Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew H.
I think the concept behind the tablets is that you already have the primary computer and want something lighter, faster, and more convenient.
I'm kind of torn on the docking keyboards, though. On the one hand, sometimes there is just no way around a keyboard. I have a bluetooth keyboard that I take with my iPad if I'm travelling for a few days and think I'll need to write more than a paragraph or so. When my internet went out at home for a few days, it was also nice to be able to use the iPad, keyboard, and 3G until things were back up and running.
On the other hand, if I carry the keyboard with me all the time, I lose a lot of the advantages of the tablet because it becomes (combined) bulkier and heavier. My iPad weighs 1.3 lbs and is about as thick as a pencil; I can basically carry in any bag and not think about it. But a transformer with docking station weighs 3 lbs (more than my netbook) and is also about twice as thick as a tablet alone. So if I carry it, I don't save any weight over a netbook, and there is more thickness, too. Of course, you can separate it and just carry the tablet (although you'll need an additional case)...but, except in special use situations, I would hate to spend $150 for a docking case that I mostly leave at home.
Zagg has had a keyboard case for the iPad since it came out (it's a BT keyboard seems to work well, although it doesn't offer as much functionality as the transformer's (it's about $50 cheaper, which is still $99). It's been somewhat successful, I think, but I've never seen one in the wild. So I'm not sure what the market is for, basically, separable tablets.
Of course, I might have this backwards. It's quite possible that the keyboard functionality encourages people to buy the Asus (w/o) the keyboard because they are not sure if they want a tablet or not, but can be assured that they can always buy the keyboard dock later in case they are not happy with the pure tablet. That - as I think about it - makes a lot of sense.
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I had a friend tell me exactly that. He just keeps the keyboard in his big bag until he needs it.