4 ms·

Tablets are obviously great, but does anyone think they'll really replace cameras or GPSes? It seems to me that tablets will cut the bottom out of these market

Tablets are obviously great, but does anyone think they'll really replace cameras or GPSes? It seems to me that tablets will cut the bottom out of these markets (those with casual interest in photography or GPS or computing won't need to buy a dedicated device) but they'll never approach the quality of an SLR or a dedicated GPS. Or am I just being short-sighted?

epochwolf 16y ago
A tablet will do most things well enough for most people but are always niche markets. Look at how music is stored. There is still a market for records. :)
raganwald 16y ago
they'll never approach the quality of an SLR or a dedicated GPS They won't for people who need all of the functionality of an SLR or dedicated GPS. But how many of the people buying such things actually need all of the functionality? Quite often, they don't. They buy more than they need to indicate status, or because they fear having an inadequate device. Tablets provide an alternate form of status at the moment. And the fear of inadequacy is mitigated by their popularity: If everyone is buying one, how bad can it be? Single-purpose cameras and GPS devices are well on their way to marginalization as extremely niche devices. I think that will be true of almost everything a tablet can replace.
iamwil 16y ago
it'll get better and better, meaning it'll squeeze those SLR and dedicated GPS from the bottom, and you'd only use them in extreme and specialized cases. So for all intents and purposes, I think it'll replace cameras and GPSes for the mainstream consumer, and you'd only use dedicated hardware in specialized cases.
ugh 16y ago
The vast majority of people have a casual interest in photography or GPS devices.
theBobMcCormick 16y ago
It's going to take some major technology leaps for cell phone cameras to replace SLR's,but I do think they're already cannibalizing the point-and-shoot market, which was a pretty big part of the camera market (certainly by volume at least). I think if phones started coming with a better flash, it be very hard to justify bothering with a separate point-and-shoot camera. Although, to be fair, most point-and-shoots have a pretty crappy flash as well.
protomyth 16y ago
I think you are spot on in the SLR department (point-and-shoots are another story), but I do believe the dedicated GPS dies via the tablet. I used and iPad 3G recently as one and it worked great, much better than the generic GPS I was given. I figure with tablets and car manufacture solutions then dedicated GPS will go to a niche market for specialized tasks.
billswift 16y ago
They'll take the bottom out today; but see The Innovator's Dilemma for where that will lead tomorrow.
jodrellblank 16y ago
The SLR option depends on the future of imaging hardware in the near term, but what does dedicated GPS have that's so great? Another generation or two to sort out the always-on/background bugs of current iOS GPS apps and the battery life bit, and tablets will take over - fast processors, big screens, easily available hardware already present to develop on (sound, internet access, etc). Why not?
daralthus 16y ago
It's not just about replacing the functionality, it is more about combining the functionality with some other in a clever way that the dedicated hardware could hardly do. For example: gps + web -> checkins Another important thing is the form that allows me to have a camera everywhere with me. Reaching better quality is only a matter of time.
PanMan 16y ago
The iPhone is already the biggest camera in number of pics on Flickr. I think the camera ( non slr) switch has largely already happened..
- gammarator 16y ago
  An interesting question for the DSLR makers is what they could learn from the tablet. The pictures are great, but especially at the entry level there's opportunity for improved interfaces and easier publishing. (http://www.bythom.com/design2010.htm http://www.bythom.com/design2010.htm) has some interesting ideas.
  - roadnottaken 16y ago
    I think one of the biggest issues is transfer. It's SO easy to get your pictures off the iPhone -- no wires, no computer, dead-simple (hence the Flickr succes). High-end camera-makers would be wise to add 3G/wifi/cloud features, although the file-sizes of high-res photographs might be prohibitive for a while...

epochwolf 16y ago

A tablet will do most things well enough for most people but are always niche markets. Look at how music is stored. There is still a market for records. :)

raganwald 16y ago

they'll never approach the quality of an SLR or a dedicated GPS They won't for people who need all of the functionality of an SLR or dedicated GPS. But how many of the people buying such things actually need all of the functionality? Quite often, they don't. They buy more than they need to indicate status, or because they fear having an inadequate device. Tablets provide an alternate form of status at the moment. And the fear of inadequacy is mitigated by their popularity: If everyone is buying one, how bad can it be? Single-purpose cameras and GPS devices are well on their way to marginalization as extremely niche devices. I think that will be true of almost everything a tablet can replace.

iamwil 16y ago

it'll get better and better, meaning it'll squeeze those SLR and dedicated GPS from the bottom, and you'd only use them in extreme and specialized cases. So for all intents and purposes, I think it'll replace cameras and GPSes for the mainstream consumer, and you'd only use dedicated hardware in specialized cases.

ugh 16y ago

The vast majority of people have a casual interest in photography or GPS devices.

theBobMcCormick 16y ago

It's going to take some major technology leaps for cell phone cameras to replace SLR's,but I do think they're already cannibalizing the point-and-shoot market, which was a pretty big part of the camera market (certainly by volume at least). I think if phones started coming with a better flash, it be very hard to justify bothering with a separate point-and-shoot camera. Although, to be fair, most point-and-shoots have a pretty crappy flash as well.

protomyth 16y ago

I think you are spot on in the SLR department (point-and-shoots are another story), but I do believe the dedicated GPS dies via the tablet. I used and iPad 3G recently as one and it worked great, much better than the generic GPS I was given. I figure with tablets and car manufacture solutions then dedicated GPS will go to a niche market for specialized tasks.

billswift 16y ago

They'll take the bottom out today; but see The Innovator's Dilemma for where that will lead tomorrow.

jodrellblank 16y ago

The SLR option depends on the future of imaging hardware in the near term, but what does dedicated GPS have that's so great? Another generation or two to sort out the always-on/background bugs of current iOS GPS apps and the battery life bit, and tablets will take over - fast processors, big screens, easily available hardware already present to develop on (sound, internet access, etc). Why not?

daralthus 16y ago

It's not just about replacing the functionality, it is more about combining the functionality with some other in a clever way that the dedicated hardware could hardly do. For example: gps + web -> checkins Another important thing is the form that allows me to have a camera everywhere with me. Reaching better quality is only a matter of time.

PanMan 16y ago

The iPhone is already the biggest camera in number of pics on Flickr. I think the camera ( non slr) switch has largely already happened..

gammarator 16y ago
An interesting question for the DSLR makers is what they could learn from the tablet. The pictures are great, but especially at the entry level there's opportunity for improved interfaces and easier publishing. (http://www.bythom.com/design2010.htm http://www.bythom.com/design2010.htm) has some interesting ideas.
- roadnottaken 16y ago
  I think one of the biggest issues is transfer. It's SO easy to get your pictures off the iPhone -- no wires, no computer, dead-simple (hence the Flickr succes). High-end camera-makers would be wise to add 3G/wifi/cloud features, although the file-sizes of high-res photographs might be prohibitive for a while...