Tablets, I don't get it?

DMGrier

DMGrier

VIP Member
So I was looking at the ipad the other day and I have no interest in them but I just don't get what people see in them. I mean I played on it and even the ones running Android 3.0 and well in my opinion they are not that great. They run a Mobile OS which gives me half the functionality of a netbook considering you can run just about any desktop OS on a netbook and your screen is better protected cause you can close the lid when not in use.

I mean fine they are thinner then your average netbook but if I am that concerned with the size and even a netbook was to big I would then remember my Android phone that can do everything those can (for the most part) fits in my pocket. Just can some one help me see why these are so amazing and what I am missing.
 
I was looking and playing with some tablets the other day and have to agree with you, I don't understand the popularity, especially at the prices that are being charged. The screens on them are really nice, better than a netbook. However, IMO, they were awkward to hold due to their size and dimensions, I'd rather use my netbook sitting on a table.

They may be more "mobile" then a netbook but, if I want mobile, I use my Droid X.
 
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I guess it would be good for showing clips on the go to friends over 3G but other then that I agree with every one pricing is too much. The Asus transformer has more interesting price however (399$). In any case if I had a tablet I would only use it as a universal remote / keyboard and mouse. if the software was in place I would control my home theater or use the ipad as a BIG trackpad.
 
No clue...I find all of it useless at the end of the day. I will admit though I like the IDEA of those "book tablets". The problem I have with kindles and what have you is they are $150+ and they charge $10+ for a digital book that took 20 cents to upload. For that kind of money its cheaper to buy the book and trade it in. Honestly though to a degree I think people are just sheep by nature anymore. They see a group of "cool people" using them and they buy them too. I myself dislike Apple as with AT&T their service sucks and they over charge for the item + monthly service. My buddy is a Apple fan and he has $300+ bills with them which is INSANE to me.
 
uk80glue said:
I don't get it either. I can't see a situation where I need something in between my laptop and a smart phone.
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Exactly. The majority of tablets are essentially just giant phones with slightly faster processors. There are some exceptions, such as the HP Slate, which runs Windows. I'm personally a fan of the Dell Inspiron Duo, which is half tablet and half netbook. Of course, I don't want one, but I don't understand why you would buy an iPad over a windows-based alternative.

Just as haterz gonna hate, blowhards gonna blow their money on stupid crap. :rolleyes:
 
The only situation I can see where I'd want a tablet is if I could rig the electronics in my home to it. Lights, media center PC, tv, sound system, ect. If I could use it as a total universal remote with access to my computers it would be worth the money.
 
This is why I like my netbook over a lightweight tablet:

Compatibility; all my favorite programs just work, and they work exactly how i remember them.

Expandability; SD card slot, I can go on a photo shoot, and upload the photos from my canon rebel right then and there, and even edit them in adobe lightroom, all without a single cord.
USB slots for obvious reasons, transferring files, updating my ipod nano, etc.

Choice; Currently I have windows 7 and OSX Leopard installed. If I wanted I can choose a lighter but simpler windows (XP), one of the many linux distros, or even chrome os.

physical keyboard; Touch keyboards for lack of better word suck. No physical feedback = terrible accuracy

Storage capacity; My music folder accounts for more than 64gb of space...not to mention my videos

Games; Command & conquer, flatout 2, grand theft auto, classic games I know and love run in their full form.

I realize that tablets are slightly more portable and have longer battery lives than most netbooks, but then again, thats what my android phone is for.
In the end I see them as nothing more than a gimick, which unfortunately goes on my list of do not buys since i bought a house.
 
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Calibretto said:
Well, this might answer your questions and it might not, but I wrote this editorial about why I think my iPad is better than my netbook.

http://www.techerator.com/2011/04/why-i-ditched-my-netbook-for-an-ipad/
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Nice editorial! I see what you mean, although I think you could benefit more from an windows-based tablet. You did mention how your programs loaded faster, and to this I would suggest that you try to install a lightweight linux distro on your netbook (if you decide to get one again). This would probably give you a major improvement. ;)
 
spynoodle said:
Nice editorial! I see what you mean, although I think you could benefit more from an windows-based tablet. You did mention how your programs loaded faster, and to this I would suggest that you try to install a lightweight linux distro on your netbook (if you decide to get one again). This would probably give you a major improvement. ;)
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no offense to linux, but if he does that, he loses support for a lot of programs...here's my take on tablets vs netbooks since I've been around them this past month.

If you want a netbook with as good a processor as the latest tablets are coming out with (the tegra 2 dual core which also has a graphics engine) you'll have to pay just as much as the tablet costs. Almost all low cost netbooks only run the intel atom and a single gig of ram. Seriously, any netbook between $250 and $450 is running the same processor and ram. That's just ridiculous.
For those who think that tablets are basically oversized phones, try one for a week. The large screen really makes all the difference. Oh yeah, you can watch movies and play games on your phone. That's so fun on a 3 inch screen....except it's not. It's also great to be able to read books without either straining your eyes or zooming in to the point where you can only read 5 words before you scroll over.
and I mean, tablets are just way faster. And I'm not just talking spec wise and how fast things load, I'm talking everyday use. everything you want to do on a tablet is just one icon away. no folders, no directories, just tap and go.
Obviously, for the "tech savvy" community, tablets were a dumb idea. Because you can't you can't do everything under the sun on them means they are useless. well, that's not true. yeah, go ahead and edit photos on a netbook, using the 2 inch little trackpad with horrible accuracy. go ahead put a full blown operating system on an atom processor, that won't slow it down. it's all just opinion though. I don't own one myself, but I can easily see where they are more convenient then a netbook.
 
