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It seems like this article could be written for tablets in general. I own a Xoom, and bought it for two things: reading PDF files, because my it's far superior

It seems like this article could be written for tablets in general. I own a Xoom, and bought it for two things: reading PDF files, because my it's far superior to my e-reader, and web browsing when it's inconvenient to hold my laptop (read: bed). Because, let's be honest, doing serious browsing on your phone isn't ideal. That's it. And for those purposes it's brilliant. I'm not sure how owning an iPad would change anything. I own a desktop with a dual monitor setup for serious work. It's got a comfy desk and comfy chair, and I like it. For work on the go, I've got my Macbook Air, which fits just as easily as a tablet in any bag I carry. Tablets are a niche product. Thanks to the Apple marketing machine, some people started thinking, "Why do I need laptop? I'll just get an iPad". And those people are niche; if you can replace all of your computing with an iPad, then you may as well be using just a phone. If you've got a desktop, laptop, tablet and phone (like me), you're a tech geek, and the tablet is a toy. >"The Google Music app is ugly, barren of any useful features" It has the one feature I need: it plays music.

Angostura 14y ago
> "Why do I need laptop? I'll just get an iPad". And those people are niche; if you can replace all of your computing with an iPad, then you may as well be using just a phone. I was at a Parent Teacher Association meeting at an East London primary school last night. There were about 15 people there. 3 had iPads. I was using mine to take minutes - really just adding notes to the agenda that was already in Word, via pages. Mainly just adding brief notes to discussion points, noting whether something had been carried. I used to use paper, but the iPad is more difficult to lose and I don;t have to re-type. When the issue of the the next meeting came up, people used the iPad to look at the calendar - fine - that could have been done by phone. One member couldn't make it, but joined us via Skype on an iPad. Meanwhile the Headmistress was keeping a check on the England Ukraine scores. A question came up about the prices for a bit of equipment - a quick Google search found it in the meeting, rather than having to be discussed in the next meeting. The thing about the iPad is that it isn't necessarily better than a laptop at anything, it's just incredibly convenient. It's the kind of thing you take along 'just in case'. Oddly enough, just about the only thing I don;t use it for is consuming iTunes media. I rip videos for the kids to watch on holiday sometimes, but never use iTunes.
- saturdaysaint 14y ago
  I've seen iPads in meetings and I think it's not much more than conspicuous consumption. I enter minutes very efficiently in my iPhone with Workflowy (which basically instantly syncs to a Workflowy instance on my desktop). I find entering with my iPhone - ie the input method I use to send texts 20 times a day - a lot more natural than acclimating to the iPad's keyboard and bringing a jumbo screen to a meeting.
  - Angostura 14y ago
    Well there you. I was trying ti be as inconspicuous as possible, personally, I find typing on a table with the iPad smart cover, much easier than typing on a phone. Knowing the people who were there, I doubt it was conspicuous consumption. I'll look into Workflowy, however.
- ZeroGravitas 14y ago
  You mention checking calendars could have been done on a phone. But Googling for a price could have been done by, I guess, all 15 phones in the room just as well, better even, as those phones are more likely to have a net connection than an iPad, and are more likely to be carried "just in case" Same goes for taking notes on a doc to be honest, and Skype, and sports results obviously. I've bought 4 iPads for family members (and a Samsung Galaxy Note for myself which is in many ways a mini-3G-tablet) and advised many more friends on getting their own iPads so I'm well aware of the benefits, but it seems people say the darndest things in their attempts to justify them.
follower 14y ago
> reading PDF files, because my it's far superior to my e-reader What app(s) do you use for reading PDF files? None of the solutions I've used so far seem particularly suited (remembering last position, easy search/scrolling etc).
- tatsuke95 14y ago
  I use the paid version of ezPDF reader. It's 5 bucks or something . I'm a pretty basic user when it comes to reading, but it definitely remembers your position, has a decent search functionality, and allows me to make easy annotations as well as far more features than I use. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=udk.android.reader&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=udk.android.re... For reading comics (another awesome use case for the tablet) I'm using Perfect Viewer: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rookiestudio.perfectviewer&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rookiestud...
