3 ms·

IPad Competitors: Reality Check

11 points by mlongo 16y ago

brazzy 16y ago
Sorry, that's more narrowminded Apple fanboyism than I can take this early in the morning. "Are there any really significant ones that are challenging the iPod’s dominance in that market? Not really." Dude, take off your US goggles and look at market shares elsewhere.
- mlongo 16y ago
  I'm not in the US. I'm in Brazil. You cannot go into a reputable store here and find other players. Perhaps if you are really determined to buy non-Apple and are willing to spend a couple of hours looking you might find something but probably it will be no more than a memory stick that can play mp3s. You might go to on street vendors who import a variety of cheap and mostly low quality iPod clones directly from Hong Kong. I don't remember it being very different in Australia and a couple of European countries I've been to, but I might have been blinded by my fanboyism. :-)
  - dagw 16y ago
    Every large electronics store I've been to in Europe has mp3 players from a good half dozen companies prominently on display. So while the iPod may dominate, it's not like other players are in any way hidden or hard to find.
    - mlongo 16y ago
      Thanks for the feedback. Its been a while since I was last in Europe, I probably just didn't remember that being so. It certainly isn't so in Brazil. Those other mp3 players normally can only be found in small, not so reputable stores here. Mostly they are from unknown Chinese brands. Other than that, I only remember seeing a model from Sony, this year, in a large electronics store, as you put it. Everyone has an abundance of iPods, however. There is also an abundance of very cheap iPod clones, in those not-so-reputable stores.
  - papachito 16y ago
    Are you kidding? There are plenty of quality mp3 players that can actually read free and quality formats such as flac and vorbis. I'd never get an ipod because it doesn't support the formats I use (and lacks an FM tuner last time I checked, may have one now) and what dagw said.
  - brazzy 16y ago
    Amazon Germany's MP3 player category by brands: http://www.amazon.de/gp/search/other/ref=sr_sa_p_4?rh=n%3A562066%2Cn%3A!569604%2Cn%3A571712%2Cn%3A571714&bbn=571714&pickerToList=brandtextbin&ie=UTF8&qid=1271755501 http://www.amazon.de/gp/search/other/ref=sr_sa_p_4?rh=n%3A56... Apple: 140 entries Samsung: 106 Philips: 97 Sony: 79 Creative: 70 iRiver: 52 Trekstor: 50 ...
- kristiandupont 16y ago
  I don't know about, say, Japan but here in Europe (Denmark, Spain and the UK where I spend most of my time), it doesn't differ much from the US.
unfair 16y ago
The writer totally ignores android, which should offer a competent alternative to the iPad within a year as long as a reputable hardware manufacturer steps up. I was pretty excited about the iPad until I found out it would be locked down running the iPhone OS. If a more open alternative (Android with USB ports?) appeared on the market I think it would make a lot of tech savvy people who aren't locked into the Apple hype very happy.
- mlongo 16y ago
  As you say, it might offer a competent alternative within a year, but it doesn't now and there is no competing device running Android right now. I hope Android does offer a good alternative as I wouldn't like to see a market with a single dominant player, regardless of who that player is. Diversity is good for everyone.
dirtbox 16y ago
There isn't any competition for the ipad because it's a pretty yet aimless media toy. Everyone else is wrapped up in making something that has a clear and productive purpose with the perceived convenience of a touch screen.
- mlongo 16y ago
  Not much that I can say to that, but I beg to differ. :-)
kalid 16y ago
I agree with the article. Other manufacturers have had a decade to inspire people with tablets, and failed. People don't want a desktop pc in another form factor.
- ZeroGravitas 16y ago
  Yes they do. It's called a laptop and is (I believe) now the dominant form of personal computer. You're right that they've rejected the TabletPC as offered. But we don't really know whether they want a big iPhone either. Time will tell if this is an iPod or an AppleTV, iPhone or Airport.
  - DeusExMachina 16y ago
    Time will tell, but I think that at least the present is hinting that people want the iPad.
- thmz 16y ago
  Well I think it's all about touch-screens. Decades ago they sucked. Only recently they work great. So Apple jumped in at the right time. As said (ZeroGravitas), people want a desktop in another form: laptops, smart-phones, handhelds, gaming devices (PSP, DS), MP3/MP4 players... Others did not fail. But Apple is very good at creating wannahaves. With the iPad they created another one. People will pay lots of money for this device because it's a hype. And that is what Apple does. Creating hypes. The iPad is nothing new. But it's got this 'look at me' factor. But try using it in the sun.... The Adam does a better job there.
buster 16y ago
I thought i might share my blog comment here, too: So, you are saying that every tablet that is now released is released because of the iPad? Apple is the big innovator here? That's so ridiculous. It takes more than 2 month to build a tablet. There have been tablets before. There has been multitouch before. Combining the technologies of today is not the genius innovation you think, it happens everywhere. Second, you are living in this strange alternative world, it makes me sad. Of course there will be people not buying the iPad because it can't do flash. If you don't think so you are just ignorant to reality. About the Desktop OS: There is actually no reason to built a good Tablet with a multitouch friendly Desktop OS on top of it. It's ridiculous. You are just repeating what Apple likes you to think. Can't people take an objective view on things? Just because Steve Jobs says that Flash is bad and that you shall not have a real OS, doesn't make it true! People won't throw away their iPhone. But in a not so distant future every major OS for smartphones will support Flash (and Air), except for the iPhone. Adobe will have nice tools to build platform independent apps and games from one source. So, eventually developers will start to make those apps for the majority of phones, not for the rather small market share Apple has. And (hopefully) people won't buy the next iPhone but the next non-Apple phone, as Steve fucks the customers on a daily basis and every apple customer is just begging for more. Of course Apple doesn't want Flash: - They don't let app competition on their major platform, the want the money for themselves. That the customers lose choice is well accepted by most apple customers. Of course they don't want the real Mac OS X on the device: - The iPhone OS is so tightly integrated with the appstore that literally everything you want to do, you will have to buy from the appstore.
- mlongo 16y ago
  You could be a bit more civil in your comment and you are certainly entitled to your opinion. I never said that Apple had pure or angelical motives for not wanting Flash, I just pointed out that many sites are stripping out Flash, because Apple doesn’t support it, which is quite true. There are several references in this blog to sites that have started or completed projects to remove the need for Flash. I’m sorry that I’ve upset you with my opinion. I’m sure that if you wait long enough, a tablet that meets your standards, from a company that doesn’t have any kind of monopoly market position such as Microsoft or Google will come along and that it will be all that you dream of.
fondue 16y ago
"Now, does anyone believe that dropping the keyboard and replacing Windows XP with Windows 7 will magically turn netbooks into a great experience?" No, but I bet the new Windows Phone OS' zune-like interface will work really well. I would be absolutely shocked if there weren't a half-dozen companies already working on this solution. They'll have Xbox live games and a host of other applications available by the time these new tablet's running it are available. I guess what I'm saying is that Microsoft will build the app market first through their new phone and then launch tablets from a half-dozen vendors that can leverage the apps.

