What happened to tablet sales? • Hacker News Board

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#61

Post by mrweasel » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 2:45 PM UTC

DigitalSea wrote: post #10

The problem with tablets is they're incredibly limited. The hardware seems to improve with every generation, but specifically in the instance of iOS: the software seems to be stagnate. What's the point in having super fast storage, quad core processors and fast memory if the software is so limiting and horrible it doesn't let you take advantage of it? As a developer, I find iOS to be a horrible operating system and v…

>If you want to surf the web or play games then the iPad is great for that

I don't even think they're particularly good at surfing the web. The interface on the iPad (and perhaps tablets in general) is simply too limited to be useful for much other than basic surfing. It's annoying really, because many sites try to be tablet friendly and ruin their desktop experience to fit the tablet needs, but the tablet still isn't really as good as the desktop ever was.

You may be correct in that it's the software, personally I think it's the touch screen that's the limiting factor.

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#62

Post by skc » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 2:45 PM UTC

I rarely see tablets in the wild anymore. Has anyone else had the same experience?

Even at the office I no longer see execs walking around with them. Just a few years ago these things were everywhere out in public.

I assume the remaining holdouts have relegated them to bedtime devices.

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#63

Post by baldfat » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 2:45 PM UTC

DigitalSea wrote: post #10

The problem with tablets is they're incredibly limited. The hardware seems to improve with every generation, but specifically in the instance of iOS: the software seems to be stagnate. What's the point in having super fast storage, quad core processors and fast memory if the software is so limiting and horrible it doesn't let you take advantage of it? As a developer, I find iOS to be a horrible operating system and v…

You sound like the person who would really like a Pro Surface. I am a Linux head but the build is quality and the ease of tablet like duty is amazing. I used my friends with a frown and then I became really envious of the form factor and quality. I think this is the future of non-Apple laptops.

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#64

Post by alanfalcon » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 2:46 PM UTC

mercer wrote: post #55

tannhaeuser wrote: post #41

Yet not long ago everybody was anticipating the end of the general-purpose PC because a tablet (with an optional keyboard) was seen as good enough for "ordinary people", and the merger of MacOS into iOS is expected any day now. Now what is it?

I think that assessment wasn't entirely wrong, it's just that smartphones , rather than tablets, turned out to be that general-purpose PC for many people.

Smartphones got much larger. I think if it were just Apple, we'd still have tiny screens on our phones and iPads for general purpose computing at home. Thankfully there is competition and people voted for larger phones with their wallets, so now our phones are as large as we "need" them to be.

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#65

Post by Retric » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 2:47 PM UTC

exergy wrote: post #29

grzm wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As counterpoint, I used my first generation iPad until I broke the screen last year. (It withstood more than a few drops as the corners attested before finally succumbing.) Granted, my use case wasn't overly intensive: mostly just web browsing and video viewing (Netflix, HBO Now, iTunes). My primary gripes are with iTunes and video storage management, and while that was more acute with the limited storage of the firs…

Can I asked something? Why are iPads popular? Genuine question. I will admit first that I also use an old iPad for watching YouTube, but that's because I run Linux on my surface pro 3, and YouTube sucks my battery dry faster than you can say sudo. But, the iPad is still too heavy to hold for extended periods, falls over all the time on its rubbish case if I keep it on the uneven bed, and I find the surface kickstand…

Don't use a case as those add to much weight.

I also upgraded to a newer iPad which is dramatically lighter. Around 1lb seems about the limit for comfortable use indefinitely. The new iPad is a little lighter than a hard back book, the iPad mini at 0.65 pounds is lighter than the average paperback.

PS: The 12" pro is 1.59 pounds which IMO is to heavy for sustained use.

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#66

Post by robodale » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 2:52 PM UTC

skc wrote: post #62

I rarely see tablets in the wild anymore. Has anyone else had the same experience? Even at the office I no longer see execs walking around with them. Just a few years ago these things were everywhere out in public. I assume the remaining holdouts have relegated them to bedtime devices.

I keep my iPad on my couch end-table, if I need to do any browsing or streaming my phone cannot handle. An added benefit of keeping my iPad here is it serves as a decent TV tray.

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#67

Post by Piouw » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 2:55 PM UTC

Recently I dusted my Asus Transformer TF700 and slapped an AOSP Nougat rom on it. It's reactive, has a good form factor and a crisp, luminous 1980x1200 screen. I can't see a reason to change it. (Bonus: I took on a little challenge with it: No Google services and only FOSS apps. It's an interesting experience.)

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#68

Post by norea-armozel » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 3:01 PM UTC

Am I wrong in assuming that electronics firms just don't realize the special nature of the rise of modern consumerism? What I mean by that is that I think it's obvious that consumerism as we've known it isn't sustainable in practice. Sure, there's always going to be a demand for new devices but I think the rate of replacement of them is and will be very slow for a long time. Once devices get good enough or service demand well enough then it becomes a different market entirely just like how cars are today (people replacing them years later and not just every year).

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#69

Post by davidgerard » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 3:05 PM UTC

jimjimjim wrote: post #8

For me the ideal tablet size is the 7 inch tablet. Easier to browse with than a phone (possible to use mobile sites and desktop sites), easier to read (it's paperback size), easier to hold than a ipad/10inch tablet. can ANYONE recommend anything at least as good as a nexus7?

We have a Samsung 8" that's a coupla years old. The size is just about ideal for what it actually gets used for: the kid reading books on it!

We'll probably get an upgrade in June, but the old one will remain in service even if it doesn't have a phone connection.

Re: What happened to tablet sales?

#70

Post by baldfat » Wed, Mar 22, 2017, 3:12 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #48

microtonal wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find reading on a tablet quite terrible. Your eyes get tired and use late at night delays melatonin production. I like the Kindle Paperwhite a lot more for reading non-technical books and magazines.

use late at night delays melatonin production If you root Android, you can install F.lux (the real deal, not that fake red layer crap), which helps considerably.

F.Lux doesn't need root anymore.