The AnandTech Podcast: Episode 23

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• dishayu - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link

  Why always on fridays? :(
  
  They are the best things to listen to during commutes but I don't want to wait till monday to listen to them. :\

• xTRICKYxx - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link

  First World Problems....

• Death666Angel - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link

  There is nothing on this site that you cannot describe that way.

• REALfreaky - Tuesday, July 23, 2013 - link

  My god...

• sherlockwing - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link

  Thanks for the podcast, I still await the 2 hour podcast with Ian to talk about Z87 motherboards, Haswell & 840 EVO.

• zepi - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link

  "I believe in idea that Microsoft could unify it's platforms"
  
  I really can't understand how that could ever be possible. Win32 API is fundamentally incompatible with touchs as all of the GUI-components have been designed for pixel-perfect pointing devices with a cursor. Ofc you could build a decent touch-interface with Win32 API, but there is no remedy that would magically transform old Win32-applications to touch-friendly apps. Every single application ever created for Windows needs a new UI to be usable on a touch devices. And if you can't transform old GUI's to work on touch, then what would be the benefit of "unifying" the platform? It'd be just like bringing OSX to dualcore A9 touchscreen device... You absolutely need software to be created from scratch to be usable on ARM / low power touch-devices.
  
  This is why Metro was created. It's Microsofts platform for touch. Like iOS is Apple's.
  
  I don't think Windows 8 failed per se. It's just that once you launch a new API / platform with completely new "everything" it takes years to catch up with the competition. Current Windows RT is for Windows tablets what Android 3.0 and older was for Android tablets. Horrible, because it needs customised applications. At least Win RT metro runs nicely instead of being choppy as hell like android was before project butter. It took years for Google. It'll take years for MS.
  
  Just stick to metro / modern ui, forget desktop usage, wait a year and Windows 8.x is going to be mostly fine for tablet usage. Regardless if it's RT or "normal". Windows 8 tablet with addon-keyboard and a pointing device will functions as a laptop as well, if you are into such things. Apparently quite a few people aren't, as pc-sales are tanking.
  
  WP8 still suffers from lousy multitasking that even Apple fixed some time ago, but other than that, I'm starting to believe that the app-selection and general usability is starting to reach the "good enough" plateau. What are the real problems for you not to be able to use WP8 as a smartphone? For me it would be the lousy appsupport for SSH / SCP, but I'd assume that it's not a problem for most people.
  
  Personally I run Nexus 4 with stock rom, 3rd gen Ipad and and 15" MBP dualbooting OSX/Windows with Windows and Linux VM's as my PC. All of the platforms excel at different tasks.
  
  TL;DR just my $0.02

• evonitzer - Saturday, July 20, 2013 - link

  I'd like to second one of your points (although I agree with most of your post). Be specific, Brian! I believe you when you say there are showstoppers and missing apps within Windows Phone 8, but I would like to know what they are. Every now and again on the podcast when you dismiss WP8, give some reasons. Thanks! Keep up the great show, and I'm looking forward to the 1020 review, as well as more podcasts.

• mebby - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link

  Hmmm... the purpose of "a smartphone is to drive you to the desktop" makes no sense. If that is the case no one will buy a Windows phone just use a Windows desktop and buy a Android or iOS phone. I have an iPhone and I only use as a smart phone (browser, searches, games) when I am moving fast. At home or on the road I usually use a tablet. Or during work hours I use a laptop/desktop.

• skiboysteve - Saturday, July 20, 2013 - link

  I don't agree with this idea at all. I use my Lumia 920 way more than I did my iPhone. And with my iPhone I constantly had to go to my computer for music because I didn't want to buy music through iTunes or use iTunes to manage my library. I had a Zune music subscription that was wothless on the iPhone and awesome on my windows phone.
  
  also on iPhone your browser constantly gets redirected to cut down crappy smartphone websites and that doesn't happen much on IE10 on my windows phone. Especially because you can change your user agent to desktop mode.
  
  I agree with the above poster. Every podcast you guys talk about windows phone you call it a feature phone and have a "long list" of missing stuff. Can you please ever get specific? You guys deserve the negative "fanboi" responses you get when you never once get specific about what you dislike.

• skiboysteve - Saturday, July 20, 2013 - link

  The lack of detail on the windows phone commentary just reminds me of Anand's criticism of Tesla Model S reviews. The reason I've read this site for a decade is the quality of thorough reviews.. Which hasn't happened at all for windows phone. Its just a weird stark contrast.
  
  sell me on android! Tell me what it has that windows phone doesn't! Something I would notice, not CPU specs or apps I don't use. I almost purchased an HTC One X but decided not to due to 16 GB of storage. Now I have windows phone. I could switch next purchase but I need reasons to do so. Not anecdotes.
  
  examples:
  -the lack of quality xbmc remote apps means I still use my iPhone to control xbmc
  -my bank USAA doesn't have a win phone 8 app so I still deposit checks with my iphone
  -google services are poorly supported (lack of exchange sync) so I switched to outlook.com instead if Gmail. Although they implements googles replacements in GDR2 which I don't have yet
  
  thanks