for PCs than Hood hinted: Windows OEM sales don't always match PC shipments, sometimes lagging behind several percentage points. Some of that can be attributed to non-Windows personal computers, like Macs and Chrome OS-based notebooks, but Microsoft also regularly cites China, as Hood did last week, where a significant number of machines leave factories minus an OS. Later, resellers or customers install one -- in many cases a pirated copy of Windows that generates zero revenue for Microsoft.

Windows' revenue, on the other hand, will decline by just 1.9% year-over-year, Hood said. According to the clues she gave analysts, the Windows group will post revenue of about $3.18 billion for the quarter, off 2012's third quarter's $3.24 billion.

The substantial decline in Windows OEM sales, said Hood, would be offset by revenue generated by the Surface tablets -- which, at least for now, will continue to be reported on the Windows Division's books -- and volume licensing, including Software Assurance annuity payments from large companies.

If Hood's PC prediction comes true, it would be the sixth straight quarterly contraction by the business, set a record for the sharpest single-quarter decline, and put 2013 on pace for the largest-ever shipment drop in the nearly 20 years that researchers IDC and Gartner have tracked numbers.

Microsoft has predicted that Windows sales to OEMs will drop by 'mid-teens' in the quarter ending Sept. 30, implying a decline of approximately 15% in PC shipments for the period. The column tinted red is 'Peak PC,' the third quarter of 2011, when the largest-ever number of personal computers rolled off factory lines. (Data: IDC, Microsoft.)

This article, Microsoft predicts another cruel quarter for PCs, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about PCs in Computerworld's PCs Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Apple's interest in supersized iPad signals mimicry of Microsoft

Computerworld - Apple's reported interest in a larger iPad tablet with a 13-in. screen shows that the Cupertino Calif. company is thinking along some of the same lines as its rival Microsoft, analysts said today.

"A 13-in. iPad would be an improved productivity device, particularly when connected by a wireless keyboard, [and] would be like a Windows 8 detachable," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, in an email Monday. "The improvement in content creation and editing [would come from] being able to see more of the content."

Moorhead and others envisioned a larger iPad -- Apple's current tablet line maxes out at 9.7-in. -- as a hybrid combining traits of traditional personal computers and touch-enabled tablets.

Microsoft has placed a huge bet on that category -- which it dubs "2-in-1" to reflect the dual threat -- by pitching its own Surface line as such, and encouraging its OEM partners to get more creative in what defines a PC.

Is Apple leaning that way, too?

Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal, citing sources at Apple's Asian component suppliers, claimed the U.S. company has asked for designs and prototypes of 13-in. tablet screens.

While Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, could see a 13-in. iPad as simply a supersized tablet -- a "coffee table tablet," as he put it -- that size would also lend itself to a thin, battery-sipping device somewhere between Apple's current tablets and its MacBook Air.

"Apple long ago gave up the keyboard-based device market outside of the wealthiest countries," said Gottheil, referring to Apple's miniscule personal computer market share. "But with the price and portability of a tablet, a way to couple the keyboard with the tablet and some basic windowing in iOS, they could complement the MacBook Air on the lower [price] end."

If Apple was serious about a bigger iPad -- as the Wall Street Journal noted, prototypes do not a shipping product make -- Carolina Milanesi of Gartner also imagined it as a 2-in-1, but by necessity.

"A 13-in. [iPad] would only make sense if it came with a clamshell design and a detachable screen, as a piece of glass that big needs securing," said Milanesi via email. "But it also implies a use case more similar to a notebook, [that] basically you sit down more than walk around with it."

A move on 2-in-1 devices would require some tap dancing by Apple executives, who have ridiculed Microsoft and its tablet-plus-notebook concept.

In April 2012, CEO Tim Cook dismissed the idea that Apple would imitate Redmond and its partners. "Anything can be forced to converge. You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user," Cook said then. "We're not going to that party."

But Apple has retreated from passionately defended positions before.

"Apple could work around [that] with a statement along the lines of, 'People love the iPad so much that it has become their productivity device of choice, and because of that they use it in a more traditional way,'" said Milanesi, putting words in Apple's mouth.

"They have been reluctant to do this," Gottheil acknowledged. "Mostly, I think, because they think Jobs wouldn't have done it. But I can see Jobs doing exactly this. They're not going to lead into that market, but in their minds, iOS is a modern, 21st century OS, the next step in the evolution of operating systems, a hassle-free computing platform."

This article, Apple's interest in supersized iPad signals mimicry of Microsoft, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

Read more about Tablets in Computerworld's Tablets Topic Center.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here