I feel like I have whiplash.
Tablets are awesome. The PC is dead. Tablets will rule our world.
Wait! Not so fast…
Just in the past couple weeks, it seems like the tablet market has come under some extra scrutiny. Maybe it’s just me looking for headlines like this because I am not a believer in the end of the PC era, or maybe it stems from an IBM-er saying the PC is dead, or all of the angst around Apple vs Samsung in Europe. Who knows, but this is a small taste of what seems to jump off the Google Reader page at me:
- 10 Reasons to Leave the Tablet Home And Bring the PC On the Next Trip
- Report: Best Buy Wants HP To Take Back Unsold TouchPads
- More Evidence That There’s No ‘Tablet Market’
- Did The iPad Preemptively Kill The US Tablet Market Like The Kindle & Nook Killed Other Ebook Readers?
- Five reasons why the PC is not dead
- Shipping vs. selling: Would-be iPad killers to sell dirt cheap just to “digest inventory overstock
- Why consumers won’t buy tablets (unless they’re iPads)
So what gives? Is the tablet craze simply that…a craze driven by Apple’s resurrection of an all but dead category from years past? The fact that Apple has the uncanny ability to create something so simple and so appealing to consumers is a testament to their vision and brand prowess, but is it meant for everyone? I mean, just because Apple has experienced tremendous success, does that automatically mean it’s officially a market everyone should pay attention to? Perhaps, but the headlines above would seem to indicate the demand for tablets is much lower than prognosticators would have expected i.e. dropping prices, inventory returns, etc.
The problem for most tablets is that they’re not iPads and consumers ultimately always compare to the leader, just read this post by James Kendrick on ZD Net. Manufacturers need to focus on delivering solutions in the tablet form factor that offer everything the iPad offers and more, or something entirely different. Archos is one manufacturer that is trying to do this, Samsung perhaps would be another.
The fact of the matter is that the iPad has resurrected the tablet form factor, but it’s too early to estimate how big the market is going to be. Consumers not manufacturers or analysts will determine that. The only control we have is to create something people want even if they don’t realize they want it…Apple did that, and no one else has yet to match it.
So is the tablet craze over? Long live the smartphone 🙂
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A tablet with a side of storage please
Image by: visualphotos.com
I would argue that the tablet market is there, just not at the price point that current manufacturers have tried. People will pay iPad prices for an iPad, just as people will pay Macbook prices for a Macbook.
But consumers aren’t willing to pay iPad prices for an HP or Motorola or Blackberry. Other manufacturers are competing for the cost-conscious consumer (just as in the PC market.) See how quickly the discounted HP Touchpad sold out- though reviews of the Touchpad were lukewarm at $500, consumers will happily accept those flaws in a $150 device.
The first android tablet manufacturer that gives us decent specs in a sub-$200 device will rule the market. As long as they try and cling to high-margin $500+ devices, Apple will eat them alive.
love both cant decide
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None of the tablets out there today can replace my PC, but they’re a nice addition to the pack. Comparing to the leader is just what I did. In my case, the iPad lost the battle.
Reason 1: although I agree with Apple that Flash is ancient technology and should be replaced ASAP, fact is that most websites I visit use Flash in some way. Android tablet 1, iPod 0.
Reason 2: connectivity. I gladly give up a few mm of thickness in order to get a proper USB connector. Android tablet 2, iPod 0.
Reason 3: Apple’s stranglehold on the consumer. Sorry Apple, I don’t suffer from the Stockholm Syndrom. Android tablet 3, iPad 0.
Is the iPad a bad choice? Of course not. It’s great, brilliant even, and in many ways. I don’t even consider an iPad to be expensive. It just can’t fulfill my demands and expectations, that’s all.
@Hans Great points Hans. Thanks for sharing your experiences on this topic…I think Android is more sought after by techies, and you sound like you know what you are talking about. -Mark
[…] Is the tablet craze coming to an end already? GoFlex Satellite: it’s not the end of the PC era, it may be just the beginning… A tablet with a hard drive? …no way! If tablets = snacking, then notebooks = mealtime A tablet with a side of storage please Share and Enjoy: […]
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