4 ms·

My observation has always been, tablets; specifically iPads; are too expensive for what they are doing. That and just because its an Apple tablet doesn't mean I

My observation has always been, tablets; specifically iPads; are too expensive for what they are doing. That and just because its an Apple tablet doesn't mean I need to pair it up against an apple laptop. Hence cost comparison is done against other laptops which are priced even lower than the iPad at times. Its hard to get excited by technology when every price point is four hundred and up. How many items do they want me to have now? phone, watch, tablet, and laptop? Far too many redundancies

weego 12y ago
I'm not going to deny they are expensive, which slightly taints my take on it, but I see tablets as the ideal consumer device and a terrible retailer device. Once you purchase a sufficiently powerful device there is no need to upgrade it in anything like the sales cycle that people like Apple are hoping for. A yearly product update is useless for a device that is primarily used to view the internet, check email and watch Netflix or whatever. If it does that when you buy it, it will do it for 4 or 5 years. It lives on the couch or on the bed meaning general wear and tear don't exist much so replacement from damage is a low possibility too. Apple even help out here because the App Store makes getting old versions of the apps that are supported on your version of the device (where available) transparent, thus the feeling of becoming out-dated is kind of non-existent unless you are a tablet gamer. For example until last month both me and my partner used a Gen 1 iPad probably for 2 or 3 hours a day every day. I upgraded to a newer version mostly because JS heavy pages like the Guardian and Facebook had started to crash regularly. The latest iterations are so much more powerful that I don't see this being an issue for another 5 years at least. Sales can be flat even though consumers can be happy with the tech.
- jader201 12y ago
  While I agree with this, the unfortunate reality is that with the iPad specifically, older versions become useless as Apple pushes OSes that demand more from the hardware, and performance becomes a huge issue. And if it's not performance, it's storage space. And opting out of the upgrade isn't much of an option, due to app upgrades that require the latest OS. And I guess you can also opt out of app upgrades, but then you're left with a 2-year-old+ device and 2-year-old+ software. Maybe this is intentional. But for me, at least, rather than upgrading, I've learned to just move on to using a combination of my iPhone and MPB, and my iPad (3rd gen) mostly collects dust now.
  - weego 12y ago
    I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how far the Netflix app had come when I installed it on the new device. It honestly didn't even cross my mind that we weren't getting the latest version and just assumed they had kept it kinda crappy. Still played videos though so it wasn't all bad.
  - soylentcola 12y ago
    This is what happened to me as well. I fought off the push to buy a tablet despite a lot of friends showing me theirs (and admitting that they were cool). At the same time, I had a desktop for "heavy lifting" like graphic design and 3d animation, storing a big media library, playing games, etc. I also kept a cheap, portable laptop for the occasional times I needed to travel and wanted some semblance of computing from a hotel room or an event. For all of the other lightweight tasks, I had been using smart phones since the early Treo days so that was fine for email and looking up info. But then I was planning a longer trip from the US to Southeast Asia for several weeks and it was going to involve a lot of hopping from town to town. Suddenly even my laptop was too much to carry when I already had everything on my back. I caved and bought an iPad 2 for a good deal more than I wanted to spend. They were still hard to find so I could only find the larger capacity models and the only Android tablet worth considering (Xoom) was not as capable and still cost about the same. That iPad was pretty cool and I used it for a year or two before it just got to be a pain in the ass. Updates were de facto mandatory as you mentioned. Staying on old OS versions meant unsupported apps and constant nagging. But each OS update made the thing perform worse and worse. The hardware cycle was much faster than that of desktop/laptop computers at that point so I couldn't assume the normal 5+ years of usefulness I'd get from a laptop and there's no option to just install a lightweight Linux distro or downgrade. Even after I jailbroke it I couldn't really do much to speed it up. At this point, doing more than opening a single browser tab or lightweight application will make the thing lag and stutter and generall suck. I think now it gets powered on a few times a year for me to check on updates and see if there's anything worth checking out. Haven't bothered selling it since it's my only iOS device and I figure there may be a point where I want to try some iOS exclusive so I keep it around for that.
  - Silhouette 12y ago
- bradleyjg 12y ago
  > For example until last month both me and my partner used a Gen 1 iPad probably for 2 or 3 hours a day every day. Was it still holding a reasonable charge? That's what finally got me to ditch my gen 2 ipad. A plugged in laptop is one thing, but an ipad doesn't want to be tethered.
ProAm 12y ago
> Its hard to get excited by technology when every price point is four hundred and up. Apple products have always been obscenely overpriced, this it a bit easier to digest when you move outside of the Apple ecosphere and new technologies do not have such a financial impact.
bluedino 12y ago
I think tablets are appropriately prices for what they do. A $399 iPad is a much better device than a $299 or $399 laptop. Better screen, longer battery life, doesn't get viruses, easier to use... Plus, an iPad is 1/2 to 1/3rd the cost of an Apple laptop.
- Toast_ 12y ago
  Until you get a new iOS upgrade, thus turning your ipad into a paperweight.
PopsiclePete 12y ago
I was thinking of replacing my 3-year old iPad right until I saw the iPhone 6+. It's just big enough to where I can use it for everything I was using my iPad for - reading, browsing, email while relaxing in front of the TV. No need for iPad anymore.
- shas3 12y ago
  I am in a similar situation. My wife and I have stopped using full size iPad 3 after buying an iPhone 6+. It is way easier to read stuff on the phone and do everything else. Also more and more websites are becoming mobile friendly, obviating the need for a large format screen to do stuff.
- CountSessine 12y ago
  I bought a Galaxy Note 4, a similar sized phone, and I thought the same thing. In the end, I really missed having a tablet - a good 9-10" tablet is so much better to browse the web or play games on than even a phablet. I still love my Note 4, but when I'm home I'm typically on my tablet. YMMV, of course.