- graeme 14y ago
  I like good reader, it remembers my position, and it syncs with dropbox. You can have multiple books open in tabs with saved positions.
  - follower 14y ago
    It seems Good Reader isn't available for Android.
idleloops 14y ago
They actually appeal to the older generation - judging from some of my family members (the over 60s.) My Aunt uses her iPad oddly enough as a camera more than anything - she loves the way she can easily show off what she has taken. Before than she owned a Dell laptop - which was occasionally used for Email now it just gathers dust. My uncle has both an Android tablet and an iPad and an iMac! He seems to be quite fond of the droid. I don't know his reasons why. He's not tech savvy in anyway - he can barely install an App on his Mac. And I think the appeal as a desktop replacement is that they are easier to use. But both could be far better. Neither care for smart phones.
- tatsuke95 14y ago
  >"They actually appeal to the older generation - judging from some of my family members (the over 60s.)" Absolutely. Look, I think tablets - and the iPad specifically - are technological feats. But outside of that wonder, for most people, it's a completely superfluous device. I mean, look at the author's example: >"Apple knew it had a large group of customers out there yearning for a device that let them watch their iTunes content on a larger display without having to lug around a laptop." Are there really a bunch of people sitting around saying: Well, I'm idle for the next 2 hours, with cell reception. I'll watch a movie. But a 4" high def screen won't cut it, and an 11" or 13" screen is too much. The 9" screen of my iPad is just right.? It's sort of ridiculous.
  - technoslut 14y ago
    That is the author's interpretation of what he believed what Apple was thinking. I think it's far more likely that Apple was asking themselves "Do people really need a PC?" The irony of your original comment is that the PC should actually be the niche product because most people never needed it. The PC should be meant for professionals in the fields of audio, video, math, science and programming.
    - tatsuke95 14y ago
      >"The irony of your original comment is that the PC should actually be the niche product because most people never needed it." I don't disagree. In fact, the desktop has already become unnecessary for 99% of the population. I still enjoy mine under certain circumstances, but after the tablet, it'd be the first device to go.
kristofferR 14y ago
I disagree completely. I wrote this comment about a year ago and it's still true today. A few details have obviously changed, but I still love my iPad 2 and use it several hours per day. Here's the comment: "The iPad is a tool and toy you might not need, but if used to the max it'll probably enhance your life in some noticable way. Every single morning, while sipping coffee and waiting for my omelette to finish cooking, I catch up on the latest news through Reeder, the first RSS reader I've actually enjoyed using. I also check my mail to see if there's anything important I need to respond to right away. When I'm finished eating and catching up to the latest news, I grab my iPad and go upstairs for my exercize. While doing strenght training I use my iPad to quickly make a note of how many reps and how much I lifted. After I'm done with my strength training, I take a run either outside or on my threadmill. If I take the run on the threadmill, I'll use the iPad for watching a video, maybe South Park or TED. After I've showered, groomed, brushed my teeth and flossed, it's time to start working. When I work my iPad is always lying on the desk next to my laptop. I use it for: * Displaying my ToDo-list (the Hit List) * Displaying the email I'm working on. * Displaying some relevant notes to the work I'm doing (Evernote). * Displaying a PDF or website containing documentation to what I'm working on. * As an extra screen (AirDisplay) for Photoshop tool pads and similar. * VNC or SSH to another computer * The occational check of HN, Twitter or Facebook. * Calculator * Calendar (Week Cal HD) Yup, everything I've mentioned could be done on a normal laptop. However, it's incredibly useful to have an extra screen for displaying relevant information that'll never be obscured by application windows covering the information. After I'm satisfied with my work for the day, I might hang out with my friends, perhaps take a picnic in the park. My iPad is always accessible in my manpurse. If a customer has an emergency problem, I can quickly and easily log into their server and fix the problem (Textastic/Prompt). If I get a brilliant idea, I'll note it down in Evernote and analyse it with the Business Model app. Maybe I want to think deeply about my business - I'll just open Dropbox and read through some business documents about future plans or surf on some of my competitor's sites through Mercury Browser. When I'm back home I might do some more work or chill out with some games. Perhaps I'll open Rage HD and have one of the most immersive and physically exhausting gaming experiences possible through the Virtual Window control mode. Right before I go to bed, I write in my diary (Day One) and finish my TODO-list for tomorrow."
