12 ms·

My love affair with the tablet isn't over: I love how it lets me browse the web, read books and magazines, and watch videos in bed after a long day. That's prob

by dictum 13y ago

My love affair with the tablet isn't over: I love how it lets me browse the web, read books and magazines, and watch videos in bed after a long day. That's probably how most people use their tablets — secondary devices, mainly for entertainment. After a working day, I don't want to use a PC, and the tablet lets me use the web and other media comfortably, but I wouldn't try to actually use it for work beyond initially planning projects. It's much more human, for lack of a better word — more intimate, more ergonomic — than a PC for (browsing the web|reading ebooks or PDFs|watching videos|making video calls).

sjs382 13y ago
Agreed. I'll even go as far as saying that away from work, my Nexus 7 quickly became my primary device. I dread sitting down at the laptop if I'm away form the office. The existence of the tablet has (indirectly) made me more productive at work, too: Rather than reading articles that come through my RSS feed when I'm working (which is a vice of mine), I just add any interesting items to my Pocket queue, and read it that night (or later in the week) when relaxing at home. Not because I don't want to read the article right away (I usually want to)—but because I actually prefer to read on the tablet.
zipperhead 13y ago
Yes, and the superior battery life of a tablet enables this casual consumption very nicely.
NathanKP 13y ago
This is exactly how I use my tablet too. I use my computer all day writing code, so when its time to relax with some Netflix, or an ebook I grab my tablet instead. Its perfect for laying on the couch or in bed. A phone definitely works in that case as well, but the tiny screen isn't as nice for reading and watching video. Not to mention by the end of the day my phone is usually mostly dead and its time to put it on the charger for tomorrow. So trying to use my phone in bed while its attached to a charger is annoying. The tablet meanwhile is charged up (and usually lasts a full week for me between charges, even during heavy Netflix usage).
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  The difference in screen size between tablets and phones is much less apparent now than it was 2 or 3 years ago.
  - snogglethorpe 13y ago
    Now we've got "phablets," which are bad at being phones (awkward and clumsy to carry around, and almost impossible to operate with one hand) and bad at being tablets (small screen for a tablet, inherently greater limitations on battery life)... >< Yay?
    - w1ntermute 13y ago
      Really? You sound like most tech journalists two or three years ago, when the original Galaxy Note came out. They were sure embarrassed a couple months later when they turned out to be completely wrong about how popular it would be. Try getting out of the iPhone bubble for a while - you'll find that in the real world, phablets are not just something that you make fun of.
      - snogglethorpe 13y ago
        I don't have an iphone. I have an Android phone which is larger (65mm width) than an iphone 5, but decidedly smaller than a phablet. My phone is just on the edge of one-hand usability (I can mostly manage it but sometimes things get pretty awkward) and I often wish I had something iphone-sized instead, but choice is pretty limited among smaller Android phones (they exist, but tend to be old/slow/etc). People I know with phablets use them like tablets (almost always with two hands etc). That's fine if you want a small tablet, but it isn't really an adequate replacement for a traditional smartphone. They're just different things.
        w1ntermute 13y ago
        Have you considered that one-handed usability isn't a defining property of smartphones?
taopao 13y ago
? Sitting upright at a desk with a reasonably sized monitor placed at arm's length is much more ergonomic than curling over a tiny glossy screen.
- visarga 13y ago
  Not to mention that curling up with a small laptop the size of an iPad (MacBook Air 11'') is even more ergonomic because it has a built-in stand and doesn't need a cover. Close to the same weight, same size as an iPad, but a full laptop.
  - rtpg 13y ago
    have you ever tried using a laptop in bed , in a similar position to if you were reading a book? It kinda sucks (yes, even the 11'' air). Tablets replace magazines, not computers (at least in the "position in which you're using it" category). Why would you want a stand if you're going to hold it anyways?
    - kevhsu 13y ago
      In bed, I often lay on my side with my tablet locked to portrait orientation but it is standing horizontally with respect to the bed. This way, I don't need to support it with my hands to read, only need to use my hands when I need to scroll or pick something new to read.
- coldtea 13y ago
  Not really tiny. And I DON'T want to "sit upright at a desk" after 10+ hours of doing just that.
spuz 13y ago
In order to argue the author's point you would also need to be carrying around a 5" phone. He is pointing out the trend of more people using their phones for what they used to use their tablets for. I'd be interested to know if you have a 5" phone and whether or not you think it replaces the features of your tablet in any way.
- falcolas 13y ago
  Speaking for myself, no, my smartphone does not replace my tablet. The amount of screen realestate lost when going from 11" to 5" is just too much. It makes reading hard (particularly with less than perfect eyesight), movies too small, and all of the real time communication that comes with a phone is vying for my attention all the time. Now then, if I could make calls over a bluetooth headset connected to my iPad, I'd drop my phone in a heartbeat...
  - dmd 13y ago
    > Now then, if I could make calls over a bluetooth headset connected to my iPad, I'd drop my phone in a heartbeat... What's stopping you? I do this from Hangouts (which can make calls, at least in the US.)
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
      - dmd 13y ago
        I'm pretty sure android doesn't run on the iPad, which is what the person I was responding to said they use. (That said, yes, you can do this on android, with skype and a skype-in number.)
  - tekalon 13y ago
    I can do that with google voice.
  - jsloat 13y ago
corresation 13y ago
There is a whole gradient of mobile devices, from small PMPs to full-sized tablets. They all are essentially the same thing in different scales. The article seems to be saying that the use case for tablets is being supplanted by larger phones.
- snogglethorpe 13y ago
  > The article seems to be saying that the use case for tablets is being supplanted by larger phones ... which seems a fairly silly thing to say. The exact same factors which attract people to larger phones -- bigger screen, bigger battery, other things like CPU power that more space helps with -- are also going to make "tablets" more attractive than "phablets" for some people and/or some situations (e.g., like many people, I have a "home tablet" which sits around my house, but I don't try to carry it around in my pocket). I think phablets have a place as the very-small portable end of the tablet market, but they aren't a good replacement for traditional smartphones, because they're just too awkward. So the argument that they're a "good enough" one-device alternative to both phones and tablets doesn't seem very strong (it will certainly be true for some people, but it will not be true for many others). [If you look at people using phablets, they tend to use them exactly like tablets: two hands for operation (whereas traditional smartphones work great with one), putting them down when not in use (people often just hold their phone), putting them in a bag instead of in a pocket, etc. They're tablets.]
return0 13y ago
Am I the only one who uses it mostly in the toilet?
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
sologoub 13y ago
My sentiment too, especially with airplay/chromecast (I use both iOS and Android), the value of the tablets is only going up for me. I happen to prefer Nexus 7 over iPad for reading books, but besides that iPad is my go-to device for non-work consumption. With FaceTime use especially, iPhone form factor is not great. Same can be set for my old Galaxy Nexus with hangouts. iPad/Nexus 7 do way better in that department. iPad Air weight and form factor is especially better then the old iPad.
10feet 13y ago
> My love affair with the tablet isn't over: I love how it lets me browse the web, read books and magazines, and watch videos in bed after a long day. That's probably how most people use their tablets — secondary devices, mainly for entertainment. That is how most people use their computers.

