Tablets: The tech worlds ‘D’ students
Yes, I get it. Tablets are the new thing.
Aside from being a smartphone with no phone abilities and glandular problem, I don’t understand why.
Let me preface this by saying I know why some people have them: They want to, they can afford it, and it completes a few menial tasks better than their current laptop or smartphone. I could probably make a Venn diagram with iPad owners and people who ritualistically shop QVC.
The argument so far is portability. Tablets have a portability that laptops don’t have. It lets me do things like I do on my smartphone, but it’s like a netbook, and its portability has really set me free!
Unfortunately, its feature set is lacking. Try typing out a lengthy document curled over an 8 inch screen with a touchscreen keypad or go over spreadsheets, presentations, or other important things this portability lets you do without a crick in your neck, especially in the coach section of a smelly airborne tin can where your portability really shines. That is, if, the hardware and software concessions made for portability allow you to do anything besides browse half-baked apps that half the time aren’t even optimized for tablet use. Sure, you can bring a keyboard and mouse and all that… but you might as well just bring your laptop at that point.
Right now, tablets are luxury pieces. If someone can point out something to me that tablets can do better than netbooks, ultrathins, laptops, or smartphones on a constant basis, then I’ll concede… but it looks like the OS programmers of our general tablet scene have resigned the device to being an overpriced accessory. Windows 8 for Tablets is making the promise of more powerful, maybe even useful tablets… but I’m not holding my breath. Whenever a tablet can have a slate form factor and all the wonderful power of a laptop with all the little touch screen goodness and portability, you can consider me a convert.
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About The Author
I love my iPad 2. I use it daily and massively when traveling. I personally do not like 7-8 inch tablets. 10 inch is perfect for watching Netflix, emails, social media crap, and reading. Love it man. My laptop is a pain in the arse to carry around and my iPad does everything I need to do when not at the office.
The iPad is a Giffen good, a Veblen good and / or a positional good.
Discuss.
My avatar, by the way, is me scuba diving in Bali without a license, totally badass. I went down like twenty something feet and the instructor was totally cool about it.
Whereas yours, Smith, it’s a logo of the site people looking at it already are on and have seen the logo at least once or twice.
Well at least, not counting the avatar, you trimmed down the mentions of “mobility digest” on the site pages from thirteen to seven, that’s not bad. Whose twitter, Facebook and forums are we going to link (unless otherwise specified), Ramon’s?
Now on the flipside, I like how this article has no image.
I wanted to buy a new laptop, but when I heard the house was going to buy a 7″ device if I didnt, I wanted to make sure they got the right device for the Money. I bought 2 Dell Streak 7″ WiFi, and so far they love them.
But I should have bought one laptop, for the total money I spent plus a couple hundred more.The DS7 and other devices are not for real work for your kids and house, they are for entertainment first.
One has all intentions of writing and using documents, already can do exactly what I was told as “buying points” .This one has a good Laptop.
The other makes no attempt to disguise the intent for you tube and goof off fun. But this one needs a better laptop.
Sure would be a lot cheaper if they learned to share.
Hope this one plays out in my favor.
Peace
Asking someone for a reason for a device you aren’t interested in is like asking someone who doesn’t like cars to justify the existence of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. You’re never going to get the ‘right’ answer. If it doesn’t fill a need for you, you aren’t the proper demographic for it.
Personally, we have two iPads, and two iPod touches, and two iPhones. They all do similar things, and the iPads and iPhones do other things very well. Are they laptop replacements? In some casual usage, absolutely. Do I still have 6 computers in my house?
You bet.
I feel the same way; I don’t see the need to have a Tablet. everything the tablet do, I can do it with my Smartphone. And when I travel I rather use my ultra portable laptop….
Well, I don’t own a laptop, but I do own a netbook. My Fire was a gift, so I won’t complain!
I do see using the Fire differently than my Surround. I tried FB on the Fire and didn’t like it, so that’s out. Words with Friends *did* work, and doesn’t on the smartphone (yet). I’ve even read an ebook on it. 😉 I don’t intend to use it for Twitter, email, or contact-storing. The Fire is pretty much only an entertainment device, when I don’t want to carry the netbook. The larger screen will make watching Netflix on it easier on my old, crappy eyesight.
Time will, of course, tell in the end.
I have no doubt of the tablet form factor beating out just about everything eventually. Right now it’s a toy.