- 14y ago
gurkendoktor 14y ago
> if you can replace all of your computing with an iPad, then you may as well be using just a phone Watching a movie, browsing the web, reading books, PDFs or news on a phone? I can't be the only one who feels nauseous after staring at a 3-4" screen for more than an hour. And the average user is growing older pretty much everywhere around the world.
- tatsuke95 14y ago
  Why stop at a 9 inch screen then? Who said that's the ideal? Get a laptop. Slightly bulkier. Far more versatile, cheaper.
- vidarh 14y ago
  Part of the point of the article, is that a tablet is a poor fit in the Android ecosystem because a large proportion of the people that would be potential tablet purchasers already have significantly larger screens. Mine has a 4.3" screen, and when commuting these days, most people using their Android phones around me have phones with bigger screens than that - all the way up to the monstrous Galaxy Note (5.3"). So in the Android market, the tablets are being squeezed from the bottom by phones with significantly larger screens, and from the top by ultra-books. And then it's fragmented into the 7" and 10" form factors, with a glut of really low priced alternatives in the 7" segment, which is also competing with the Kindle. Apple has spaced out the form factors in a way that creates room for the iPad for people who stick with Apple products. For people who don't stick with Apple products, it's hit and miss - if you pick a large phone, and a small laptop, or a big laptop + a netbook, and possibly throwing a Kindle into the mix, and the additional benefit of a tablet diminishes greatly.
  - gurkendoktor 14y ago
    Actually, the MacBook Air 11" is very similar in form factor to the iPad.</fact> <anecdote>I have seen one customer leaving an Apple reseller store in frustration because he couldn't decide between both. So this problem exists within Apple's ecosystem as well.
gnaffle 14y ago
A niche product that last quarter surpassed PC shipments from the biggest PC vendor, HP?
- tatsuke95 14y ago
  The PC industry is far, far bigger than HP.
  - gnaffle 14y ago
    I agree, do you also agree that you can hardly call it a niche with those sales numbers?
    - ericdykstra 14y ago
      I think it's cherry picking. It's a comparison made to sound impressive while obscuring the actual numbers behind it.
    - tatsuke95 14y ago
      I think we're experiencing an issue with the semantics of "niche". By niche, I don't necessary mean small. I mean specific. If you're rich (pretty much all of us here, I'd reckon), you get to have the iPad as a media consumption device, or as a stop-gap between your computer and e-reader (like me!). It's for people who already have 2 or 3 computing devices. That's pretty niche, even in North America. As far as the success, I believe (my opinion, obviously) that many people bought iPads with the intention of replacing their laptops. These people have discovered (or will) that that isn't very practical. In my line of work, I sit in an inordinate amount of meetings. When the iPad came out there were so many people tap-tap-tapping away on their screens, taking notes. Today, there are far less; most of those people are back to their laptops. It's just an anecdote, but my personal experience is the same. Who knows, maybe this is our aversion to change? I don't doubt that tablets are the future.
bluthru 14y ago
How do you rectify your opinion with the fact that the iPad is the fastest-adopted pieces of consumer electronics? People love them, and most of those people already know what computing on a phone and laptop are like.
- lazugod 14y ago
  Reconcile, not rectify.
flyinRyan 14y ago
You have it exactly backwards. If you need an actual laptop or computer then you are niche. Most people just need to be able to consume and have a reasonably sized screen. An iPad at less-than-arms length is about as good as a desktop monitor sitting on a desk. A phone isn't good enough because the screen is too small for comfortable use at all distances.
ctdonath 14y ago
I'm not sure how owning an iPad would change anything. I'm thinking of having mine surgically implanted. It does everything a smartphone does, and much better (actual phone use aside, for which I have a tiny it's-just-a-phone). It can remote-login to any computer I need, extending all those desktops & racks to wherever I am without having to set up yet another computer. The key is "anywhere anytime": check status of a long compile at work on a whim while I'm in bed? done. Code review someone's project while I'm on the beach? rather not, but done anyway. Walking, riding, standing around, munching lunch, whatever wherever? instant online with access to anything. Yeah it's not optimal for development, but it extends every use to wherever I am. A laptop still wants a lap, must be unfolded, aggregates "computer" use to compete with the desktop ... the tablet extends it instead.

