Grandma Huckaby knows what an iPad is. She knows it’s expensive. And she heard on the news that Apple announced a little iPad. and she heard on the news it is expensive. She also knows what Macbooks, iMacs, and MacBook Airs are.
In the science of marketing that is called Brand Identity (as opposed to brand awareness and other components of branding). it is difficult to achieve greatness in Brand Identity. It’s also very difficult and usually very damaging to screw it up. You either score high on brand identity or you don’t.
So, that is why it is with great pain that I paste the following diatribe. Rhetorically, I have to ask, “Why does a company with such great technology and awesome R&D keep doing this?”
I cannot take credit for this. It was written by a buddy of mine who truly is brilliant, has pride in his company, and like me, is a bit frustrated he has to explain this to customers. Ok, here we go….
• The device formerly known as Surface, is now known as a PixelSense device. The device formerly known as the Surface table is now known as the Samsung SUR40.
• The term Surface is now used to describe a type of hardware (small laptop with an easily detachable keyboard), not the OS that is used on it. The first version of the Surface is being released tomorrow, on 10/26/2012 and is the called Surface RT (See what RT means below).
• The term WinRT refers to a technology, the runtime used to execute the “Modern UI” or “Windows Store” applications on a range of platforms. These were formerly referred to as “Metro” applications. Also, Windows Store applications do not have to be deployed only from the Windows Store.
• The Windows 8 operating system runs on the traditional wintel hardware and provides a great bridge from Windows 7 to Windows 8. Windows 8 runs everything that ran on Windows 7 AND all of the new WinRT applications. Windows 8 also includes enhancements to some foundational components, like Active Directory.
• Windows RT only runs WinRT and therefore new “Modern UI” applications. It is a more compact and efficient version of the OS that targets low power ARM processors.
• Surface RT runs Windows RT which only runs WinRT and therefore only “Modern UI” applications; which for years we have called Metro applications, but no longer can.
• The forthcoming Surface Pro will run Windows 8, but details have not yet been announced.
Now let’s talk about Windows Phone 8….