5 ms·

Why the iPad Is Going Extinct

9 points by kristianp 11y ago

api 11y ago
I've seen it this way for a while: tablets occupy an uncanny valley between a phone and a desktop/laptop. They are too restricted/jailed and limited in UI scope to replace the latter, and they are too bulky to replace the former.
notjustanymike 11y ago
Strange nobody wanted to shell out $600 for a device that only let you consume. Also strange to refer to Microsoft's Surface as a hybrid tablet. It's still a tablet, just one with better features and software than Apple's.
- api 11y ago
  Surface is a laptop with a detachable keyboard.
  - bhhaskin 11y ago
    That is what a tablet is. Most tablets these days run mobile OS. I think that is where the real issue is. Mobile OS are great for consuming content, but not at creating content.
legitster 11y ago
I've regretted each tablet I've ever bought. They aren't as powerful as laptops, they aren't as portable as phones, they don't read as nicely as a Kindle or (gasp) a library book. They end up sitting in a pile. For the odd occasion that I might want to pull one out I barely bother to keep them charged.
edgan 11y ago
Tablets aren't worthless, but they are niche. The niche is where a phone doesn't have a big enough screen, but a laptop is too cumbersome. 1. Video and map display for a drone in the field 2. Reading, you could use a dedicated device, but I don't 3. Secondary display to watch video(TV) passively while working on a laptop, while not around a TV 4. Some games for the bigger display, and increased battery life One of the things has held tablets back is that historically you had to have a second data plan to get your tablet online anywhere. So most people would get the wifi only models. I find the combination of a phone as the mifi like device, and the tablet as the great combination at times. You can now share data between devices on some plans, but carrier compatibility definitely complicates things.
- grubles 11y ago
  You have four points. One of which involves some conflict in Afghanistan, while the other three involve sitting on one's ass consuming content. That is a huge discrepancy. I don't know if that means tablets are destined to stay around for a while or that they are completely replaceable with a laptop or a "phablet."
nikdaheratik 11y ago
The headline is a bit overdramatic. The iPad isn't taking off like the iPhone, mainly because fewer people need it and not very many people are interested in replacing it every other year. But it's still useful and bringing in a profit. The end of the article, however, does make a good point. All of these publications that were betting on jumpstarting sales again by all these new iPad users are very disappointed. No one has managed to keep the bundle + ads business model working and Facebook/Google/social is eating their lunch. So Apple's doing okay with the product, but one of the iPad's "killer apps" turned out to be a dud.

9 points by kristianp 11y ago

api 11y ago

I've seen it this way for a while: tablets occupy an uncanny valley between a phone and a desktop/laptop. They are too restricted/jailed and limited in UI scope to replace the latter, and they are too bulky to replace the former.

notjustanymike 11y ago

Strange nobody wanted to shell out $600 for a device that only let you consume. Also strange to refer to Microsoft's Surface as a hybrid tablet. It's still a tablet, just one with better features and software than Apple's.

api 11y ago
Surface is a laptop with a detachable keyboard.
- bhhaskin 11y ago
  That is what a tablet is. Most tablets these days run mobile OS. I think that is where the real issue is. Mobile OS are great for consuming content, but not at creating content.

legitster 11y ago

I've regretted each tablet I've ever bought. They aren't as powerful as laptops, they aren't as portable as phones, they don't read as nicely as a Kindle or (gasp) a library book. They end up sitting in a pile. For the odd occasion that I might want to pull one out I barely bother to keep them charged.

edgan 11y ago

Tablets aren't worthless, but they are niche. The niche is where a phone doesn't have a big enough screen, but a laptop is too cumbersome. 1. Video and map display for a drone in the field 2. Reading, you could use a dedicated device, but I don't 3. Secondary display to watch video(TV) passively while working on a laptop, while not around a TV 4. Some games for the bigger display, and increased battery life One of the things has held tablets back is that historically you had to have a second data plan to get your tablet online anywhere. So most people would get the wifi only models. I find the combination of a phone as the mifi like device, and the tablet as the great combination at times. You can now share data between devices on some plans, but carrier compatibility definitely complicates things.

grubles 11y ago
You have four points. One of which involves some conflict in Afghanistan, while the other three involve sitting on one's ass consuming content. That is a huge discrepancy. I don't know if that means tablets are destined to stay around for a while or that they are completely replaceable with a laptop or a "phablet."

nikdaheratik 11y ago

The headline is a bit overdramatic. The iPad isn't taking off like the iPhone, mainly because fewer people need it and not very many people are interested in replacing it every other year. But it's still useful and bringing in a profit. The end of the article, however, does make a good point. All of these publications that were betting on jumpstarting sales again by all these new iPad users are very disappointed. No one has managed to keep the bundle + ads business model working and Facebook/Google/social is eating their lunch. So Apple's doing okay with the product, but one of the iPad's "killer apps" turned out to be a dud.