Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over • Hacker News Board

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#41

Post by w1ntermute » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:53 PM UTC

NathanKP wrote: post #36

dictum wrote: post #24

My love affair with the tablet isn't over: I love how it lets me browse the web, read books and magazines, and watch videos in bed after a long day. That's probably how most people use their tablets — secondary devices, mainly for entertainment. After a working day, I don't want to use a PC, and the tablet lets me use the web and other media comfortably, but I wouldn't try to actually use it for work beyond initially…

This is exactly how I use my tablet too. I use my computer all day writing code, so when its time to relax with some Netflix, or an ebook I grab my tablet instead. Its perfect for laying on the couch or in bed. A phone definitely works in that case as well, but the tiny screen isn't as nice for reading and watching video. Not to mention by the end of the day my phone is usually mostly dead and its time to put it on t…

The difference in screen size between tablets and phones is much less apparent now than it was 2 or 3 years ago.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#42

Post by jmspring » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:54 PM UTC

My iPad is the my primary device for reading technical books, RFCs, and other PDFs. It is often an accessory to when I am working on my laptop. Rather than two different screens, one for development and one for reference info, the iPad fills that role.

It is also typically what we use for watching movies at night while heading to bed -- we have a decent digital media library.

I don't see the affair as being over, maybe the tablets people have are good enough for their current uses.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#43

Post by Zigurd » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:54 PM UTC

The article is wrong in at least two ways:

1. The Bad Experience cited is with Windows tablets. This ignores how hard it is to move a non-touch system to tablets.

2. He cites Netflix "losing momentum" on tablets. If this was true for media use on tablets in general, Amazon would not be pouring as much effort as they are into tablets.

Google has done a bad job marketing Android on tablets. Apple has done a great job with iPad. YMMV.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#44

Post by gopalv » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:54 PM UTC

Some factor of "Everyone who wants one - has one" applies.

And then there's this - http://thedoghousediaries.com/5608

Once you hit the "content consumption from toilet" first world problem, the rest of the market actually would like a smaller device with the same connectivity.

That said, I'm a recent tablet user because with a Nexus7 and a Chromecast, my screen is actually big, 10 feet away and doesn't need me to hold it.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#45

Post by Dirlewanger » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:55 PM UTC

geuis wrote: post #16

mjt0229 wrote: post #7

I never really got tablets - too big to be portable and crippled by the lack of usable input devices. My 11" Macbook Air is just about as portable as an iPad, but is way easier to use, not just for streaming, but even for coding, etc. Of course, I've been wrong about things before and I'm not really a typical consumer user, but I just can't imagine a future for tablets with phones getting as good as they are, and sma…

You know, that's all people say is that "I'm not an average consumer". If everyone isn't, then who is? Averages lie. Show me a bell curve any day.

The average consumer is not posting on a website talking about their spending behavior. The lot of us may be "average" with things like, say, automotive purchases and whatnot, but given that this website has a tech slant, it's fair to say he's not the average consumer, at least not when it comes to consumer electronics.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#46

Post by Yhippa » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:55 PM UTC

Someone who is actually in the trenches can probably answer this but my guess is that a lot of the newest and hottest apps tend to be released for phones first and then later on a tablet version comes along. The lowest common denominator is going to be the phone since so many people have them and I have to pull it out to be able to use app X. It might not be available yet for my tablet or it is and it's not as feature-packed or as easy to use.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#47

Post by tluyben2 » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:55 PM UTC

loudmax wrote: post #13

dankoss wrote: post #2

The initial tablet market struck me as a very boomer focused device, one that made computing easy for a limited subset of tasks. I think he's wrong that tablets have peaked. As the software and hardware on tablets catches up to the capability of a full laptop, they are a much more compelling device for use at home or at work. Content creation, software development and file management are still a challenge but these c…

I'm a Linux user and very much addicted to the CLI. For any kind of work, a tablet isn't really right for me. I'm getting by okay with two laptops at the office: An MBP that weighs at least 7 lbs and a 2.2 lb ThinkPad. All my work stuff is on my MBP which stays on my desk. I take my ThinkPad to meetings, and if I need to reference something off the MBP I simply ssh into it. That would be a pain without a keyboard. So…

I am very much a Linux user and addicted to the CLI and my plethora of tools, doing heavy work (like compilation) on servers. I buy the lightest computing devices as I don't really need anything with a lot of processing power; so battery life and actual weight win it for me. I had a heavy MBP before I bought a Chromebook and I don't see me ever doing that again. As for tablets; I like to have them laying around for content consumption but for everything else I really do need a keyboard and I don't really know how that could be replaced. I tried the keyboards on tablets (including the surface 2) and they are a joke for coding imho.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#48

Post by kleptco » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:56 PM UTC

The author is right. No one wants to hold their computer for extended use. The phablet is the right compromise, it does everything a tablet does and more while still being light, small and always with you. Also, having 1 device is much less expensive and cumbersome than having 2.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#49

Post by visarga » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:56 PM UTC

taopao wrote: post #37

dictum wrote: post #24

My love affair with the tablet isn't over: I love how it lets me browse the web, read books and magazines, and watch videos in bed after a long day. That's probably how most people use their tablets — secondary devices, mainly for entertainment. After a working day, I don't want to use a PC, and the tablet lets me use the web and other media comfortably, but I wouldn't try to actually use it for work beyond initially…

? Sitting upright at a desk with a reasonably sized monitor placed at arm's length is much more ergonomic than curling over a tiny glossy screen.

Not to mention that curling up with a small laptop the size of an iPad (MacBook Air 11'') is even more ergonomic because it has a built-in stand and doesn't need a cover. Close to the same weight, same size as an iPad, but a full laptop.

Re: Our Love Affair With the Tablet Is Over

#50

Post by jack-r-abbit » Thu, Feb 06, 2014, 5:58 PM UTC

I rarely use the keyboard on my laptop. The laptop is part of a larger setup that involves a larger external monitor (with the laptop screen being the secondary display) and a wireless keyboard and mouse. I would love it if the laptop was just a tablet "docked" to connect to the monitor and keyboard/mouse. Then I could easily undock the tablet and use it as a tablet when I wanted to. But then plug it back in for a more "traditional PC" feel. Obviously it needs to be powerful enough for me to get my work done... and it would need to run the apps I need to get my work done.