Huge value? What "killer app" does the iPad or any other tablet have for you? By "killer app" I mean "thing you can't do as well with any other device".
how do you read a book standing up with a laptop?
The iPad does a lot of things very well
Stable OS-I've never had a lock up or freeze
Instant on
A metric shit ton of apps
Active jailbreak developers
Killer support at the Apple store
10 hours of battery life
Apps like Flipboard, Netflix, Hulu +
support for nearly 5 years worth of iPhone apps
I'm beginning to think the iPads real magic is to piss off people that freak out over disruptive technology. Suddenly, basement dweller Jim Bob realizes he's not the guru he was a year ago...
We all enjoy our Star Trek tablets, I can't have a flying car, so I got a tablet.
Name me one meal that you can cook better in a microwave than with a dedicated stovetop or oven.
Now which appliance do you use more in your house?
It's light.'Does a lot of things really well' isn't what I asked. I asked what does the iPad or any other tablet do that people just gotta have that can't be done as well with any other device?
Garageband and iMovie are both superior to their desktop counterparts, the fact that it is a little over 1lb in weight and wakes instantly is also useful.
I also disagree with your earlier implication that the majority of iPads have been sold simply because of the name. I won't argue that the Apple name moves product, but so does getting close enough, look at Samsung.
Your argument seems to be 'Apple is popular, ergo people will buy it regardless. I see no utility in tablets, ergo there must be no utility in tablets. If there was utility in tablet, all tablets would be selling equally well'.
I disagree with your points, and if I have misread your implications, let me know, but I think that I got pretty close. The problem I have is that Motorola and Samsung are not exactly unknown brands. And Android has made a name for itself, it is not some up and comer that only the cool kids know about. My mom has an Android phone for crying out loud, and she knows that it is Android. People are going to the store, playing with the Android tablets, one after the other, putting them down and going to stand in line to play with the iPad (at the best buy in my area, there usually seems to be at least a couple people playing with the iPads at all times).
None of the Android tablets have been able to answer the 'why should I get this instead of an iPad' question sufficiently yet. But for many people, the iPad answers the 'why should i get this instead of a laptop' question well enough.
Seriously though...if you have a busy lifestyle and/or kids then a tablet is a wonderful device that provides a ton of utility.
LOL indeed.
What's the over/under on Mr. Antitablet using Facebook?
A potential example, but not really "killer".
So other computer/tablet/smartphone brands have had people camp outside in long lines the night before something new is released? Hardly. When AppleTV first came out, people waited in long lines for it... yet it turned out to be, well, let's just say, less than a smash hit in the end. Why did they wait in long lines for a pretty stupid product? Because that product had an Apple logo on it.
They wouldn't sell "equally well"... there'd just be less disparity; more people would see a need to buy one.
If there was a killer app for which tablets were the ultimate form factor all tablets would be selling as fast as they could be manufactured.
The average consumer is fooled and tricked quite easily (unfortunately)... into spending money they don't really have on things they don't really need and won't really be happy with. Would that $400-500 tablet bring them $400-500 in happiness/satisfaction? Doubtful... but they get one partly because others are and partly because they look cool. Many will, after the novelty of buying something new wears off, then complain about their credit card bill or about not having enough money for either what they truly want to do/buy or essential stuff they need.
The vast majority of people buying tablets right now are like kids on Christmas morning; playing with their new toys only to get bored with them by New Year's... bored in the sense that they aren't as excited about having it and somewhat regret spending money on it.
Not for you maybe. But in the hands of musician or budding auteur, very powerful.
Pretty sure the OG Droid had that. Mostly it was people queuing up just before the store opened, but there were some diehards out there the night before. Do you have any proof of people camping out for the AppleTV 1? I don't remember that at all, and I don't think it happened with the 2 either.
The same could be said for their laptops. Is the average consumer really getting $500 worth of happiness/satisfaction out of the $400 laptop from Best Buy? Probably not. They are using it to check their facebook page, look up recipes, and check their comcast.net email among other things.
The nature of this forum prohibits me from responding in the manner in which I would prefer, but I do think the sales of 25 million iPads would suggest it has a broad appeal, and that you're incapable of actually having a rational discussion on the subject.
I mean seriously, why in the world do you have such strong and incorrect assumptions about a flipping computer?
That's not a "killer app".
'Does a lot of things really well' isn't what I asked. I asked what does the iPad or any other tablet do that people just gotta have that can't be done as well with any other device?
Musicians are vastly, vastly outnumbered by those who only listen to music.
People wait in huge lines for every new product Apple announces, whether it's ultimately a good product or not. The same cannot be said of any other computer, tablet, or smartphone maker. Steve Jobs makes an announcement about their newest product and instantly people camp outside and wait in ridiculously long lines. That doesn't happen after new product announcements from other companies.
Most people who are buying tablets also have a laptop or netbook. Buying a tablet that can only do part of what a laptop does, even if it's the most common things they do, is hardly worth an additional $400-500.
The relatively modest increase in convenience of a tablet versus a laptop/netbook is worth a price, but $400-500? Given the ubiquity of very high credit card debt and low cash-on-hand these days in America, more people should be making-do with what they have... not spending hundreds of dollars for stuff that offers no additional functionality and only offers convenience.
The iPad does a lot of things very well
Stable OS-I've never had a lock up or freeze
Instant on
A metric shit ton of apps
Active jailbreak developers
Killer support at the Apple store
10 hours of battery life
Apps like Flipboard, Netflix, Hulu +
support for nearly 5 years worth of iPhone apps
I'm beginning to think the iPads real magic is to piss off people that freak out over disruptive technology. Suddenly, basement dweller Jim Bob realizes he's not the guru he was a year ago...
Just to play the devi's advocate by substituting a good ultraportable for the iPad.
instant on w/ SSD
Perfectly stable
Far more apps than the iPad
No need to jailbreak it do do what you want
(0optional)next business day support + the ability to service it yourself
~13 hours of battery life
Hulu & network sites for free streaming, netfilx, Hulu+
Apps like Photoshop, MS Office, Call of Duty Black Ops, Minecraft etc
support for more than a decade's worth of Windows apps
the ability to play back any media format you would encounter
1080p video playback
flash support
What does an ultraportable weigh to get 13 hours? Even the ones that get 6 or 7 hours are 4 pounds or more. That's 2x3x the weight of a typical tablet. And not to mention cost. What kind of specs and battery life can you get for $400 or $500?
And it still doesn't address the pure beauty of a tablet....and that's function. My three year old can use it without a problem. My parents can pick it up and use it without an issue. I can scroll through webpages and books much easier than with a mouse or a trackpad. They are a purpose built product with convenience and function as the primary objective.
Tablets are not PC replacements. Hell you can't even activate an iPad without docking it to iTunes first. They are supplements to your electronic lifestyle.
3.6 pounds for a x220 with the 9 cell battery and if you don't mind adding another pound or so you can get the slice battery that is good for roughly 20 hours. Yes it will cost you roughly $1k but compared to a top of the line iPad it isn't really that unreasonable.
Function is one area were I find that tablets fail the most. Can I type up a document on it? not really. Can it run any of the applications I need for work? nope. Will it playback my existing library of media? No. Basically the only things they seem good at is reading ebooks and email but $500+ is a pretty steep price for that. I will admit a ultraportable isn't as suitable for 3 year olds but for most people that is a non issue.