Expectations Too High For Technology?

[wilsonlam97]

Computers are way more advanced than ever before and the pace of this advancement has been ramping up too.

Now I ask. Are your expectations too high for tech? I mean before I could deal with lag and slow loading because I had a windows xp machine 5+ years ago.

Now I expect everything to work, have great battery life, and cost little compared to what your getting. I mean I understand that it's always been like this for computing but is it that technology isn't keeping up with expectations? Its been the other way around for me but I feel this way about any windows machine in general. Does anyone feel or see Microsoft not doing so well in 5-10 years? Windows 8 + ARM is great but it hasn't done anything drastic like apple did with bringing powerful handhelds into the market.

Could Microsoft become a fad if they continue like this? This is a era in computers where competition is at it's record fierce.
That's my example to discuss on.

[mbg]

I don't think you should be worrying about tablets.

I think you should be worrying about whether we can even continue running our towns and cities the way they are currently run.

We probably can't, but hopefully it'll be a slow decline and nobody will notice.

About your direct question... Apple gets more attention because they're more into consumer electronics. Microsoft has a strong business. They need to do more to reduce reliance on Windows and Office, but they're not sitting still, and these are still important business tools worldwide. Most people still use Windows, and it's a big enough task for most large companies to go from one version of Windows to another, so a whole new OS seems unlikely to be done quickly. Also, it's a good OS and there's no real reason to switch.

Consider that the Windows 8 tablets will be able to fit into corporate infrastructure (especially security) a lot easier than the others will, because they're based on full Windows.

[AudiDude]

My expectations aren't high, but I am a technician. Clueless people have the highest expectations. "My cell phone just cut out, this is the third time this year since January, I should get free service." With the amount of NIMBYism for cell towers coupled to the fact that NOTHING lasts for ever (somethings gotta break, sometime), you will get dropped calls.

"I saw a glitch on my TV for a second." Yeah, the signal comes from a satellite orbiting the earth and there was a solar flare, complain to the sun.

"My internet is slow". Stop going to MSN at 5:30PM like the rest of the planet and don't judge your ISPs speed by your favourite website who most likely has it's servers overwhelmed, especially because it is in some other country.

"I once bought a computer in 1990 and used it for ten years, the one you sold me was outdated in five years, you don't know what you are doing." So now it's my fault that technology moves fast and you don't have enough USB ports and that support was cut for Win2k?

"You'd think that all electronics would last forever". Stop placing electronics that need cool airflow in a cabinet that holds heat and cooks the poor stuff.

Too many people without a clue, tweeting and blogging about crap they don't get....

[Doodies]

I think our expectations are way to high, we have become addicted to technology, cheap tech at that and that has cost us a lot of domestic jobs and money. We want everything for such low prices and are constantly buying the newest updated model. Outsourcing to countries that have horrible labor practise's that pay horrible wages, just so we can get our hands on the latest piece of tech.

[xalex0]

I was hoping the thread will discuss quantum CPUs, holographic CDs and 60TB HDDs. If you just want to talk about Microsoft then it's simple: you expect what you are used to. So if everything was laggy 5 years, that what you expected and was OK with. Now you have got faster and more stable OSes, so that's what you expect now.

[rems]

I think it's a good thing if expectations are too high. That means they'll work to meet/exceed those expectations and advance the technology.

[xXxTehxXx]

Computers are way more advanced than ever before and the pace of this advancement has been ramping up too.

Now I ask. Are your expectations too high for tech? I mean before I could deal with lag and slow loading because I had a windows xp machine 5+ years ago.

Now I expect everything to work, have great battery life, and cost little compared to what your getting. I mean I understand that it's always been like this for computing but is it that technology isn't keeping up with expectations? Its been the other way around for me but I feel this way about any windows machine in general. Does anyone feel or see Microsoft not doing so well in 5-10 years? Windows 8 + ARM is great but it hasn't done anything drastic like apple did with bringing powerful handhelds into the market.

Could Microsoft become a fad if they continue like this? This is a era in computers where competition is at it's record fierce.
That's my example to discuss on.

Kinda confused if we're talking about computers in general, or starting a complaint thread about Microsoft.

I feel my expectations are exponential, each iteration of hardware and software satisfys some expectations while creating new ones. As a consumer I don't think there will ever be a point where there isn't something to complain about hardware/software-wise, there's always going to be something better than what you have out there.

[Ascott]

This is a era in computers where competition is at it's record fierce.

Where did you get that idea? There's less competition now than there was twenty years ago. It's certainly ramped up a bit in the last decade, but the market also went through a massive size increase.

[manixc]

My expectations aren't high, but I am a technician. Clueless people have the highest expectations. "My cell phone just cut out, this is the third time this year since January, I should get free service." With the amount of NIMBYism for cell towers coupled to the fact that NOTHING lasts for ever (somethings gotta break, sometime), you will get dropped calls.

"I saw a glitch on my TV for a second." Yeah, the signal comes from a satellite orbiting the earth and there was a solar flare, complain to the sun.

"My internet is slow". Stop going to MSN at 5:30PM like the rest of the planet and don't judge your ISPs speed by your favourite website who most likely has it's servers overwhelmed, especially because it is in some other country.

"I once bought a computer in 1990 and used it for ten years, the one you sold me was outdated in five years, you don't know what you are doing." So now it's my fault that technology moves fast and you don't have enough USB ports and that support was cut for Win2k?

"You'd think that all electronics would last forever". Stop placing electronics that need cool airflow in a cabinet that holds heat and cooks the poor stuff.

