Apple's Cook right about PC-tablet fusion fantasy
He's right. A shotgun marriage between a PC and a tablet isn't going to produce an eminently elegant device along the lines of an iPad--or even a Motorola Xyboard or Samsung Galaxy Tab. And consumers -- judging by Apple's success -- don't only want Apple tablets to be "incredibly thin" and light: they want the same from the Windows 8 competition.Windows 8 tablets may get there but it's a tough nut to crack for hybrids. Related storiesApple earnings jump 50 percentApple event countdown brings new rumorsApple tablet iRoundup: The good, the bad, the uglyFCC: iPad use could further strain AT&T 3GApple will sell iPad at Best Buy Dell, for one, apparently isn't going to achieve that kind of elegance for its Windows 8 consumer hybrid.If the Neowin photo is accurate, it's a laptop that can function as a Windows 8 tablet but not a device that will win over hundreds of millions of consumers like the iPad. In fact, the Dell Windows 8 hybrid looks a lot like the existing Inspiron Duo, which is OK but hardly a game changer. Some will point to the Asus Transformer Prime as an example of a well-executed hybrid-like design. But that's really a great discrete tablet that (if you decide to pay the extra bucks) can connect with a good, but not great, keyboard dock.That's not to say that there aren't consumers and corporations out there who are waiting for a hybrid Windows 8 tablet.But from Apple's trendsetting worldview, hybrids simply don't pass the elegance smell test.