Angostura 14y ago

> "Why do I need laptop? I'll just get an iPad". And those people are niche; if you can replace all of your computing with an iPad, then you may as well be using just a phone. I was at a Parent Teacher Association meeting at an East London primary school last night. There were about 15 people there. 3 had iPads. I was using mine to take minutes - really just adding notes to the agenda that was already in Word, via pages. Mainly just adding brief notes to discussion points, noting whether something had been carried. I used to use paper, but the iPad is more difficult to lose and I don;t have to re-type. When the issue of the the next meeting came up, people used the iPad to look at the calendar - fine - that could have been done by phone. One member couldn't make it, but joined us via Skype on an iPad. Meanwhile the Headmistress was keeping a check on the England Ukraine scores. A question came up about the prices for a bit of equipment - a quick Google search found it in the meeting, rather than having to be discussed in the next meeting. The thing about the iPad is that it isn't necessarily better than a laptop at anything, it's just incredibly convenient. It's the kind of thing you take along 'just in case'. Oddly enough, just about the only thing I don;t use it for is consuming iTunes media. I rip videos for the kids to watch on holiday sometimes, but never use iTunes.

saturdaysaint 14y ago
I've seen iPads in meetings and I think it's not much more than conspicuous consumption. I enter minutes very efficiently in my iPhone with Workflowy (which basically instantly syncs to a Workflowy instance on my desktop). I find entering with my iPhone - ie the input method I use to send texts 20 times a day - a lot more natural than acclimating to the iPad's keyboard and bringing a jumbo screen to a meeting.
- Angostura 14y ago
  Well there you. I was trying ti be as inconspicuous as possible, personally, I find typing on a table with the iPad smart cover, much easier than typing on a phone. Knowing the people who were there, I doubt it was conspicuous consumption. I'll look into Workflowy, however.
ZeroGravitas 14y ago
You mention checking calendars could have been done on a phone. But Googling for a price could have been done by, I guess, all 15 phones in the room just as well, better even, as those phones are more likely to have a net connection than an iPad, and are more likely to be carried "just in case" Same goes for taking notes on a doc to be honest, and Skype, and sports results obviously. I've bought 4 iPads for family members (and a Samsung Galaxy Note for myself which is in many ways a mini-3G-tablet) and advised many more friends on getting their own iPads so I'm well aware of the benefits, but it seems people say the darndest things in their attempts to justify them.

follower 14y ago

> reading PDF files, because my it's far superior to my e-reader What app(s) do you use for reading PDF files? None of the solutions I've used so far seem particularly suited (remembering last position, easy search/scrolling etc).

tatsuke95 14y ago
I use the paid version of ezPDF reader. It's 5 bucks or something . I'm a pretty basic user when it comes to reading, but it definitely remembers your position, has a decent search functionality, and allows me to make easy annotations as well as far more features than I use. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=udk.android.reader&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=udk.android.re... For reading comics (another awesome use case for the tablet) I'm using Perfect Viewer: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rookiestudio.perfectviewer&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rookiestud...
graeme 14y ago
I like good reader, it remembers my position, and it syncs with dropbox. You can have multiple books open in tabs with saved positions.
- follower 14y ago
  It seems Good Reader isn't available for Android.

