Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
Are you traveling frequently?
I understand, if someone who mainly is at home, doesn't see big advantages in tablets.
Tablets shine as mobile devices. I wouldn't want to do without on a business trip or on vacation.
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Some folks may remember the "ultra-mobile PCs" that were out a while back.
They were the results of a collaboration between Intel and Microsoft, using Microsoft's Origami as a base. They were essentially tablets.
Intel and Microsoft were attempting to solve a problem: where would
growth come from? The PC market was stagnating, and pretty much anyone who
could use a PC had one, and new sales were few and far between. There was (and is) still a substantial market for replacements and upgrades, but not enough to generate the growth beloved of the financial markets and keep the stock price in the stratosphere.
Their solution was a whole new platform, which would use Intel chips and run Windows. They were issued by vendors not known for complete systems, like Samsung, Via Technologies, and Asus. They were
not offered by people known for laptops like Dell and Toshiba, and had specs rather carefully crafted to make them unsuitable as laptop replacements. (Intel and MS didn't want competition for existing vendors at lower prices.)
The issue they encountered was "If you
have a laptop, why would you buy a UMPC?" The answer was "You wouldn't", because they were poor laptop replacements, and Intel/MS didn't provide compelling use cases otherwise.
Apple rethought what a tablet ought to be, provided use cases, and the rest was history.
One of the efforts I'm engaged in is seeing whether a tablet
can replace a laptop, with a much smaller and lighter device that is easier to use when traveling. The A727 isn't what I would prefer because of form factor, and for the same reason I have no interest in a smartphone. Too much of what I do simply needs a larger screen than a practical phone can have, and a 7" tablet, while better, is still too small for what I want. It can replace a laptop in a pinch, but requires uncomfortable compromises. My goal down the road is a 10" model with a bigger screen.
A friend bought an iPad, and correctly described it as a media consumption device, with an interface designed to let you select the media you wanted to consume. Tablets are by default essentially half-duplex, with the assumption that data will primarily flow
to the device. If you need to
create content, things become problematic. I do occasionally need to create content, so an external hardware keyboard is a necessity
I'm not interested in a dedicated reader with an eInk screen because too much of what I do requires color, and that includes eBooks. (For example, volumes on art with color reproductions of paintings don't translate acceptably to B&W.) Nor do I want a device that
only views eBooks. I need a multi-function device, as there is a limit to what I'll carry around with me.
I'm finding uses for the tablet I have that more than justify having it, but I don't believe a "one-size-fits-all" device is really possible. The form factor that suits a hand-held reader is unsuitable for other things, and a form factor suitable for the other things climbs out of hand held range.
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Dennis