Too many people without a clue, tweeting and blogging about crap they don't get....
+1!!!

[dighn]

It's the "cheap" expectation that's too high. Windows 7 on a fast machine with SSD and good battery is excellent, but it's not cheap. To be fair, what you can get for cheap these days are miles ahead of what you could get a decade ago, but that's not what you are comparing against, is it? As long as your expectations grow with the advances, you'll always want the "best" experience, and that always costs more.

[mbg]

I think it's a good thing if expectations are too high. That means they'll work to meet/exceed those expectations and advance the technology.

Or we'll be chasing a pipe dream and find out what we have can't be maintained when one of the underpinnings seriously shifts, such as when energy or food shortages make an appearance.

[wilsonlam97]

It's the "cheap" expectation that's too high. Windows 7 on a fast machine with SSD and good battery is excellent, but it's not cheap. To be fair, what you can get for cheap these days are miles ahead of what you could get a decade ago, but that's not what you are comparing against, is it? As long as your expectations grow with the advances, you'll always want the "best" experience, and that always costs more.

I expect gigabit FTTH but that's not happening. Even 100mbps down is overpriced atm. I know its a infinite cycle to expect more from technology and receive it and then expect more but the pace of it happening is mind boggling. Why can't everybody push for advancing technologies like apple did with the iPhone? I still don't see windshields that have LCDs embedded into them yet and its clearly possible to do it. Companies that capitalize aggressively like Canada's ISPs are suppressing our technological development. Will Canada be way behind in the next 5 years? I suppose.

If it weren't for china to provide cheap labour and and capitalize less based on the value of usefullness, North America wouldn't be what it is today.

Karma will hurt the US/Canada financially. It's coming. You can't have one country working for the another forever. The tables may turn.

[Doodies]

I expect gigabit FTTH but that's not happening. Even 100mbps down is overpriced atm. I know its a infinite cycle to expect more from technology and receive it and then expect more but the pace of it happening is mind boggling. Why can't everybody push for advancing technologies like apple did with the iPhone? I still don't see windshields that have LCDs embedded into them yet and its clearly possible to do it. Companies that capitalize aggressively like Canada's ISPs are suppressing our technological development. Will Canada be way behind in the next 5 years? I suppose.

If it weren't for china to provide cheap labour and and capitalize less based on the value of usefullness, North America wouldn't be what it is today.

Karma will hurt the US/Canada financially. It's coming. You can't have one country working for the another forever. The tables may turn.

Exactly, we are taking a massive hit right now and probably will for a long time, the outsourcing has killed our economy, it's not just technology but other fields as well. Everyone was so quick to throw blame around for the cause of the recession/depression; The banks, The government, The 1%, Unions....etc The reality is that we did this to ourselves and as long as we continue to behave this way the situation wont improve. I was hoping that the whole occupy movement would at least address the problem but they too were more interested in blaming others as well. It seems like an endless spiral, where we just keep consuming more and more and wanting more cheap products, but then we turn around and complain about the lack of jobs...

[Agafaba]

Or we'll be chasing a pipe dream and find out what we have can't be maintained when one of the underpinnings seriously shifts, such as when energy or food shortages make an appearance.

Energy wont be as big an issue in my opinion, ignoring all the other advances being made solar panels are getting cheaper and more efficient every day. Its only a matter of time before having solar panels will be common and a % of what we use will be produced locally reducing the need for huge energy plants and robust power grids. Not eliminate the need mind you, but it will be significant enough.

[george__]

I suspect computer games are being lagged behind by the stupid old ugly out dated consoles that Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo are still selling... This is why we aren't seeing really prettty graphics
Windows 8 interface STINKS. I don't like it at all :(. <-- The interface is just bleeh
I think people don't like change tooo much so maybe that is also what is lagging behind technology... Like adapting to it can be very costly with a lot of risk, so not a lot of people want to bet their money on it.

OR

maybe it's a government conspiracy....

OR

just the way Canada is... Go to Hong Kong or South Korea for example. Holy crap coool technology there!

@OP - I doubt Microsoft will disappear... They are reallly big with a lot of power.

[toalan]

Technology grows exponentially, but it also creates waste and opulence that grows exponentially, the result is that the user experience seems to grow logarithmically. The CPU/RAM/HDD has grown by 16 fold over the past 8 years, but the user experience is not much better today than it was 8 years ago. Software has just gotten so bloated, slow and worse of all they come ram pack all these half baked features that no one cares for, it almost totally negates Moore's law.

The next frontier of computing is HTML5 apps, Javascript designed to be a complete blackhole for computing horsepower; sucking up every last drop of available performance and returning nothing. Nothing else can bring an i7 to it's knees like javascript can.

After computing power has become so great as to be able to do everything using javascript, the next frontier will be to give every application it's own operating system.

[george__]

Technology grows exponentially, but it also creates waste and opulence that grows exponentially, the result is that the user experience seems to grow logarithmically. The CPU/RAM/HDD has grown by 16 fold over the past 8 years, but the user experience is not much better today than it was 8 years ago. Software has just gotten so bloated, slow and worse of all they come ram pack all these half baked features that no one cares for, it almost totally negates Moore's law.

The next frontier of computing is HTML5 apps, Javascript designed to be a complete blackhole for computing horsepower; sucking up every last drop of available performance and returning nothing. Nothing else can bring an i7 to it's knees like javascript can.

After computing power has become so great as to be able to do everything using javascript, the next frontier will be to give every application it's own operating system.

I have a I7, how do I test javascript?

[Agafaba]

I have a I7, how do I test javascript?

Play minecraft lol