idleloops 14y ago

They actually appeal to the older generation - judging from some of my family members (the over 60s.) My Aunt uses her iPad oddly enough as a camera more than anything - she loves the way she can easily show off what she has taken. Before than she owned a Dell laptop - which was occasionally used for Email now it just gathers dust. My uncle has both an Android tablet and an iPad and an iMac! He seems to be quite fond of the droid. I don't know his reasons why. He's not tech savvy in anyway - he can barely install an App on his Mac. And I think the appeal as a desktop replacement is that they are easier to use. But both could be far better. Neither care for smart phones.

tatsuke95 14y ago
>"They actually appeal to the older generation - judging from some of my family members (the over 60s.)" Absolutely. Look, I think tablets - and the iPad specifically - are technological feats. But outside of that wonder, for most people, it's a completely superfluous device. I mean, look at the author's example: >"Apple knew it had a large group of customers out there yearning for a device that let them watch their iTunes content on a larger display without having to lug around a laptop." Are there really a bunch of people sitting around saying: Well, I'm idle for the next 2 hours, with cell reception. I'll watch a movie. But a 4" high def screen won't cut it, and an 11" or 13" screen is too much. The 9" screen of my iPad is just right.? It's sort of ridiculous.
- technoslut 14y ago
  That is the author's interpretation of what he believed what Apple was thinking. I think it's far more likely that Apple was asking themselves "Do people really need a PC?" The irony of your original comment is that the PC should actually be the niche product because most people never needed it. The PC should be meant for professionals in the fields of audio, video, math, science and programming.
  - tatsuke95 14y ago
    >"The irony of your original comment is that the PC should actually be the niche product because most people never needed it." I don't disagree. In fact, the desktop has already become unnecessary for 99% of the population. I still enjoy mine under certain circumstances, but after the tablet, it'd be the first device to go.

kristofferR 14y ago

I disagree completely. I wrote this comment about a year ago and it's still true today. A few details have obviously changed, but I still love my iPad 2 and use it several hours per day. Here's the comment: "The iPad is a tool and toy you might not need, but if used to the max it'll probably enhance your life in some noticable way. Every single morning, while sipping coffee and waiting for my omelette to finish cooking, I catch up on the latest news through Reeder, the first RSS reader I've actually enjoyed using. I also check my mail to see if there's anything important I need to respond to right away. When I'm finished eating and catching up to the latest news, I grab my iPad and go upstairs for my exercize. While doing strenght training I use my iPad to quickly make a note of how many reps and how much I lifted. After I'm done with my strength training, I take a run either outside or on my threadmill. If I take the run on the threadmill, I'll use the iPad for watching a video, maybe South Park or TED. After I've showered, groomed, brushed my teeth and flossed, it's time to start working. When I work my iPad is always lying on the desk next to my laptop. I use it for: * Displaying my ToDo-list (the Hit List) * Displaying the email I'm working on. * Displaying some relevant notes to the work I'm doing (Evernote). * Displaying a PDF or website containing documentation to what I'm working on. * As an extra screen (AirDisplay) for Photoshop tool pads and similar. * VNC or SSH to another computer * The occational check of HN, Twitter or Facebook. * Calculator * Calendar (Week Cal HD) Yup, everything I've mentioned could be done on a normal laptop. However, it's incredibly useful to have an extra screen for displaying relevant information that'll never be obscured by application windows covering the information. After I'm satisfied with my work for the day, I might hang out with my friends, perhaps take a picnic in the park. My iPad is always accessible in my manpurse. If a customer has an emergency problem, I can quickly and easily log into their server and fix the problem (Textastic/Prompt). If I get a brilliant idea, I'll note it down in Evernote and analyse it with the Business Model app. Maybe I want to think deeply about my business - I'll just open Dropbox and read through some business documents about future plans or surf on some of my competitor's sites through Mercury Browser. When I'm back home I might do some more work or chill out with some games. Perhaps I'll open Rage HD and have one of the most immersive and physically exhausting gaming experiences possible through the Virtual Window control mode. Right before I go to bed, I write in my diary (Day One) and finish my TODO-list for tomorrow."

