The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out • Hacker News Board

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#21

Post by coldtea » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:12 PM UTC

WDCDev wrote: post #14

Tablets are content consumption devices first, and productivity devices second. I love my iPad, but I see very little reason to upgrade it considering its perfectly suitable for reading books, browsing the web and watching the occasional movie / show on Amazon video, Fios etc... I am also very jaded by how much performance degrades with every iOS update and refuse to get caught up in the "upgrade every year" Apple cy…

>I am also very jaded by how much performance degrades with every iOS update and refuse to get caught up in the "upgrade every year" Apple cycle.

I haven't noticed any of this ever, except in the cases of bugs (stealing cpu for some apps etc) that eventually get corrected. And I update my iPad the first day any new OS version comes out.

I even still use my 2nd gen iPad update to the brim.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#22

Post by coldtea » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:14 PM UTC

ableal wrote: post #4

John Gruber had a good observation about the charts published in Quartz (specifically the last one): "Apple has sold more iPads in its first 57 months than they sold iPhones in its first 57 months." http://daringfireball.net/linked/2015/04/27/quartz-chartz-ap... http://qz.com/392202/were-live-charting-apples-second-quarte... If Apple pumped out over 250 million iPads, a great majority of which is probably still in us…

>If Apple pumped out over 250 million iPads, a great majority of which is probably still in use, with the usual Android and Windows numbers the whole tablet population must be in the neighborhood of one billion.

How so? Android and Windows tablets never sold as much as iPads and still don't. It might be 50-50 now, but not 3 times as much by any means.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#23

Post by spiritplumber » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:14 PM UTC

A problem is that a lot of people who might get a computer, and use it to do/write stuff, get a tablet, and use it to watch/read stuff. Because it has no keyboard.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#24

Post by emodendroket » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:17 PM UTC

Remember how the tablet was going to totally destroy desktop computing?

That said, tablets are a little bit better for reading, or for "computing in bed" and those sorts of things.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#25

Post by techstrategist » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:18 PM UTC

I honestly think that Apple will be able to reinvigorate iPad sales when they offer some new capability. The iPhone has (almost) always had a compelling reason to upgrade. My wife's iPad 3 Retina doesn't seem to perform better than my non-retina iPad 2. While I'm itching to replace the iPad (it's getting slow, app crashing, etc.) I'll be moving to a Surface Pro 4 (or 3 if I can't wait that long) or a $200-300 Android tablet depending on how I see my use cases playing out. I really like the idea of a 4-5" Android phone + an i5/i7 surface eliminating the need for a tablet and a desktop.

If there was a compelling new iPad coming out, we'd be on the hook for at least 1, and I imagine that many of the 250m iPad users would be ready to upgrade ASAP.

Then the question becomes, what would be compelling enough to upgrade?

- Possibly size, but probably not. A $600+ iPad in 10-12" would be hard to justify over a Surface. - New sensors? Adding the PrimeSense 3d sensor (maker of the original Kinect, now owned by Apple) would enable a TON of new use cases. - Multitasking? - Ability to run OSX software?

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#26

Post by Touche » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:18 PM UTC

jcadam wrote: post #18

I still don't "get" tablets. What are they good for again? If I need/want to code (or type anything longer than a text message), I want (at least) a laptop. If I want to consume media while on the go, I care more about portability than anything else, so I use my smartphone -- it fits in my pocket so I always have it with me (unlike a tablet). If I want to sit up in bed (or on the couch) and read a novel, I use an e-r…

A tablet is the best way to consume digital comics. That's the only area where I think it's better than alternatives. Niche market though.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#27

Post by erichmond » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:18 PM UTC

jcadam wrote: post #18

I still don't "get" tablets. What are they good for again? If I need/want to code (or type anything longer than a text message), I want (at least) a laptop. If I want to consume media while on the go, I care more about portability than anything else, so I use my smartphone -- it fits in my pocket so I always have it with me (unlike a tablet). If I want to sit up in bed (or on the couch) and read a novel, I use an e-r…

I use a tablet to do all my reading, 95% of my media consuming, and it's an integral part of my music studio.

I may be an anomaly, I do not like having a smartphone, and am looking forward to the day when my device set will be watch, tablet & desktop.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#28

Post by Retric » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:19 PM UTC

jcadam wrote: post #18

I still don't "get" tablets. What are they good for again? If I need/want to code (or type anything longer than a text message), I want (at least) a laptop. If I want to consume media while on the go, I care more about portability than anything else, so I use my smartphone -- it fits in my pocket so I always have it with me (unlike a tablet). If I want to sit up in bed (or on the couch) and read a novel, I use an e-r…

Tables are great for consuming content. Think eReader for websites and YouTube. There also nice for phone games at home on a couch etc. The built in keyboards are good enough for a short HN comment, but not a novel. IMO, if you’re doing serious work then you want a laptop/desktop with a real keyboard not an Ultrabook.

What's important to remember is they don't really have moving parts and are unlikely to be dropped. So, they probably have fairly long update cycles after their 'good enough'. For example, I use my 2 or 3 year old iPad every day and other than wishing it was lighter I really see no need for an upgrade.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#29

Post by nakedrobot2 » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:22 PM UTC

jcadam wrote: post #18

I still don't "get" tablets. What are they good for again? If I need/want to code (or type anything longer than a text message), I want (at least) a laptop. If I want to consume media while on the go, I care more about portability than anything else, so I use my smartphone -- it fits in my pocket so I always have it with me (unlike a tablet). If I want to sit up in bed (or on the couch) and read a novel, I use an e-r…

Me too, I agree with everything there. Bought an ipad mini in 2013, kids use it now for games (good for them ;) and I never use. Phone (that barely fits in my pocket) and laptop are enough.

Re: The Tablet Is Being Squeezed Out

#30

Post by mark_l_watson » Thu, Apr 30, 2015, 2:23 PM UTC

Thinking about device types is backwards. The choice should be what cloud services from Google, Microsoft, Github, Bitbucket, etc. that we need to use and make sure that access to our working and entertainment data assets is simple on all device types.

As much as I like my iPad for web browsing, my Note 4 phone is much more part of my digital life because it can access my data assets and is almost always with me.

Microsoft seems to have hit a sweet spot with the Surface 3's and I wonder if Apple would ever offer an iPad with the same kind of cover/keyboard when you need it.