11 points by mlongo 16y ago

Sorry, that's more narrowminded Apple fanboyism than I can take this early in the morning. "Are there any really significant ones that are challenging the iPod’s dominance in that market? Not really." Dude, take off your US goggles and look at market shares elsewhere.

mlongo 16y ago
I'm not in the US. I'm in Brazil. You cannot go into a reputable store here and find other players. Perhaps if you are really determined to buy non-Apple and are willing to spend a couple of hours looking you might find something but probably it will be no more than a memory stick that can play mp3s. You might go to on street vendors who import a variety of cheap and mostly low quality iPod clones directly from Hong Kong. I don't remember it being very different in Australia and a couple of European countries I've been to, but I might have been blinded by my fanboyism. :-)
- dagw 16y ago
  Every large electronics store I've been to in Europe has mp3 players from a good half dozen companies prominently on display. So while the iPod may dominate, it's not like other players are in any way hidden or hard to find.
  - mlongo 16y ago
    Thanks for the feedback. Its been a while since I was last in Europe, I probably just didn't remember that being so. It certainly isn't so in Brazil. Those other mp3 players normally can only be found in small, not so reputable stores here. Mostly they are from unknown Chinese brands. Other than that, I only remember seeing a model from Sony, this year, in a large electronics store, as you put it. Everyone has an abundance of iPods, however. There is also an abundance of very cheap iPod clones, in those not-so-reputable stores.
- papachito 16y ago
  Are you kidding? There are plenty of quality mp3 players that can actually read free and quality formats such as flac and vorbis. I'd never get an ipod because it doesn't support the formats I use (and lacks an FM tuner last time I checked, may have one now) and what dagw said.
- brazzy 16y ago
  Amazon Germany's MP3 player category by brands: http://www.amazon.de/gp/search/other/ref=sr_sa_p_4?rh=n%3A562066%2Cn%3A!569604%2Cn%3A571712%2Cn%3A571714&bbn=571714&pickerToList=brandtextbin&ie=UTF8&qid=1271755501 http://www.amazon.de/gp/search/other/ref=sr_sa_p_4?rh=n%3A56... Apple: 140 entries Samsung: 106 Philips: 97 Sony: 79 Creative: 70 iRiver: 52 Trekstor: 50 ...
kristiandupont 16y ago
I don't know about, say, Japan but here in Europe (Denmark, Spain and the UK where I spend most of my time), it doesn't differ much from the US.

