GigaOm:Here’s the secret to Amazon’s, B&N’s tablet strategy

[kjk]

http://gigaom.com/mobile/amazon-barn...blet-strategy/

Both Amazon’s and Barnes & Noble’s tablets share this idea of simplicity and relatively low cost, with each priced far below the typical $499 entry point for a larger tablet. But neither is meant to handle some of the heavier computer-like tasks of their bigger brethren. While some people have used an iPad or Android tablet to replace some — or in a few extreme cases, all — of the functions of a laptop, neither the Fire nor the Nook are computer replacements.

And that allows both companies to focus on providing a great experience for the functions that consumers most want: reading digital media, browsing the web, consuming video content, checking email and running a handful of popular applications found in curated application stores. Think of the controlled Apple iPad experience in a cheaper, smaller form factor.

Both companies will really change the tablet landscape by next year.

[SmokeAndMirrors]

I hope not. It'd be nice to see tablets become more functional and not less.

The primary reason I don't have a tablet is because they're almost purely consumption devices and what little output ability they have is clumsy and limited. I don't see the point in that. Or at least, I don't see the point in blowing so much money on that. But maybe that's because I spend as much time banging away at text documents, emails, and forums, as I do "consuming."

Eink ereaders are cheap, very light, and are replacing something much heavier and less functional. But tablets? They're just ungainly, expensive, severely limited computers.

The form factor is intriguing and the possibilities are many, but as they are, even the most functional tablets fall several miles short of what would convince me to get one.

By focusing more on limiting them to consumption and less on broadening their use, the chances that tablets will ever be anything more than very expensive toys seems to dwindle. I think that's a shame. They could be so much more.

Maybe that's ok for high-consumption low-output users, but it falls pretty flat with me. I can't possibly imagine how someone replaces their laptop with something as limited as a tablet. I certainly couldn't.

I really don't get the point of LCD ereaders. Even if you don't mind reading on an LCD screen and dealing with the short battery life, I just don't understand why you'd spend so much more money to get what is basically a crippled tablet when you could get a fully functional tablet for almost the same price. But apparently some people like that. I really don't get it. If you're going to get an expensive toy, why not at least get the whole toy?

Law of the free market I guess. But I still think it's a shame that tablets are gearing towards becoming less functional and not more.

[pastanley]

Smoke and Mirrors: Nice opinion!
Thats why I chose the ipad2. Ereader LCD tablets are all the rage now due mainly to B&N and now Amazon. (And of course KOBO). I think it may be a passing fad. People mainly want a cheap media consumption device first- and as an ereader second. I think the way to go is to get an eink reader and a more powerful and larger tablet such as ....well......Im going to say the ipad since that is currently the most popular at the moment.

[markbot]

Business and power users will still buy laptops and desktops. But, consumers will flood into the tablet market. The key turning point will be when there is viable office software (word processing and spread sheets) for tablets. Tablets are powerful enough to replace laptops right now. There just needs to be more robust office apps. Google might actually solve this.

[Fayth]

Originally Posted by markbot

Business and power users will still buy laptops and desktops. But, consumers will flood into the tablet market. The key turning point will be when there is viable office software (word processing and spread sheets) for tablets. Tablets are powerful enough to replace laptops right now. There just needs to be more robust office apps. Google might actually solve this.

I'd put my money on Microsoft solving that with Windows 8, not Google.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by SmokeAndMirrors

The primary reason I don't have a tablet is because they're almost purely consumption devices and what little output ability they have is clumsy and limited. I don't see the point in that. Or at least, I don't see the point in blowing so much money on that. But maybe that's because I spend as much time banging away at text documents, emails, and forums, as I do "consuming."

[snip]

The form factor is intriguing and the possibilities are many, but as they are, even the most functional tablets fall several miles short of what would convince me to get one.

By focusing more on limiting them to consumption and less on broadening their use, the chances that tablets will ever be anything more than very expensive toys seems to dwindle. I think that's a shame. They could be so much more.

I think that the consumption/creation division used so often in discussing tablets is almost completely contrived. First of all, 90% of home computers are also "consumption" devices, based on their usage. Second, the fact that tablets aren't ideal for a lot of text input doesn't make them "very expensive toys" by a long shot (for one thing, they are not "very expensive). After doing a pilot project, my work just bought several hundred iPads to replace laptops for some users. A lot of physicians are using iPads, as are a lot of lawyers. I use my iPad at work a lot, and it is a lot more functional than a laptop would be for its usage cases.

