Microsoft Surface sales increase... but at what cost?

I see more Microsoft Surface computers on desktops these days. In fact, I rarely see anyone purchasing a new Windows laptop from any of the major brands other than an occasional Lenovo. I've seen three desks fitted with Surface tablets connected to a keyboard and large display. It appears to be a nice solution. 

But it's impossible to ignore the falling Windows PC sales trend as indicated by the image. Interestingly, Microsoft isn't on the chart. But recent news of popular Surface computers being sold must figure into the numbers somehow.

I believe Microsoft is cannibalizing their market. Perhaps this is by design? Regardless, news of their popularity may be nothing more than a shift due to a better form factor. The Surface is a full blown Windows PC in the form of a tablet. 

I love my Apple iPad (as well as my recently purchased iPad Pro) and the form factor it offers. It's brilliant. A lightweight Apple keyboard travels in my bag which can be setup for typing duty in seconds. Occasionally I set it up on the train during my commute or in a restaurant during dinner. I use my iPad with and without a keyboard equally. The Surface can be used the same way. No doubt it's success is based partially on this. The fact it's a full Windows PC also helps. 

While Microsoft gains market share all of the other Windows PC manufacturers are losing. Can Microsoft be successful if Dell and HP aren't? If Microsoft manufactures the best hardware for its software why would anyone want a different brand? This, of course, is what Apple does. As the chart indicates, Apple is gaining marketshare. 

Will the success of the Microsoft Surface be the downfall of all other Windows PCs? Only time will tell.

Folding Chrome OS into Android is another reason why Google will never beat Apple

It would be wonderful to have one operating system for all devices. Microsoft certainly deserves credit for trying with their latest OS. But PC sales have been falling rapidly while sales for Apple personal computers has been on the rise. Granted, Microsoft still dominates, but the trend is clear. I believe the trend is drenched in the fact Microsoft has made compromises that spoil both the desktop and mobile experience. So why is Google - or Alphabet as they now call themselves - following suit?

By folding Chrome OS into Android, Google is essentially throwing in the flag on their desktop operating system. Essentially, Chrome OS was a portal to the internet. It's an excellent idea that may be here too soon. But it offered a limited desktop experience. I wanted to purchase a Chromebook (now there's also a Surface Book - both taking Apple's lead from their MacBook).  

I've long thought Apple's iOS was nearly suitable for desktop duty. I love working on my iPad. But I can't use Photoshop effectively. There's a possibility this will be addressed - but it remains to be seen if the level of control will offer the professional control I need. I'm excited tho! Android on the other hand, stinks.

I can't imagine Android being used as a desktop OS for anything professional because it's so buggy. I had an Android phone and all I remember from the experience was that it froze often and became infected with multiple viruses. I hated it and switched to the iPhone. I love the iPhone. 

Sure, it would be wonderful to have a touchscreen MacBook or iMac. But I use these devices for work and require a stable, feature rich experience. I also use the iPad for work to keep organized, jot down my thoughts and map out projects both professional and personal. I can't trust that to Android.

Google is moving a downstream product upstream. It will have limitations. By offering Android at a desktop level, it will also be stressed by new features just to get it up to par. If Google is serious about this, they will leave features out that create issues - crashes being of primary concern. But they probably will send buggy software to end users creating discomfort within the Android community who see Android as a way of bucking the Apple trend and Microsoft dominance. 

Microsoft can pull this off effectively enough because the majority of IT professionals are schooled in Microsoft so they know nothing else and work with their buggy products. Apple has its niche and will survive as the better option for creatives - and perhaps make inroads with their formidable business partner, IBM, into the Enterprise arena. But Android? By pretending Android is anywhere near a desktop operating system by announcing Chrome OS has been folded into it Android is simply misleading the public. Techies will 'get it' and cope simply to satisfy their desire for something other than Microsoft. Think about it, in order to make money, IT professionals need unreliable, buggy products to fix. I just don't see the day where Android based desktops will ever be accepted into professional environments for any reason other than to satisfy an organizations BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to allow some kind of freedom of expression. But if employees begin missing deadlines and losing work due to Android problems the platform will ultimately remain a mobile operating system with aspirations for the desktop. 

Free Memory Management Apps

My MacBook Pro has 4 GB of RAM. My iMac desktop has 8 GB or RAM. Both machines need more. 

As my workload grows the apps in I rely on also grows. For example, I never used iMovie much but now it's a part of my app arsenal. I use it frequently and the demand it makes on my computers is abundant. Along with the Adobe and Microsoft suite getting more use I simply have been running out of RAM.

Before purchasing additional RAM I decided to download several free memory management apps and see how they perform. I've narrowed it down to three very useful apps that I like to use in tandem (I may whittle these to two eventually). After downloading these apps they place their icons at the top right of the Apple menu alongside the clock.

One immediate advantage to using these apps is confirming you need RAM. There's no doubt my computers need more. But managing the memory prevents freeze-ups and the dreaded 'rainbow circle' icon that appears while you wait for your computer to free itself up.

The apps:

Memory Monitor - This app put's a graphic representation of your computer's memory in a circle. You quickly see your Free and Used memory. Simply clicking the 'optimize' button in the center of the circle frees up memory in a few seconds. Perfect execution! The improvement is minimal but when it comes to memory I'll take what I can get. The two additional apps below seem to free up even more.

Dr. Cleaner - This app looks more businesslike. There are no colorful images, just a window displaying the percent of memory your computer is using. Currently mine says 80%. Clicking Optimize improves this to 63%. It takes a little longer for it to figure things out but still less than 60 seconds.

Memory Clean - It doesn't display the % like Dr. Cleaner, instead it displays the actual amount of memory you have left. Their window is a bit more colorful than Dr. Cleaner. After using Dr. Cleaner my Mac displayed 2.95 GB of free memory. Clicking Clean Memory further improved this to 3.14 GB. There's another button in red that says Unlock Extreme. I suppose this is an even deeper level of memory management but it cost $4.99. For now, the free version works perfectly. One of my favorite features of Memory Clean is that you can set a threshold so if your memory usage drops below a desired amount it automatically runs. Amazing!

As you can see, the reason I use all three of these apps is that when one is maxed out the other seems to free up even more memory. No doubt they manage memory differently. In tandem they provide powerful memory management - for free - and put off a future RAM purchase that no longer is as urgent. 

If you are a in advertising and marketing using RAM hungry apps like I do, launch the App Store and download these three memory management apps. They're free and work great!