Quote:
Originally Posted by Torwan
The tablet is easier to carry around. But that is not a really strong argument.
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Maybe not for you, but for others, it might be. In my specific 'use case' for instance, it was the deal-sealer. I have used netbooks before and yes, they are cheaper, but due to my situation, they did not work as well for me. You can't say it's not a 'strong argument' unless you know what people plan to do with it.
I have explained this already, but I will recap for you one more time to illustrate what I mean. I use my iPad while teaching. Firstly, I am a specialist teacher and don't have my own classroom (I travel from class to class). So, everything I need---for the whole day---has to fit into a tote bag. And that includes my own teaching props, photocopies of work pages for the kids and so on. A smaller form factor, plus the lack of need for a power brick is a huge benefit for me. And since I really can go all day without charging it, it's easy to use. Not every classroom is optimally set up with power plugs where they are both easy to access and where the tech can be plugged in so that the kids can see it. Being cordless is a huge, huge improvement for me over the netbook days, where I had to crawl under tables to access out of the way power plugs, and then have the kids twiddling their thumbs for five MORE minutes while Windows booted up. It really IS like night and day for me, and the iPad really IS superior. The whole 'but you could just use a netbook' thing just does not hold true for my situation.
Now, could I use a tablet brand other than an iPad? Maybe. But when the iPad came out, I had an iPod Touch already and so already had apps for it. And I have bought further apps that I can use on both devices. So for me, that makes more sense than buying a different brand and having to get all new apps. The other tablet makers are just too late into the game to be a factor for me. I already have the i-stuff.