The iPad isn't replacing a primary computer - any of these people who need to do a lot of text input will use their desktop or primary laptop to create the document. But an important part of many jobs involve going to meetings and talking about documents that were created in the office. And when you need something to look up documents on the work system, check something on the internet, e-mail, or, most importantly, share a document on screen with someone else - a tablet beats a laptop in most use cases.

Now, obviously, if you have a job where you never leave your cubicle for offsite meetings, or if virtually all of your work is text input with no need for portability, a tablet won't meet your needs. But in a lot of work cases, a tablet will perform better than a laptop when the laptop is just needed for database access, internet access, and e-mail.

[teh603]

Originally Posted by Fayth

I'd put my money on Microsoft solving that with Windows 8, not Google.

The only thing Microsoft is likely to ever solve is how to force its customers to never be able to use another company's product again. Google and Apple are both actually trying to develop tablet computing, as is Red Flag over in China.

[MaggieScratch]

Originally Posted by SmokeAndMirrors

I really don't get the point of LCD ereaders. Even if you don't mind reading on an LCD screen and dealing with the short battery life, I just don't understand why you'd spend so much more money to get what is basically a crippled tablet when you could get a fully functional tablet for almost the same price. But apparently some people like that. I really don't get it. If you're going to get an expensive toy, why not at least get the whole toy?

Speaking for myself, I bought a Nook Color because I wanted it for magazines and PDFs in color. I use PDFs for crochet and tatting patterns. The Nook Color is great for those. I love reading magazines on the Nook--the interface is fantastic. I don't really use it for much surfing or e-mail, but they are nice to have on it. However, I have to say I was surprised by how much I enjoy reading regular books on the NC. I didn't expect to like it as much as I like reading on eInk, but I do. I love the ability to easily highlight words and look them up. The screen is bright and the pixel density is excellent, and the LCD doesn't bother my eyes.

I haven't rooted it (yet) but I never say never. However, the device is primarily an ereader for me, and I'm happy with it as-is.

The only drawback to the NC is the size and weight, as I don't like carrying a lot of stuff around with me, so moving up to a bigger tablet isn't appealing to me. I am considering getting a refurbed Nook Simple Touch for carrying around, only because it is smaller and lighter. The only reason I haven't bought one yet is that I am not sure I want to give up the reading experience of the NC, because I really do enjoy it.

Honestly, I have no other use for a tablet that my smartphone (recently upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy SII) doesn't already cover. If the Samsung Note ever comes out over here, and if the Nook Android app ever included magazines as it does now, I might even be able to get down to one device for mobile use, but I'll probably keep the NC for use at home.

Will I get the new Nook tablet or the Kindle Fire? Probably not. I'm really happy with the NC, I just bought it this past April and I have the two-year extended warranty and have bought an Oberon cover and other accessories for it, and with the announced upgrades to the software, I really have no reason to upgrade. B&N might surprise me at the announcement and make me get out the credit card, but right now I am happy with what I have. After five other ereaders, I've found true love with the NC.

I realize that other people have different uses for tablets and ereaders, but I wanted to answer your question from my own experience.

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by kjk

http://gigaom.com/mobile/amazon-barn...blet-strategy/

Both companies will really change the tablet landscape by next year.

This is exactly why I ordered the Fire.

Carol

[SmokeAndMirrors]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

I think that the consumption/creation division used so often in discussing tablets is almost completely contrived. First of all, 90% of home computers are also "consumption" devices, based on their usage. Second, the fact that tablets aren't ideal for a lot of text input doesn't make them "very expensive toys" by a long shot (for one thing, they are not "very expensive). After doing a pilot project, my work just bought several hundred iPads to replace laptops for some users. A lot of physicians are using iPads, as are a lot of lawyers. I use my iPad at work a lot, and it is a lot more functional than a laptop would be for its usage cases.

The iPad isn't replacing a primary computer - any of these people who need to do a lot of text input will use their desktop or primary laptop to create the document. But an important part of many jobs involve going to meetings and talking about documents that were created in the office. And when you need something to look up documents on the work system, check something on the internet, e-mail, or, most importantly, share a document on screen with someone else - a tablet beats a laptop in most use cases.

