4 ms·

I got to agree. I got caught up in the tablet fever like everyone last year, but in practice all the complaints that people had with the iPad release panned out

I got to agree. I got caught up in the tablet fever like everyone last year, but in practice all the complaints that people had with the iPad release panned out. Tablets across the board are jacks of few trades, master of none. Terrible input, only so-so for web browsing/reading, and basically on par with a laptop for video and portability. To quote a very smart man in 2003 [1], tablets are still only good for "a bunch of rich guys who want a third computer" (edit: relevant tablet talk is around 8:00-10:00). I have hope things will be better 3-5 years from now. 1: http://video.allthingsd.com/video/steve-jobs-onstage-at-d1/162F122B-2500-4BF8-8240-C8D1A603A816/ http://video.allthingsd.com/video/steve-jobs-onstage-at-d1/1...

CountSessine 16y ago
Tablets across the board are jacks of few trades, master of none. My tablet is the master of social web browsing - browsing the web with other people around, remaining engaged. Browsing the web on a laptop is typically pretty isolating - even just the posture required to handle a laptop while browsing requires sitting down by yourself somewhere. With my tablet I can stand around or sit on the couch with other people around and my body language doesn't suggest that I want to be left alone. Remember that a laptop isn't exactly a master of any trade either. Even my mbp's keyboard isn't quite as good as a standard pc104 desktop keyboard. The screen is always smaller and located sub optimally wrt your hands and eyes compared to a desktop computer's monitor. The trackpad on most laptops is a terrible input device - too small and not accurate enough for fast cursor manipulation - a mouse is usually better.
joe_the_user 16y ago
In my unscientific survey, netbook usage far outstrips tablet usage in cafes. Moreover, the people who bring tablets don't seem to really use them, they just glance at them occasionally. An iPad just seems like a very expensive Kindle. If Tablet prices get down to say, $50, they'd be great to hang in the kitchen and get weather and recipes from!
- Zev 16y ago
  In my unscientific survey, MacBook Pro's outrank iPads, which outrank generic Windows laptops in cafe's. Moreover, in a further unscientific survey, paperback books outrank hardcover books, who's usage surpasses the Kindle and Nook, combined. And I live in San Francisco. Moreover, the people who bring any of these items don't seem to drink their coffee! feigned shock
  - cletus 16y ago
    I won't disagree with your observations. I will however point out one thing: the sampling is skewed because you only really see what people are doing in public. I would guess that the majority of iPad usage is in the home and, to a lesser extent, in the office, so much so that I probably won't even buy the 3G version of the iPad 2 (I have the 64GB 3G iPad). Plus now I live in New York (rather than Australia, when I bought mine) and wifi is much more readily available here (Starbuck's for one) if I feel inclined to take it with me and need the internet. One disappointing thing is that Apple seems to be doing the big CPU/memory upgrades of the An platform with the iPhone, not the iPad. This is annoying for two reasons: 1. The iPhone 4 came out a mere ~3 months after the iPad. Are you telling me that this 3 month gap meant the iPad couldn't have 512MB of RAM like the iPhone 4? Presumably, the iPad 2 and iPhone 5 will be on a similar gap; and 2. I'm more interested in processing capacity on the iPad than an iPhone.
    - gms 16y ago
      Women especially love having the iPad at home.
      - rkudeshi 16y ago
        If you're going to generalize like that, it's best to cite some evidence to back it up.
        gms 16y ago
        It comes from my admittedly small sample size. The women I know (friends, family) have always ignored tech purchases their significant others brought into the home. But not with the iPad; they ended up being very active users. In bed, on the couch, in the kitchen, etc

CountSessine 16y ago

Tablets across the board are jacks of few trades, master of none. My tablet is the master of social web browsing - browsing the web with other people around, remaining engaged. Browsing the web on a laptop is typically pretty isolating - even just the posture required to handle a laptop while browsing requires sitting down by yourself somewhere. With my tablet I can stand around or sit on the couch with other people around and my body language doesn't suggest that I want to be left alone. Remember that a laptop isn't exactly a master of any trade either. Even my mbp's keyboard isn't quite as good as a standard pc104 desktop keyboard. The screen is always smaller and located sub optimally wrt your hands and eyes compared to a desktop computer's monitor. The trackpad on most laptops is a terrible input device - too small and not accurate enough for fast cursor manipulation - a mouse is usually better.

joe_the_user 16y ago

In my unscientific survey, netbook usage far outstrips tablet usage in cafes. Moreover, the people who bring tablets don't seem to really use them, they just glance at them occasionally. An iPad just seems like a very expensive Kindle. If Tablet prices get down to say, $50, they'd be great to hang in the kitchen and get weather and recipes from!

Zev 16y ago
In my unscientific survey, MacBook Pro's outrank iPads, which outrank generic Windows laptops in cafe's. Moreover, in a further unscientific survey, paperback books outrank hardcover books, who's usage surpasses the Kindle and Nook, combined. And I live in San Francisco. Moreover, the people who bring any of these items don't seem to drink their coffee! feigned shock
- cletus 16y ago
  I won't disagree with your observations. I will however point out one thing: the sampling is skewed because you only really see what people are doing in public. I would guess that the majority of iPad usage is in the home and, to a lesser extent, in the office, so much so that I probably won't even buy the 3G version of the iPad 2 (I have the 64GB 3G iPad). Plus now I live in New York (rather than Australia, when I bought mine) and wifi is much more readily available here (Starbuck's for one) if I feel inclined to take it with me and need the internet. One disappointing thing is that Apple seems to be doing the big CPU/memory upgrades of the An platform with the iPhone, not the iPad. This is annoying for two reasons: 1. The iPhone 4 came out a mere ~3 months after the iPad. Are you telling me that this 3 month gap meant the iPad couldn't have 512MB of RAM like the iPhone 4? Presumably, the iPad 2 and iPhone 5 will be on a similar gap; and 2. I'm more interested in processing capacity on the iPad than an iPhone.
  - gms 16y ago
    Women especially love having the iPad at home.
    - rkudeshi 16y ago
      If you're going to generalize like that, it's best to cite some evidence to back it up.
      - gms 16y ago
        It comes from my admittedly small sample size. The women I know (friends, family) have always ignored tech purchases their significant others brought into the home. But not with the iPad; they ended up being very active users. In bed, on the couch, in the kitchen, etc