by dictum 13y ago

sjs382 13y ago

Agreed. I'll even go as far as saying that away from work, my Nexus 7 quickly became my primary device. I dread sitting down at the laptop if I'm away form the office. The existence of the tablet has (indirectly) made me more productive at work, too: Rather than reading articles that come through my RSS feed when I'm working (which is a vice of mine), I just add any interesting items to my Pocket queue, and read it that night (or later in the week) when relaxing at home. Not because I don't want to read the article right away (I usually want to)—but because I actually prefer to read on the tablet.

zipperhead 13y ago

Yes, and the superior battery life of a tablet enables this casual consumption very nicely.

NathanKP 13y ago

This is exactly how I use my tablet too. I use my computer all day writing code, so when its time to relax with some Netflix, or an ebook I grab my tablet instead. Its perfect for laying on the couch or in bed. A phone definitely works in that case as well, but the tiny screen isn't as nice for reading and watching video. Not to mention by the end of the day my phone is usually mostly dead and its time to put it on the charger for tomorrow. So trying to use my phone in bed while its attached to a charger is annoying. The tablet meanwhile is charged up (and usually lasts a full week for me between charges, even during heavy Netflix usage).

w1ntermute 13y ago
The difference in screen size between tablets and phones is much less apparent now than it was 2 or 3 years ago.
- snogglethorpe 13y ago
  Now we've got "phablets," which are bad at being phones (awkward and clumsy to carry around, and almost impossible to operate with one hand) and bad at being tablets (small screen for a tablet, inherently greater limitations on battery life)... >< Yay?
  - w1ntermute 13y ago
    Really? You sound like most tech journalists two or three years ago, when the original Galaxy Note came out. They were sure embarrassed a couple months later when they turned out to be completely wrong about how popular it would be. Try getting out of the iPhone bubble for a while - you'll find that in the real world, phablets are not just something that you make fun of.
    - snogglethorpe 13y ago
      I don't have an iphone. I have an Android phone which is larger (65mm width) than an iphone 5, but decidedly smaller than a phablet. My phone is just on the edge of one-hand usability (I can mostly manage it but sometimes things get pretty awkward) and I often wish I had something iphone-sized instead, but choice is pretty limited among smaller Android phones (they exist, but tend to be old/slow/etc). People I know with phablets use them like tablets (almost always with two hands etc). That's fine if you want a small tablet, but it isn't really an adequate replacement for a traditional smartphone. They're just different things.
      - w1ntermute 13y ago
        Have you considered that one-handed usability isn't a defining property of smartphones?

