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Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

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Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#51

Post by mattmaroon »

sprout wrote: post #17
mattmaroon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're really not. My dad knows what an iPad is. Unless this device lays golden eggs he'll probably never hear of it. Also, there are unmentioned features in the iPad's favor, most notably an App Store with 200k titles in it.

So your dad never browses Wal-mart, Target, Best Buy, or anywhere else? This is in the netbook range Best buy will throw next to the check-out aisle.

The fact that you've heard of an iPad makes it significantly more likely you would choose it over the competitors even in a Best Buy. There have been mp3 players that were better than the iPod throughout pretty much it's entire existence, and they sat right next to the iPods at Best Buy and Wal-mart. They didn't put a dent in iPod sales at all. The only one that was wildly successful was the Sandisk Sansa, and the price/feature differential was such that saying it competes with the iPod is like saying Kia competes with Ferrari.

It'll be the same with these two tablets. People may buy the $200 thing because it's cheaper. Some (maybe even myself) might buy it because it's hackable. But nobody who wants an iPad will buy this instead, therefore they don't really "compete" by any meaningful usage of the word.

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#52

Post by CrazedGeek »

borism wrote: post #47
mattmaroon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're really not. My dad knows what an iPad is. Unless this device lays golden eggs he'll probably never hear of it. Also, there are unmentioned features in the iPad's favor, most notably an App Store with 200k titles in it.

App Store with 200k titles is a plus? Are you serious? How will your dad be able to find anything useful there?

The search box?

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#53

Post by mattmaroon »

stcredzero wrote: post #29
Tichy wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well I'll be getting a cheap Android tablet eventually for stuff that the iPad simply is too expensive for. For example to make a kind of dashboard out of it, or sticking it to the fridge. Not every tablet needs to compete on all the same aspects as the iPad.

Not every tablet needs to even compete with the iPad. Apple clearly doesn't care about the home hobbyist crowd.

This argument is getting lost in semantics. What does "compete" mean in this instance? Does Kia compete with Lexus? They both make cars, but I doubt anyone looking at an RX350 ever ended up in a Sportage.

I'd argue "compete" should mean that someone looking for an iPad might end up buying the competing device instead.

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#54

Post by axod »

theli0nheart wrote: post #43
Tichy wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if you are not looking for a tablet? Few people were looking for a tablet before the iPad launch.

True, but that's irrelevant. My point is that few people buy electronics on impulse, without research, before walking into a store.

Where's the evidence for that?

Perhaps if the price is $500+, but at $200 it can be an impulse buy.

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#55

Post by elblanco »

theli0nheart wrote: post #43
Tichy wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if you are not looking for a tablet? Few people were looking for a tablet before the iPad launch.

True, but that's irrelevant. My point is that few people buy electronics on impulse, without research, before walking into a store.

Unless it's an Apple product.

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#56

Post by jacobolus »

borism wrote: post #46
DeusExMachina wrote: post #6

2) It’s not a very bright screen, like the iPad. But if you intend to do a lot of reading, this is a plus. No, it's not. On the iPad you can adjust the brightness of the screen directly in the iBooks app if you want. But when you want a brighter screen for anything else, you can have it.

yes it is. most users will end up not adjusting brightness thus hurting their eyes

Do you have any evidence that the brightness of a fully-on iPad screen “hurts eyes”?

* * *

The human visual system adapts to the level of illumination it is looking at, so the times when eyes “hurt” are basically only when going from being dark-adapted to suddenly looking at something bright: for example, going from a darkened movie theater out into a sunny day. If you turn an iPad on in a completely darkened room, it might seem bright when first looked at (even this is not going to do any lasting damage, and is just a temporary annoyance), but if you spend more than a few minutes reading, your eyes will adapt to whatever its brightness is, and it shouldn't really be a problem.

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#57

Post by ezy »

(spit take) Heh... resistive screen and slow CPU. The year 2005 called and wants its N800 back.

Until the competitors really start to care about excellence, Apple will continue to dominate. I say this not as a particular Apple fan, but out of frustration with "open" alternatives I'd like to use that just f*cking blow compared to the benchmark Apple has set.

I mean you're trying to sell me a super-smartphone (HTC Evo) with shitty battery life? In 2010? what the hell?

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#58

Post by slantyyz »

rbanffy wrote: post #41
slantyyz wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it is a competitor, but is it a "real competitor"? Real is the operative word. When you suggest that this product is a "real competitor", I expect it to have real potential to sell more than a million devices. The reason why I am dismissive of this device is that the headline of the OTA is a little bit linkbaitish considering that the device is made by a little known Asian manufacturer who is going to spend next…

> I expect it to have real potential to sell more than a million devices Is the iPad a real competitor to netbooks? This specific product is not a huge risk for Apple - it's easily clonable by other manufacturers and, by itself, it will never have a huge market share. The combined power of just about every Chinese manufacturer is a very real threat to Apple. Steve must remember the Apple II. Hardware makers for this…

By virtue of the iPad's capabilities, you could also argue that it's a competitor to PCs and laptops. I would argue that most of the people who are currently claiming that the iPad is a threat to computers and laptops are simply trying to draw eyeballs to their blogs with sensationalistic headlines.

I see a lot of cheap keychain digital cameras being sold at supermarkets, but I highly doubt that anyone would seriously consider them to be competition for even a $100 digital camera from any major camera manufacturer.

Competition isn't just about features or market share in the overall segment. Apple has a very specific set of customer personas it sells to, and it does well selling to them. That people outside of their defined persons buys their devices is -gravy-. I highly doubt any of their target customers are even interested in this Pandigital device, which makes it a device that is not real competition for the iPad.

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#59

Post by slantyyz »

borism wrote: post #47
mattmaroon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're really not. My dad knows what an iPad is. Unless this device lays golden eggs he'll probably never hear of it. Also, there are unmentioned features in the iPad's favor, most notably an App Store with 200k titles in it.

App Store with 200k titles is a plus? Are you serious? How will your dad be able to find anything useful there?

You're right, the App store is a real problem. Because of the low signal-to-noise ratio, discoverability is less than optimal, even using search.

The only way I find out about good apps right now is through word-of-mouth and through reviews on trusted sites.

Apple needs to fix this.

Re: Out Of Nowhere, The iPad Has A Real Competitor

#60

Post by Tichy »

mattmaroon wrote: post #53
stcredzero wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not every tablet needs to even compete with the iPad. Apple clearly doesn't care about the home hobbyist crowd.

This argument is getting lost in semantics. What does "compete" mean in this instance? Does Kia compete with Lexus? They both make cars, but I doubt anyone looking at an RX350 ever ended up in a Sportage. I'd argue "compete" should mean that someone looking for an iPad might end up buying the competing device instead.

That definition of compete is really quite useless. Sure, if you define it like that, you win the argument, but we have learned nothing.
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