Slate.com: what amazon tablet should be

[Barty]

http://www.slate.com/id/2302203/

Basically, do fewer things better and cheaper. Kind of an improved nook color.

Pretty sensible advice.

[JeremyR]

I dunno about that. One of the biggest things the iPad is used for is games, and cutting back on that might hurt in the long run.

Heck, I've bought 4 games for my K3 which is more than I've bought books from Amazon (which is 3). There's many lifetimes of free, legal e-books available, plus a handful of DRM free stores, cutting Amazon out of the loop.

Same with video, I guess. But only one source for Amazon Tablet games, I would imagine....

Of course, what apparently has hurt the Android game market is that people root their Android thingie and just pirate games. So companies either don't make them, or make free versions with ads or in game purchases...I don't know how Amazon plans on combating that.

[rhadin]

If I were to buy a tablet, I would consider the Samsung Tab long before the iPad, but that is because I would be interested in a laptop computer replacement device.

Slate's view is that people don't buy a tablet as a PC replacement/equivalent but for reasons of wanting to get away from their PC. I guess because I don't play computer games of any kind and am not looking to use iTunes, I don't understand the desire to have a crippled device like the iPad instead of a closer-to-PC-replacement device like the Samsung Tab.

Apple has always bemused me. No matter what device it puts out, the device is never the best it can be. It is always a middling device with a lot of "cool" factor. "Cool" has never persuaded me to spend, although it obviously does persuade a lot of people. But with so much dependant on the "cool" factor, what will happen when Jobs no longer controls Apple?

[HarryT]

I really have to disagree, Rich. I'm no Apple "fan" but I use both an iPhone and and iPad because I consider them to be best-in-class products. I've looked at Android devices, but haven't seen anything that would tempt me away from my iPhone and iPad. Sure, they aren't for everyone, but they meet my needs.

[RainingLemur]

Someone ought to make a tablet that sets out to do less than the iPad—but better.

So, it will power up and not do anything? That'll sell like mad. (I kid.)

I somewhat agree with the article in the respect that people don't generally want a tablet to replace a PC. But, I also feel that I would like the option of having USB, memory card slot, and Flash in a tablet rather than have that choice made for me. I *DO* like the iPad. It's a snazzy little device. But, I don't really see myself owning one. I would like to get a tablet (to replace the Nook Color) eventually, and maybe Amazon's entry will fit the bill.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I really have to disagree, Rich. I'm no Apple "fan" but I use both an iPhone and and iPad because I consider them to be best-in-class products. I've looked at Android devices, but haven't seen anything that would tempt me away from my iPhone and iPad. Sure, they aren't for everyone, but they meet my needs.

Harry, "best in class" doesn't equate with "best it can be." The Yugo was the best in its class, too; it certainly wasn't the best it could be (or maybe it was ).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Harry, "best in class" doesn't equate with "best it can be." The Yugo was the best in its class, too; it certainly wasn't the best it could be (or maybe it was ).

Trouble is, though, that we don't get to design a product to what our personal view of what the perfect design is .

[rhadin]

Harry, I think you are missing my point. When you buy an Apple computer, you are not getting with it the best components available on the market. You are getting a Jobs-imposed compromise. Jobs predetermines what is acceptable in a computer for you. (Dell is similar.)

Jobs has determined that Flash is not good for you, so you don't get the option of ordering an Apple device with Flash. Either you buy what Apple is willing to let you buy or you don't buy Apple. Apple doesn't have to give you the best even if they are charging for the best.

As for us being able to design a product to what we think the best is, perhaps we can't outside of building our own PC. But once we get to a world that has competition, we also don't have to sit back and have a Steve Jobs tell us the way to fix the iPhone antenna problem is just to hold the phone differently. (Do you think the design flaw was intentional in the sense that Jobs decided he could make an extra dollar by leaving the flaw rather than fixing it?)

I think the article presents a naive point of view. True it might be good to build a less expensive tablet designed only for certain tasks, but that won't satisfy many people. Look at the NookColor. It cost half the lowest price of an iPad, and was designed only for a few games and apps and to read B&N ePubs. However, few people seemed content with that and immediately tried to root it and make it into a cheap tablet. I think that will be the reaction to any tablet designed to sale around $200. People will hope to make it into something it can never be. I don't blame anyone for that as the economy is in the dumpster right now and we all want to stretch what little funds we have as far as we can. But one thing I learned a long time ago is that buying an inexpensive item then trying to get it to act like its expensive cousin either doesn't work at all or it winds up costing as much as the expensive cousin did in the first place.