Tablets have their place in the world, just as netbooks do.
I would use a tablet simply because of the touch screen, and I would run Ubuntu 11.04 on it if I could. It's a great experience to interact with the device using your fingers rather than instruments such as that clumsy touch pad they call a mouse. Sure, they're not as good for such games as speedyink plays, but they were originally designed for productivity purposes.
And not all tablets are bulky, the iPad 2 is pretty slim and I've picked up a couple others running Windows and Android and they weren't that hard to hold. And space wise, most tablets can have almost as much space as a netbook, except for the iPad 2.
It all depends on your needs I guess.

And spynoodle, that Duo thingy is going to scrape the keyboard clean of keys if it's closed wrong ;)
 
I use one for my photography. I can take photos, load them up on the ipad, view them in a big size to see if their worth keeping, Do some light editing to see if it helps.
I could take a netbook but i need to open it up, load it up, then transfer photos over, then view them, then turn it off before going on again. Its just faster and more convenient with a tablet.
 
lucasbytegenius said:
Tablets have their place in the world, just as netbooks do.
I would use a tablet simply because of the touch screen, and I would run Ubuntu 11.04 on it if I could. It's a great experience to interact with the device using your fingers rather than instruments such as that clumsy touch pad they call a mouse. Sure, they're not as good for such games as speedyink plays, but they were originally designed for productivity purposes.
And not all tablets are bulky, the iPad 2 is pretty slim and I've picked up a couple others running Windows and Android and they weren't that hard to hold. And space wise, most tablets can have almost as much space as a netbook, except for the iPad 2.
It all depends on your needs I guess.

And spynoodle, that Duo thingy is going to scrape the keyboard clean of keys if it's closed wrong ;)
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NO IT'S NOT!!!!! AARGHFHFHFFFDFSFSFS *Mouth Foam*
 
Twist86 said:
No clue...I find all of it useless at the end of the day. I will admit though I like the IDEA of those "book tablets". The problem I have with kindles and what have you is they are $150+ and they charge $10+ for a digital book that took 20 cents to upload. For that kind of money its cheaper to buy the book and trade it in. Honestly though to a degree I think people are just sheep by nature anymore. They see a group of "cool people" using them and they buy them too. I myself dislike Apple as with AT&T their service sucks and they over charge for the item + monthly service. My buddy is a Apple fan and he has $300+ bills with them which is INSANE to me.
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I used to think the same thing about Kindles, but now I totally changed my opinion on them. My parents got me one for christmas, and trust me, if you are a reader they are definitely worth the money. They are a nice mix of technology and old school and nowadays people (including me) will pretty much use anything that has technology tied to it. I find myself reading a whole lot just to get the chance to use the kindle. at my college i've only ever seen two other people using kindles, so i dont think they've reached 'sheep user' status
 
Troncoso said:
no offense to linux, but if he does that, he loses support for a lot of programs...
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For starters there are a lot of Open Source software to easily replace the Windows programs :) and in some cases some Open Source software sets the standard for new features for software that will run on Windows programs at a later date.

Netbooks have a full OS, even with the wide apps out there for the mobile OS it is no where near the ability of netbook. Even the version of software for the mobile os is not as advance as a desktop version of it. Plus if you do your research depending on the model of netbook you could run any OS you want example being where as most netbooks can only run Linux Flavors and Windows the Dell mini 9 I have can run Windows, Linux Flavor of your chioce or OSX.
 
I have an Ipad 1 and the latest macbook pro.
If I had to chose between them, the macbook pro would definitely win.
Tablets offer a different experience for games and they do have their place, I carry mine around with me in my backpack, and use it a fair bit.
 
DMGrier said:
So I was looking at the ipad the other day and I have no interest in them but I just don't get what people see in them.....
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Given the huge sales of them, about 12 million in the last 6 months, there are a large number of people who do see some value in them. In the first weekend of iPad2 sales, they sold 500,000.

As a non-user of iPad or netbooks (and the last person in the World who would line up to buy anything), the difference in thickness (about half) is a huge advantage in portability. Isn't that the primary reason for having an iPad? A mobile multimedia centre, browser, phone and general gizmo-runner?

I have to have a dig at Linux suggestions - the general public does not care two hoots about Linux. A non-starter for most iPad purchasers.
 
Nanobyte said:
Given the huge sales of them, about 12 million in the last 6 months, there are a large number of people who do see some value in them. In the first weekend of iPad2 sales, they sold 500,000.
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^ Now that always sends me on a rant. :)

The mere fact that a large percentage of that 500,000 already had iPad 1s..... disgusts me. I mean... really?
 
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