taopao 13y ago

? Sitting upright at a desk with a reasonably sized monitor placed at arm's length is much more ergonomic than curling over a tiny glossy screen.

visarga 13y ago
Not to mention that curling up with a small laptop the size of an iPad (MacBook Air 11'') is even more ergonomic because it has a built-in stand and doesn't need a cover. Close to the same weight, same size as an iPad, but a full laptop.
- rtpg 13y ago
  have you ever tried using a laptop in bed , in a similar position to if you were reading a book? It kinda sucks (yes, even the 11'' air). Tablets replace magazines, not computers (at least in the "position in which you're using it" category). Why would you want a stand if you're going to hold it anyways?
  - kevhsu 13y ago
    In bed, I often lay on my side with my tablet locked to portrait orientation but it is standing horizontally with respect to the bed. This way, I don't need to support it with my hands to read, only need to use my hands when I need to scroll or pick something new to read.
coldtea 13y ago
Not really tiny. And I DON'T want to "sit upright at a desk" after 10+ hours of doing just that.

spuz 13y ago

In order to argue the author's point you would also need to be carrying around a 5" phone. He is pointing out the trend of more people using their phones for what they used to use their tablets for. I'd be interested to know if you have a 5" phone and whether or not you think it replaces the features of your tablet in any way.

falcolas 13y ago
Speaking for myself, no, my smartphone does not replace my tablet. The amount of screen realestate lost when going from 11" to 5" is just too much. It makes reading hard (particularly with less than perfect eyesight), movies too small, and all of the real time communication that comes with a phone is vying for my attention all the time. Now then, if I could make calls over a bluetooth headset connected to my iPad, I'd drop my phone in a heartbeat...
- dmd 13y ago
  > Now then, if I could make calls over a bluetooth headset connected to my iPad, I'd drop my phone in a heartbeat... What's stopping you? I do this from Hangouts (which can make calls, at least in the US.)
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
    - dmd 13y ago
      I'm pretty sure android doesn't run on the iPad, which is what the person I was responding to said they use. (That said, yes, you can do this on android, with skype and a skype-in number.)
- tekalon 13y ago
  I can do that with google voice.
- jsloat 13y ago

corresation 13y ago

There is a whole gradient of mobile devices, from small PMPs to full-sized tablets. They all are essentially the same thing in different scales. The article seems to be saying that the use case for tablets is being supplanted by larger phones.

snogglethorpe 13y ago
> The article seems to be saying that the use case for tablets is being supplanted by larger phones ... which seems a fairly silly thing to say. The exact same factors which attract people to larger phones -- bigger screen, bigger battery, other things like CPU power that more space helps with -- are also going to make "tablets" more attractive than "phablets" for some people and/or some situations (e.g., like many people, I have a "home tablet" which sits around my house, but I don't try to carry it around in my pocket). I think phablets have a place as the very-small portable end of the tablet market, but they aren't a good replacement for traditional smartphones, because they're just too awkward. So the argument that they're a "good enough" one-device alternative to both phones and tablets doesn't seem very strong (it will certainly be true for some people, but it will not be true for many others). [If you look at people using phablets, they tend to use them exactly like tablets: two hands for operation (whereas traditional smartphones work great with one), putting them down when not in use (people often just hold their phone), putting them in a bag instead of in a pocket, etc. They're tablets.]

return0 13y ago

Am I the only one who uses it mostly in the toilet?

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

sologoub 13y ago

My sentiment too, especially with airplay/chromecast (I use both iOS and Android), the value of the tablets is only going up for me. I happen to prefer Nexus 7 over iPad for reading books, but besides that iPad is my go-to device for non-work consumption. With FaceTime use especially, iPhone form factor is not great. Same can be set for my old Galaxy Nexus with hangouts. iPad/Nexus 7 do way better in that department. iPad Air weight and form factor is especially better then the old iPad.

10feet 13y ago

> My love affair with the tablet isn't over: I love how it lets me browse the web, read books and magazines, and watch videos in bed after a long day. That's probably how most people use their tablets — secondary devices, mainly for entertainment. That is how most people use their computers.