A frustrated CEO speaks: Why Android Tablets are not Selling

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by covfam

Android is based off of linux wich in turn is based off of Unix as well but if you keep it too open you will get what happened to linux (only techies use it)

I don't think that is true. Maybe Android has a higher learning curve than Apple's Os and much more things you can customize, but I see no relationship with current Android Sales number and it's Linux inheritance.

And your argument about "only techies use it" is no longer true for Linux. With most recent distros like Ubuntu, Linux is way much appealing to old people and non techies than ever before. My wife uses Ubuntu at home on her Netbook.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by tbear

IMHO, the user unfriendly-ness of linux and android is WAY exaggerated.
Most people don't use linux just because they have never heard of it.

A very valid point.

My wife has never heard about Linux before until she saw me using it at home two years ago. She later asked me to remove Windows from her own Netbook and now her mom wants to do the same. She loves Linux now and does not want to look back.

Linux is no longer a "techie" Os, and Android is trying to take advantage of that.

[morriss003]

I think a lot of us are still waiting for a Windows unit. I write books in Word so I want the unit I buy to be capable of reading a Word file and allowing me to work on it. I've tried a Linux notebook, but it was unusable for my purposes, although it was fine for surfing and email.

[madsquabbles]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

The chief reason I purchased the Asus TF was for the keyboard dock. Once joined the TF and dock are about the size of a netbook. Plus Asus listens to its customers. They've released patches for both pieces of hardware and the programmers read and occasionally respond on XDA.

yes, that kb dock makes it a sweet piece. you should see the faces when i showed everyone my new toy. at first they just dismissed it as another netbook, then i popped off the tablet and !

man i miss it...

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by morriss003

I think a lot of us are still waiting for a Windows unit. I write books in Word so I want the unit I buy to be capable of reading a Word file and allowing me to work on it. I've tried a Linux notebook, but it was unusable for my purposes, although it was fine for surfing and email.

Sorry,

I'm not trying to "sell you" anything, but we do have Open Office on Linux. I use it for my Word documents and even spreadsheets. AbiWord is another alternative.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I'm not a "brand" lover person. If a company produces a product that I like, I will buy it.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by boswd

can you download movies outside of iTunes?
can throw in your sd card [& so forth ad nauseum]

I'm old enough to remember the competition between Betamax vs. VHS. Objectively, Betamax was better, except for price and content. Turned out that what most people wanted was price and content.

Objectively, Android might be better than iOS, except for quality workmanship and ease of use. Turns out that what most people want is quality workmanship and ease of use.

The only serious competition I think we will see for a long while will have to come from Amazon, because only Amazon has the marketing mechanism to compete with the ease of use Apple has, assuming that Amazon can come up with a decent quality Kablet of some kind.

Meanwhile, that executive's complaints really boil down to "what we are making isn't anything as good as the iPad, and we can't even do THAT right."

[anamardoll]

I've always read that Betamax's big flaw was that you only got 1 hour's worth of recording, so you couldn't easily record TV films or sporting events while you were away.

Supposedly customers preferred the "lower quality, higher quantity" aspect of VHS. I can see that.

Is that a myth? I'm a bit young for Betamax.

[carld]

A friend just sent a link to a nice looking tablet from HP, nice looking until I saw the $799 price tag.

Link to HP

[jocampo]

I was 10 years old when dad bought the 1st (and only one) Betamax at home.

The Betamax died because Hollywood and movie makers (other say Porn movies producers) were pushing for a 1hr+ format, which VHS was able to provide. The VHS quality (as per some experts and online sources) was not as good as Betamax but the big advantage of the long lasting recording mode moved the scale on VHS favors; Sony continued pushing for quality and not long lasting recording option, at the end, people opted for VHS condemning the Beta format to dust and oblivion.

I just remember that rewinding the freaking movie was a pain! lol ... and the Betamax heads got dirty really easy and found myself cleaning those with alcohol and paper all the time (my 1st incursion into computers and electronic devices )

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by carld

A friend just sent a link to a nice looking tablet from HP, nice looking until I saw the $799 price tag.

Link to HP

o

My heart and soul are on that tablet (yes, I know I'm biased too) but just knowing that will be using webOs makes me think will be a good choice.

If I can get a nice discount, I will probably get one...

[carld]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I've always read that Betamax's big flaw was that you only got 1 hour's worth of recording, so you couldn't easily record TV films or sporting events while you were away.

Supposedly customers preferred the "lower quality, higher quantity" aspect of VHS. I can see that.

Is that a myth? I'm a bit young for Betamax.

Yep, that's how I remember it. You couldn't watch full movies on Beta, so that was an severe flaw no matter how much better the picture was.

[OtterBooks]

There never was a demand for tablets. The iPad created demand for the iPad, and in one of the biggest gaffs in tech history companies began pumping out me-too products to chase after a market that didn't exist. That's why Android tablets are failing, because no significant number of people want them, and never did. They want the iPad. Nook Color succeeded as a glorified cookbook reader/bathroom entertainment device since it had a price low enough to tempt the curious (or rooters), but ultimately all but a handful of technophiles and the people enamored with Apple's ecosystem realized that a tablet's good-at-nothing compromise is pointless alongside smartphones. At least as things stand currently.

Just a wild guess. Who knows.

[covfam]

actually otter there are a few good reasons for tablets, for example colleges across the country are now using tablets with textbooks so they can have interactive learning tools as well as replacing the giant bookbag full of books not you have the textbooks on the ereader.
When my wife went through medical school the old palm PDA was a lifesaver and now medical schools are using tablets now as as teaching tools in ways that a laptop/netbook are too big.

Now my wifes medical clinic uses ipads with all her pharmacology interaction data, medscape & epocrates all onl the tablet she is able to bring up her patients data on the spot look at her medical references on the spot and even show her patients what she it talking about on the spot as well as making her notes on the spot instead of waiting to the end of the day to dictate on her 30 visits for the day.

A laptop/netbook is no where as fleexible in a proffessional setting like that.

i agree its no laptop replacement and its no smart phone either but imho the netbook was a compromise as well,

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

The iPad created demand for the iPad, and in one of the biggest gaffs in tech history companies began pumping out me-too products to chase after a market that didn't exist.

Very interesting take.