Switched On: Hail to the hybrids

_Each week [Ross Rubin](http://twitter.com/rossrubin) contributes [Switched On](http://www.engadget.com/tag/switchedon), a column about consumer technology._

[](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/05/hail-to-the-hybrids/)

In the world according to Apple, there are OS X-based Macs and iOS-based [iPads](http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/16/apple-ipad-review-2012/) and, as it stands now in the era of disparate kitchen appliances, never the twain shall meet, even if they tend to borrow features from each other. Point the finger of blame at synthetic pointing devices that offer precision at the expense of intimacy. Google has played it a little looser with its two-pronged operating system strategy. It has reserved [Chrome OS](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/21/chrome-os-update-includes-custom-wallpapers/) for such traditionally touch-deficient computing form factors as desktops and notebooks while allowing Android to support keyboards and mice. However, as [Switched On noted](http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/30/switched-on-the-clamshell-mystique/) nearly a year ago, we've seen few pure clamshells that use Android.

Microsoft, however, has thrown these distinctions out the window, or at least _with_ Windows. The latest release of its PC operating system seeks to dissolve the interface differences between laptops and tablets. It will appear on both types of devices as well as touch-enabled all-in-ones and desktops. But [Windows 8](http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/31/windows-8-release-preview-detailed-impressions/) -- with its tablet-friendly face and ability to run traditional productivity applications -- will also turn more PC manufacturer attention toward portable devices that live somewhere between a completely unadorned tablet and a notebook. We can expect two main kinds of these hybrids.

[Continue reading _Switched On: Hail to the hybrids_](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/07/hail-to-the-hybrids/)

Filed under: [Handhelds](http://www.engadget.com/category/handhelds/), [Tablets](http://www.engadget.com/category/tablets/)

[Switched On: Hail to the hybrids](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/07/hail-to-the-hybrids/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

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