"I think from our standpoint, disruption, although uncomfortable, is good," says Jeff Barney, executive VP in charge of Toshiba's PC and TV business for the Americas.
When it comes to naming their products, PC makers exhibit about as much creativity and originality as World War I-era German U-boat commanders. There's the Toshiba Satellite U925T, the Asus Zenbook UX31A, the Lenovo IdeaPad U310--laptops branded by indecipherable strings of letters and serial numbers.
Around the launch of Windows 8 and Surface tablet, we ask some of Microsoft's biggest stakeholders--and competitors--how the device and operating system have impacted their abilities to innovate.
Apple's competitors are mimicking the company's designs on everything from tablets to laptops. There's short-term benefit here for consumers looking for inexpensive Apple alternatives this holiday season. But more significantly, it demonstrates how much Steve Jobs's legacy has impacted device makers--and how lost they'd likely be without Jobs's vision.