14y ago

gurkendoktor 14y ago

> if you can replace all of your computing with an iPad, then you may as well be using just a phone Watching a movie, browsing the web, reading books, PDFs or news on a phone? I can't be the only one who feels nauseous after staring at a 3-4" screen for more than an hour. And the average user is growing older pretty much everywhere around the world.

tatsuke95 14y ago
Why stop at a 9 inch screen then? Who said that's the ideal? Get a laptop. Slightly bulkier. Far more versatile, cheaper.
vidarh 14y ago
Part of the point of the article, is that a tablet is a poor fit in the Android ecosystem because a large proportion of the people that would be potential tablet purchasers already have significantly larger screens. Mine has a 4.3" screen, and when commuting these days, most people using their Android phones around me have phones with bigger screens than that - all the way up to the monstrous Galaxy Note (5.3"). So in the Android market, the tablets are being squeezed from the bottom by phones with significantly larger screens, and from the top by ultra-books. And then it's fragmented into the 7" and 10" form factors, with a glut of really low priced alternatives in the 7" segment, which is also competing with the Kindle. Apple has spaced out the form factors in a way that creates room for the iPad for people who stick with Apple products. For people who don't stick with Apple products, it's hit and miss - if you pick a large phone, and a small laptop, or a big laptop + a netbook, and possibly throwing a Kindle into the mix, and the additional benefit of a tablet diminishes greatly.
- gurkendoktor 14y ago
  Actually, the MacBook Air 11" is very similar in form factor to the iPad.</fact> <anecdote>I have seen one customer leaving an Apple reseller store in frustration because he couldn't decide between both. So this problem exists within Apple's ecosystem as well.

gnaffle 14y ago

A niche product that last quarter surpassed PC shipments from the biggest PC vendor, HP?

tatsuke95 14y ago
The PC industry is far, far bigger than HP.
- gnaffle 14y ago
  I agree, do you also agree that you can hardly call it a niche with those sales numbers?
  - ericdykstra 14y ago
    I think it's cherry picking. It's a comparison made to sound impressive while obscuring the actual numbers behind it.
  - tatsuke95 14y ago
    I think we're experiencing an issue with the semantics of "niche". By niche, I don't necessary mean small. I mean specific. If you're rich (pretty much all of us here, I'd reckon), you get to have the iPad as a media consumption device, or as a stop-gap between your computer and e-reader (like me!). It's for people who already have 2 or 3 computing devices. That's pretty niche, even in North America. As far as the success, I believe (my opinion, obviously) that many people bought iPads with the intention of replacing their laptops. These people have discovered (or will) that that isn't very practical. In my line of work, I sit in an inordinate amount of meetings. When the iPad came out there were so many people tap-tap-tapping away on their screens, taking notes. Today, there are far less; most of those people are back to their laptops. It's just an anecdote, but my personal experience is the same. Who knows, maybe this is our aversion to change? I don't doubt that tablets are the future.

bluthru 14y ago

How do you rectify your opinion with the fact that the iPad is the fastest-adopted pieces of consumer electronics? People love them, and most of those people already know what computing on a phone and laptop are like.

lazugod 14y ago
Reconcile, not rectify.

flyinRyan 14y ago

You have it exactly backwards. If you need an actual laptop or computer then you are niche. Most people just need to be able to consume and have a reasonably sized screen. An iPad at less-than-arms length is about as good as a desktop monitor sitting on a desk. A phone isn't good enough because the screen is too small for comfortable use at all distances.

ctdonath 14y ago

I'm not sure how owning an iPad would change anything. I'm thinking of having mine surgically implanted. It does everything a smartphone does, and much better (actual phone use aside, for which I have a tiny it's-just-a-phone). It can remote-login to any computer I need, extending all those desktops & racks to wherever I am without having to set up yet another computer. The key is "anywhere anytime": check status of a long compile at work on a whim while I'm in bed? done. Code review someone's project while I'm on the beach? rather not, but done anyway. Walking, riding, standing around, munching lunch, whatever wherever? instant online with access to anything. Yeah it's not optimal for development, but it extends every use to wherever I am. A laptop still wants a lap, must be unfolded, aggregates "computer" use to compete with the desktop ... the tablet extends it instead.