Tablet-style computers could be the key

[bulliciosa]

When the Kindle was first introduced, newspapers seemed hopeful it would be the, ever elusive, silver bullet. Personally though, I can't justify dropping $200+ on a device (in it's current state) just for reading. There's no option for colour, it's a bit too big to easily carry around and it's essentially a one-trick pony. However, I don't doubt it

Comments

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[portolan]

I think you're right about the "next step" aspect of the iPad. We're progressing toward a gadget that can address multiple needs in an all-in-one world. I haven't bought an e-reader, though I've thought I'd eventually own something like that. Now, I'm certain I'll own something that has the capability to also act as an e-reader.

[daisho]

The new Apple gadget doesn't fit in your pocket, so I question how popular what is basically an inconvenient iPhone will be. People might buy one to surf the web while watching TV, but I'm not sure how many will be willing to drop the money Apple is asking to do so.

Personally, I think a phone-sized gadget with a pull-out screen to increase the viewing area (iScroll?) might be more appealing, once flexible screen technology matures a little more.

[bulliciosa]

The new Apple gadget doesn't fit in your pocket, so I question how popular what is basically an inconvenient iPhone will be.

Personally, I'd take a tablet everywhere with me. My laptop stays at home most of the time because it's a hassle to carry around, making sure there's a power source available, etc. I'm not completely sold on the iPhone because it's too small (for me) to be used as a serious e-reader and isn't quite a fully functional computer.

As it currently stands, I totally agree that the iPad is, essentially, a glorified, over-sized iPhone. There are so many things that need to be done to make it even REMOTELY worth the money, such as making it function like an ACTUAL laptop/computer. No disc drive or flash support? That's just fucking idiotic.

This is just the beginning. I'm really hoping PC makers get their shit together and come up with something that is a bit more mass-market friendly.

Personally, I think a phone-sized gadget with a pull-out screen to increase the viewing area (iScroll?) might be more appealing,

[blunderblunder]

Why do you (personally; this is mostly curiosity) think a tablet is more appealing to consumers than a netbook/laptop?

An iPad makes sense to me as an e-reader and not much else -- pretty much all the multitasking PC functions I could ever want are met by netbooks or laptops. (And I have a widescreen laptop that I'm pretty happy with for all my media needs. So as a consumer, I don't have a *need* for something like an iPad, unless I were interested enough to get it solely as an e-reader.)

[notgruntled]

Why as an e-reader? You can read books on a laptop or netbook, too. My point: if the iPad is a better form factor for books, why not for Web sites, movies, and other media?

[blunderblunder]

Because if I want to do something besides read, especially web-browse, I'm going to want to be able to multitask. Which the iPad doesn't do.

[bulliciosa]

Tablets seem more streamlined(?) to me versus laptops. There's something about having to fold it out that makes it seem cumbersome when trying to use it as an e-reader sort of thing. The bigger thing is that I'd like to have something that can change orientation and is more hand-held. Plus, with my laptop, I always get a hot spot on my leg from where the battery is.

Personally, if a bad-ass enough tablet came around, I'd ditch my laptop in a heartbeat. I always worry about the hinge and LCD screen getting damaged.

[dragonbloodink]

I think prices for the hardware are going to have to come down a hell of a lot before it can even be a possibility. That and the niche issues are going to make it hard for it to find a real market, and thus I don't know that I think it's going to reach the kind of audience the industry would need.

[door_way]

Plus, if I'm going to buy a tablet, I'm going to invest in something with a bit more to it, that will properly load Flash Web pages, allow more than one application to run at a time, etc. and so on. Which just adds to the pricing and market issues.

[bulliciosa]

The iPad itself isn't the solution. However, it seems that manufacturers don't really seem to make any moves until Apple makes a move.

My main hope is that all the frustrations with the iPad will motivate PC manufacturers to come up with something less sucky.

[door_way]

Oh, of course the iPad isn't the solution, but the more features that "the solution" includes, the more expensive it'll be, the harder it'll be to get people to adopt it on a larger scale.

There have been plenty of tablets out for a while now from other manufacturers. Are they all as simple as Apple's? Do they all include that fancy text for reading books clearly (which only came out recently anyway)? No, but then the other manufacturers didn't set out to make a piece of crap that's limited in what it can do. I agree with the poster farther up in that I'd like them to keep working on more mobile options instead.