unfair 16y ago

The writer totally ignores android, which should offer a competent alternative to the iPad within a year as long as a reputable hardware manufacturer steps up. I was pretty excited about the iPad until I found out it would be locked down running the iPhone OS. If a more open alternative (Android with USB ports?) appeared on the market I think it would make a lot of tech savvy people who aren't locked into the Apple hype very happy.

mlongo 16y ago
As you say, it might offer a competent alternative within a year, but it doesn't now and there is no competing device running Android right now. I hope Android does offer a good alternative as I wouldn't like to see a market with a single dominant player, regardless of who that player is. Diversity is good for everyone.

dirtbox 16y ago

There isn't any competition for the ipad because it's a pretty yet aimless media toy. Everyone else is wrapped up in making something that has a clear and productive purpose with the perceived convenience of a touch screen.

mlongo 16y ago
Not much that I can say to that, but I beg to differ. :-)

kalid 16y ago

I agree with the article. Other manufacturers have had a decade to inspire people with tablets, and failed. People don't want a desktop pc in another form factor.

ZeroGravitas 16y ago
Yes they do. It's called a laptop and is (I believe) now the dominant form of personal computer. You're right that they've rejected the TabletPC as offered. But we don't really know whether they want a big iPhone either. Time will tell if this is an iPod or an AppleTV, iPhone or Airport.
- DeusExMachina 16y ago
  Time will tell, but I think that at least the present is hinting that people want the iPad.
thmz 16y ago
Well I think it's all about touch-screens. Decades ago they sucked. Only recently they work great. So Apple jumped in at the right time. As said (ZeroGravitas), people want a desktop in another form: laptops, smart-phones, handhelds, gaming devices (PSP, DS), MP3/MP4 players... Others did not fail. But Apple is very good at creating wannahaves. With the iPad they created another one. People will pay lots of money for this device because it's a hype. And that is what Apple does. Creating hypes. The iPad is nothing new. But it's got this 'look at me' factor. But try using it in the sun.... The Adam does a better job there.

buster 16y ago

I thought i might share my blog comment here, too: So, you are saying that every tablet that is now released is released because of the iPad? Apple is the big innovator here? That's so ridiculous. It takes more than 2 month to build a tablet. There have been tablets before. There has been multitouch before. Combining the technologies of today is not the genius innovation you think, it happens everywhere. Second, you are living in this strange alternative world, it makes me sad. Of course there will be people not buying the iPad because it can't do flash. If you don't think so you are just ignorant to reality. About the Desktop OS: There is actually no reason to built a good Tablet with a multitouch friendly Desktop OS on top of it. It's ridiculous. You are just repeating what Apple likes you to think. Can't people take an objective view on things? Just because Steve Jobs says that Flash is bad and that you shall not have a real OS, doesn't make it true! People won't throw away their iPhone. But in a not so distant future every major OS for smartphones will support Flash (and Air), except for the iPhone. Adobe will have nice tools to build platform independent apps and games from one source. So, eventually developers will start to make those apps for the majority of phones, not for the rather small market share Apple has. And (hopefully) people won't buy the next iPhone but the next non-Apple phone, as Steve fucks the customers on a daily basis and every apple customer is just begging for more. Of course Apple doesn't want Flash: - They don't let app competition on their major platform, the want the money for themselves. That the customers lose choice is well accepted by most apple customers. Of course they don't want the real Mac OS X on the device: - The iPhone OS is so tightly integrated with the appstore that literally everything you want to do, you will have to buy from the appstore.

mlongo 16y ago
You could be a bit more civil in your comment and you are certainly entitled to your opinion. I never said that Apple had pure or angelical motives for not wanting Flash, I just pointed out that many sites are stripping out Flash, because Apple doesn’t support it, which is quite true. There are several references in this blog to sites that have started or completed projects to remove the need for Flash. I’m sorry that I’ve upset you with my opinion. I’m sure that if you wait long enough, a tablet that meets your standards, from a company that doesn’t have any kind of monopoly market position such as Microsoft or Google will come along and that it will be all that you dream of.

fondue 16y ago

"Now, does anyone believe that dropping the keyboard and replacing Windows XP with Windows 7 will magically turn netbooks into a great experience?" No, but I bet the new Windows Phone OS' zune-like interface will work really well. I would be absolutely shocked if there weren't a half-dozen companies already working on this solution. They'll have Xbox live games and a host of other applications available by the time these new tablet's running it are available. I guess what I'm saying is that Microsoft will build the app market first through their new phone and then launch tablets from a half-dozen vendors that can leverage the apps.