Now, obviously, if you have a job where you never leave your cubicle for offsite meetings, or if virtually all of your work is text input with no need for portability, a tablet won't meet your needs. But in a lot of work cases, a tablet will perform better than a laptop when the laptop is just needed for database access, internet access, and e-mail.

Well, I'm part of that 10% I guess. As a writer, a tablet is useless to me. That is most of what I do on a computer.

But it strikes me that you're wrong about tablets being so appealing and versatile when you look at the numbers. More people own ereaders than tablets, by a pretty big margin. And ereaders a niche product. Tablets can't even compete with ereaders. There's a reason for that.

Ereaders do what they do really well. They don't try to be things they aren't, and they don't do anything half-assed. Tablets do almost everything half-assed, and they have no specific purpose. In addition to that, they have very poor ergonomics and present the same problem that we had before the typewriter - your hand covering what you're trying to look at.

I have a convertible touch netbook. That is a perfect solution to me. It weighs a bit more than a tablet, but honestly, without a real keyboard, tablets are useless to me anyway and I'd be carrying around an external keyboard if I had one - so weight-wise it works out about the same.

It has great handwriting recognition. So if I need to take quick notes while I'm standing or moving I can swivel down the screen and do that, or to quickly read PDF's, or whatever.

If I need to actually get things *done* I can swivel it out again and use the real keyboard. And it has a full operating system.

$500 may not be expensive to you, but it certainly is for me. I could buy a whole 'nother netbook for that price, and it would be vastly more functional. Hell, I could buy 2.

But honestly, if I'm part of a 10% minority on one end of the spectrum, I think you're part of a 10% minority on the other end. I may not represent the average user due to the amount of output I do, but I don't know any average users who use their tablets a whole lot. Most of them say they bought it, it was neat for a week, and they use it less and less. They can do all the same stuff on their netbook/notebook plus a lot more, and it will do it a lot better than a tablet could. Why bother?

I see tablets for sale on campus all the time, from students who bought them thinking they'd be useful for class. My dad got a tablet a month ago... and now he hardly uses it. Because it just isn't that useful.

Maybe it is for you and what you do, but from what I can tell you're as much a minority as me.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by SmokeAndMirrors

...
I have a convertible touch netbook...

What device is this?

[Fayth]

Originally Posted by teh603

The only thing Microsoft is likely to ever solve is how to force its customers to never be able to use another company's product again. Google and Apple are both actually trying to develop tablet computing, as is Red Flag over in China.

Ummm if you put your bias aside you'd see that MS is making sure Windows 8 is viable for tablets, unlike windows 7. The day I can get all the productivity of a Windows PC on a tablet at an affordable price is the day I buy one. I'm very interested in what ASUS does with their transformer line and Windows 8.

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by Fayth

Ummm if you put your bias aside you'd see that MS is making sure Windows 8 is viable for tablets, unlike windows 7. The day I can get all the productivity of a Windows PC on a tablet at an affordable price is the day I buy one. I'm very interested in what ASUS does with their transformer line and Windows 8.

You won't, however, get all that productivity on a Windows 8 tablet - they will only run Metro apps as opposed to the hybrid environment the desktop will get.

[SmokeAndMirrors]

Originally Posted by SCION

What device is this?

It's actually an ancient Fujitsu P1610 that I love so much that I upgraded the innards so I could keep using it. Tough as nails. Paid a lot for it in 2007 when this sort of form factor was unheard of, but worth every cent.

There are still devices like this around. They're uncommon, but I really think they're the best solution for high-functionality, light-weight touch devices. I think there are some now where you can even detach the keyboard. The key for me is having a full operating system, and a well-integrated keyboard.

It came with Windows XP Tablet, but I've got Linux on it now. The screen swivels on a central joint, which has actually proven to be very tough. Swiveled up for normal netbook mode, swiveled down and flat for tablet mode. It has an accelerometer, so the screen changes to vertical mode when it's swiveled down.

It's a passive touch screen, so you can use it with a stylus or your finger. Or a branch. Or a lollipop stick. Or whatever you've got.

There is a "more recent" (i.e. 3 years old) version, the P1620 I think. These are really still quite usable. Even the lower-spec ones are worth it with a RAM upgrade for the couple hundred bucks you can get them for now.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

You won't, however, get all that productivity on a Windows 8 tablet - they will only run Metro apps as opposed to the hybrid environment the desktop will get.

Not if you get one with an Intel or AMD processor. Those will be able to run everything.