weego 12y ago

I'm not going to deny they are expensive, which slightly taints my take on it, but I see tablets as the ideal consumer device and a terrible retailer device. Once you purchase a sufficiently powerful device there is no need to upgrade it in anything like the sales cycle that people like Apple are hoping for. A yearly product update is useless for a device that is primarily used to view the internet, check email and watch Netflix or whatever. If it does that when you buy it, it will do it for 4 or 5 years. It lives on the couch or on the bed meaning general wear and tear don't exist much so replacement from damage is a low possibility too. Apple even help out here because the App Store makes getting old versions of the apps that are supported on your version of the device (where available) transparent, thus the feeling of becoming out-dated is kind of non-existent unless you are a tablet gamer. For example until last month both me and my partner used a Gen 1 iPad probably for 2 or 3 hours a day every day. I upgraded to a newer version mostly because JS heavy pages like the Guardian and Facebook had started to crash regularly. The latest iterations are so much more powerful that I don't see this being an issue for another 5 years at least. Sales can be flat even though consumers can be happy with the tech.

jader201 12y ago
While I agree with this, the unfortunate reality is that with the iPad specifically, older versions become useless as Apple pushes OSes that demand more from the hardware, and performance becomes a huge issue. And if it's not performance, it's storage space. And opting out of the upgrade isn't much of an option, due to app upgrades that require the latest OS. And I guess you can also opt out of app upgrades, but then you're left with a 2-year-old+ device and 2-year-old+ software. Maybe this is intentional. But for me, at least, rather than upgrading, I've learned to just move on to using a combination of my iPhone and MPB, and my iPad (3rd gen) mostly collects dust now.
- weego 12y ago
  I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how far the Netflix app had come when I installed it on the new device. It honestly didn't even cross my mind that we weren't getting the latest version and just assumed they had kept it kinda crappy. Still played videos though so it wasn't all bad.
- soylentcola 12y ago
  This is what happened to me as well. I fought off the push to buy a tablet despite a lot of friends showing me theirs (and admitting that they were cool). At the same time, I had a desktop for "heavy lifting" like graphic design and 3d animation, storing a big media library, playing games, etc. I also kept a cheap, portable laptop for the occasional times I needed to travel and wanted some semblance of computing from a hotel room or an event. For all of the other lightweight tasks, I had been using smart phones since the early Treo days so that was fine for email and looking up info. But then I was planning a longer trip from the US to Southeast Asia for several weeks and it was going to involve a lot of hopping from town to town. Suddenly even my laptop was too much to carry when I already had everything on my back. I caved and bought an iPad 2 for a good deal more than I wanted to spend. They were still hard to find so I could only find the larger capacity models and the only Android tablet worth considering (Xoom) was not as capable and still cost about the same. That iPad was pretty cool and I used it for a year or two before it just got to be a pain in the ass. Updates were de facto mandatory as you mentioned. Staying on old OS versions meant unsupported apps and constant nagging. But each OS update made the thing perform worse and worse. The hardware cycle was much faster than that of desktop/laptop computers at that point so I couldn't assume the normal 5+ years of usefulness I'd get from a laptop and there's no option to just install a lightweight Linux distro or downgrade. Even after I jailbroke it I couldn't really do much to speed it up. At this point, doing more than opening a single browser tab or lightweight application will make the thing lag and stutter and generall suck. I think now it gets powered on a few times a year for me to check on updates and see if there's anything worth checking out. Haven't bothered selling it since it's my only iOS device and I figure there may be a point where I want to try some iOS exclusive so I keep it around for that.
- Silhouette 12y ago
bradleyjg 12y ago
> For example until last month both me and my partner used a Gen 1 iPad probably for 2 or 3 hours a day every day. Was it still holding a reasonable charge? That's what finally got me to ditch my gen 2 ipad. A plugged in laptop is one thing, but an ipad doesn't want to be tethered.

ProAm 12y ago

> Its hard to get excited by technology when every price point is four hundred and up. Apple products have always been obscenely overpriced, this it a bit easier to digest when you move outside of the Apple ecosphere and new technologies do not have such a financial impact.

bluedino 12y ago

I think tablets are appropriately prices for what they do. A $399 iPad is a much better device than a $299 or $399 laptop. Better screen, longer battery life, doesn't get viruses, easier to use... Plus, an iPad is 1/2 to 1/3rd the cost of an Apple laptop.

Toast_ 12y ago
Until you get a new iOS upgrade, thus turning your ipad into a paperweight.

PopsiclePete 12y ago

I was thinking of replacing my 3-year old iPad right until I saw the iPhone 6+. It's just big enough to where I can use it for everything I was using my iPad for - reading, browsing, email while relaxing in front of the TV. No need for iPad anymore.

shas3 12y ago
I am in a similar situation. My wife and I have stopped using full size iPad 3 after buying an iPhone 6+. It is way easier to read stuff on the phone and do everything else. Also more and more websites are becoming mobile friendly, obviating the need for a large format screen to do stuff.
CountSessine 12y ago
I bought a Galaxy Note 4, a similar sized phone, and I thought the same thing. In the end, I really missed having a tablet - a good 9-10" tablet is so much better to browse the web or play games on than even a phablet. I still love my Note 4, but when I'm home I'm typically on my tablet. YMMV, of course.