As far as the iPad bashing goes, well I hate Steve Jobs with a passion, I hate the Apple Cult wherein anything Apple does is thought to be wonderful. Hell, I hate that mentality whenever it rears its ugly and yes stupid head--many companies have cult followings including the Android cult attached to Google. But I finally bought an iPad because it simply gets the job done, and very elegantly. Yes I wish like hell that it was more like a PC, but after being totally disappointed time and again by Android tablets I decided to buy from the devil and at least have a tablet on which I could get accomplished what I needed to without being totally annoyed by its shortcomings or twelve thousand different builds each of which is going to react in a unique way with an app--[cough] Android [/cough].

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Harry, I think you are missing my point. When you buy an Apple computer, you are not getting with it the best components available on the market. You are getting a Jobs-imposed compromise. Jobs predetermines what is acceptable in a computer for you. (Dell is similar.)

But nobody is "imposing" anything on me, Rich; that's my point. I didn't think "I've got to buy an Apple phone, so I'll have to put up with what Apple decides to give me". I had certain needs (primarily a highly portable internet device), looked at what was on the market, and decided that the iPhone was the best fit to those needs. I also looked at Android phones, but felt that the iPhone was better. For me it was the right choice, and a year later I still feel that I made the right decision. The iPhone is one of the most useful devices I've ever owned.

[Jowi]

One thing that will ensure I buy it - better screen resolution than the iPad - or at least the same but on a 7-inch screen.

[kranu]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

I dunno about that. One of the biggest things the iPad is used for is games, and cutting back on that might hurt in the long run.

Heck, I've bought 4 games for my K3 which is more than I've bought books from Amazon (which is 3). There's many lifetimes of free, legal e-books available, plus a handful of DRM free stores, cutting Amazon out of the loop.

Same with video, I guess. But only one source for Amazon Tablet games, I would imagine....

Of course, what apparently has hurt the Android game market is that people root their Android thingie and just pirate games. So companies either don't make them, or make free versions with ads or in game purchases...I don't know how Amazon plans on combating that.

Actually, you don't even have to root your Android to pirate apps. There are even some fake 'app stores' for Android that offer pretty much everything the official app store has, except for free. Fortunately though, I hear that most of those shut down. Nonetheless, it's extremely easy to steal games for Android.

[kranu]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Jobs has determined that Flash is not good for you, so you don't get the option of ordering an Apple device with Flash. Either you buy what Apple is willing to let you buy or you don't buy Apple.

.. And what's wrong with that? I actually like the fact that Apple is closed. They have a very rigorous app process, which prevents most of the crapware from getting in. On the other hand, the Android app store is full of viruses. Their policy, similar to that of Youtube, is to let whatever get uploaded, then deal with it after hundreds of users complain about it.

Plus, you're forgetting about jailbreaking. If there happens to be an application that you want that Apple is rejecting, you can get it from the Cydia store.

[osnova]

I think it's too late to give Amazon advice. The feature-set of the device must be already finalized. I am eagerly awaiting to find out what it will be instead of speculating what it might or should be.


That being said, I would welcome some more innovation with ebook format: keep backward compatibility with mobi, add the best of epub formatting, epub-style TOC, columns, ability to embed fonts and have chapter headers/footers, right-to-left language support, sophisticated features (multiple indexes, TTS control tags), in-built support of morphology for dictionaries in multiple languages. I can only dream. Yes, and they should fix the annoying bugs (I have been documenting them here, on my blog, and reporting to Amazon but so far the bugs are still there).

Yes, and keep hardware keyboard and the speed and functionality of the search function.

[AthenaAtDelphi]

Originally Posted by rhadin

If I were to buy a tablet, I would consider the Samsung Tab long before the iPad, but that is because I would be interested in a laptop computer replacement device.

I think the ASUS Transformer system (tablet and docking station) is not only the best Android Honeycomb device , but possibly the best Tablet PC , on the market right now .