Microsoft quietly kills off the desktop PC

Over the weekend, Microsoft published yet another deep dive into Windows 8, this time focusing on how mobile broadband (3G, 4G) is seamlessly baked into the new OS. Where possible, Windows 8 will automatically use WiFi over 3G to save you money, and there’s granular control over which wireless radios are turned on/off. With Windows 8, mobile operators also have the option of bundling a Metro app that shows your data and messaging usage, when your next billing cycle begins, troubleshooting information, and so on.

By the end of the post I was nodding my head in enthusiastic approval. But as I reflected on the story — preparing to write it up for ExtremeTech, in fact — I realized that something wasn’t quite right. In an attempt to get my head around the niggling doubt, I began re-reading the blog post. It didn’t take long to spot the problem. The first sentence reads: “People want similar mobility on their PCs as they get on their smartphones.” I don’t know about you, but when I look at my PC, I see a device that I really don’t want to carry around with me — and when I look at my smartphone, I see a wondrous fondleslab that fits perfectly in my pocket with only the smallest of unseemly bulges. This is why smartphones — which are computers, don’t forget, just not Windows-powered computers — are exploding, and laptops and desktops are teetering on the cusp of ruin.

To be honest, I am intentionally misinterpreting what Microsoft said. What MS really means is that tablet PCs — not laptops or desktops — should have the same mobility as smartphones. This is a no-brainer; of course tablets should have the same connectivity options as smartphones — and yes, Microsoft has already said that Windows 8 tablets, irrespective of their x86 or ARM underpinnings, are PCs. So far so good: Microsoft was just saying that Windows 8 tablet PCs should have lots of mobile connectivity! Phew.