The Windows 8 Generation Gap: Size Matters

If Windows 8 is successful, the audience that will drive it will be on the young side of the market -- likely 25 and younger -- and the most resistant will be those older than 25. I don't think blended products -- oversized tablets, etc. -- will fix this. Much like PCs eventually drove over the bodies of those who preferred terminals and typewriters in the 1980s, tablets eventually will drive over us older types in this round of change.

I was reading James Kendrick's column on Windows 8 tablets over on ZDNet last week, and he is clearly having trouble adapting to what is becoming a tablet world. James and I came from the first age of personal computers. I'm pretty sure he's younger than I am, and I think he is showcasing what will be a problem for many of us who grew up on PCs. Bigger is better, and tablets aren't bigger. [*Correction - Aug. 13, 2012]

Now, on the other hand, I know of tons of kids who don't even use PCs or tablets and live on their cellphones. For these whippersnappers, tablets are bigger, and while Windows 8 tablets may suck for us "old folks" -- at least on iPad-size tablets -- those who came up on cellphones should love it.
I'll explore that this week and end with my product of the week: the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 -- what may be the first iconic Windows 8 product.