Microsoft introduced its own handheld Pocket PC

Netease Technology News July 10, according to foreign media reports, when the personal computer is still flourishing, Microsoft introduced its own handheld device "Pocket PC (Pocket PC)." But in fact, it's just a miniaturized Windows PC, since personal computers were the main and often the only digital processing device. However, time flies, personal computers have slowly entered the stage of exit from the stage of history, or are being swallowed by smart phones.

In the past seven years, personal computers have gradually been replaced by smartphones (or, more generally, tablets) due to the advent of the iPhone. PC sales have dropped significantly in recent years, with sales reaching record low last year and sales of smartphones and tablets soaring. Almost all traditional software developers are focused on mobile application development.

Of course, personal computers will not disappear soon. Traditional laptops also have the advantage of a large screen, built-in keyboard and a large touchpad, and still outperform smartphones and tablets when dealing with complex tasks. But smart phones or tablets are overcoming these shortcomings. At the moment, the smart-phone Dock system and projection system, which are still in the concept phase, can completely overcome these problems.

In general, people are only dealing with complex tasks at a fixed point, so users simply plug in a smart phone with all the data stored on a console with a large screen and keyboard, so smartphones and PCs do not deal with the above problems Any difference As long as the user left unplug the smart phone, take the data can be. And now the computing power of smart phones is infinitely close to or even beyond the personal computer. In addition, the future through the screen and keyboard projection, the user can get larger keyboard and screen anytime, anywhere.

This month has just passed and the trend has become clear. Vendors are struggling to bring smartphones and PCs together, or at least bring some of the more familiar smartphone features to personal computers. It will be a long-term trend to bring the look and feel of personal computers closer to smartphones while loading the power of personal computers onto the phone.

Of course, bear the brunt of the two major smartphone platform owners, Apple and Google. They all have their own brand of personal computer. Apple's Machitosh and Google's Chromebook have gained popularity. Coincidentally, both companies announced their new smartphone and PC convergence at their developer conference last month.

At Apple's WWDC conference, the company announced a new set of iOS 8 features, called Continuity, that allows Macs to match nearby iPhones and make or receive calls over the Mac. Continuity also includes a new feature called Handoff that lets users seamlessly transfer tasks they already have on the iPhone or iPad to Mac, and vice versa. For example, a user can open an email on the iPhone and the Mac will display a special icon that will allow you to open the same email on your computer, or you can write a message on your Mac and send it on your iPhone.

Of course, there are many more. On Mac, users can also send and receive standard SMS messages. Users can edit new text on Mac. Mac can automatically turn your iPhone nearby into a WiFi hotspot without touching the phone. Also new Mac OS Yosemite (Yosemite) in the design looks like iOS, from the icon to the new Today notification panel.

A few weeks later, Google held an I / O developer conference and announced the integration of its own phone and PC, or a more thorough Android platform. The new Android version, called L, will have full platform support for "mobile, desktop and other." These new capabilities will bring together Android and Chrome OS platforms: You can unlock your Chromebook with your Android phone nearby. Android's Google Now feature appears on your Chromebook. And, Chromebooks will also be able to handle calls and text messages.

Most importantly, some Android applications will run on Chromebooks, but the company said the attempt is still in its infancy. In addition the mainstream of Chrome OS Web applications look and feel much like Android applications.

The two companies have taken a number of similar approaches to convergence. For example, Google's Chrome browser, was originally a purely computer program, has now become an important Android application. Apple also switched the Mac OS notification panel to a cellphone style, and also developed a full-screen method of organizing and opening Mac programs, called Launchpad, that looks like a huge iPhone screen.

The two companies have a strong business purpose to consolidate their mobile and desktop platforms: they want users to survive in their own ecosystem. Even the computer pioneer Apple, the key product in its ecosystem is now a smartphone, not a computer.

So, this convergence will go from here? Will computers and cell phones share an operating system one day? This is very possible, but there are many obstacles.

To accomplish this convergence: First, the capabilities of mobile apps must become richer and take full advantage of the laptop's features to meet the expectations of laptop users. Even the operating system itself has to behave differently on laptops. Google made it clear that it is moving that way; Apple did not say anything, but the company's ability to differentiate between tablets and smartphones has fully demonstrated its potential.

Second, both Google and Apple were acutely aware that a third competitor was having trouble trying to fully incorporate the phone-style user interface and the corresponding application into a traditional desktop operating system. This company is Microsoft.

As we all know, Microsoft's Windows 8 includes a mobile version of the touch interface and the traditional Windows desktop. The former application is full screen, while the latter application is more suitable for mouse and keyboard. However, consumers do not buy it, Microsoft also modified the Win 8 operating system, for example, brought back the desktop start menu, the taskbar features added to the mobile version of the main page. Now you can even skip the mobile interface and go straight to the old Windows.

But I do not think Microsoft gave up the idea of ​​convergence, partly because unlike the likes of Apple and Google, which are the strongest in the PC space, they are much weaker on phones and tablets. Its Windows Phone and desktop Windows operating system closer and closer. Microsoft has the right idea, but lost in weak execution.

However, Google and Apple have adopted different tactics to keep separate operating systems for their mobile and desktop clients, but find clever ways to get them partially integrated. This process may be slow, and may not be successful. But the convergence of personal computers and smartphones will not stop. (Bing Han)