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The HP Touchpad launched at $499. Then dropped to $399. Then just 4 weeks later, HP gave up and ditched the entire business.
I don't think they gave it enough of a chance...
The HP Touchpad launched at $499. Then dropped to $399. Then just 4 weeks later, HP gave up and ditched the entire business.
I don't think they gave it enough of a chance...
I agree. I wish that there had been more apps for it, since WebOS was actually pretty good, but in the end it's not a big deal.
I' loaded CM 9 (Android 3x) on it and never looked back.
Will never happen. Quality tablets will stabilize around the $499-$799 mark.
Nah, probably not (IMO) because many people are finding out - again, my opinion - how limited tablets can be. For example more & more iPad adopters have written on various forums and review sites how after a few weeks of the "honeymoon period" they realized their tablet ended up sitting on a shelf most of the time.
Need to print? Gotta go over to the printer and hook it up or go buy a new wireless printer. Need to type out an extensive report or other important document? If you're like me and don't like using virtual keyboards, go purchase and then haul out a wireless physical keyboard or insert the pad into a keyboard dock (which you also had to purchase separately).....which needs to be sitting on a desk. And don't forget the mouse because I cannot imagine using a touchscreen inserted into a wiggly/rickety dock gizmo makes for a productive experience. And hopefully every website you visit is optimized for tablets because those lil' touchscreens sure can make the text & photos on many sites really teensy & hard to read.
That kind of hassle for more than $300 just doesn't make sense to me.
I will freely admit tablets in general in certain situations really are more useful vs. even the thinnest/lightest laptops i.e. hospitals, a forest ranger gathering data on local plant & animal conditions (I bet Panasonic will soon come out with a "Toughtablet" to complement their Toughbook laptop line), a coach keeping track of his/her athletes' performance figures out at the track etc but IMO they are not 100% replacements for laptops and certainly not replacements for a desktop computer.
Last edited by Lije Baley; 03-07-2012 at 04:10 PM..
Nah, probably not (IMO) because many people are finding out - again, my opinion - how limited tablets can be. For example more & more iPad adopters have written on various forums and review sites how after a few weeks of the "honeymoon period" they realized their tablet ended up sitting on a shelf most of the time.
See.. I hear a lot of people that don't like tablets cite this *fact* all the time.
Truth is? It's not true. Not at all. "But I saw it in a forum!!"
(Credit to you for saying IMO)
People like to complain. It's the "in thing" to do: Apple bash.
For every forum post you see that says "I don't even use my iPad anymore" there are 1,000,000 that still use it every day.
If that was even remotely close to true, the iPad 2 would have tanked. Do you know how many people ditched the iPad for the iPad2? MILLIONS. A lot of iPad sales are repeat buyers. A lot of the new iPad3 sales will be repeat buyers.
Have you used an iPad? I am guessing not.
Are you on Facebook? Do you have a personal email account? Do you sometimes just surf the net for no real reason? These are things the tablets do very well. Beyond well. If this is all you really do on a laptop, you no longer need a laptop. And for a lot of people... this is all they do.
My wife hasn't opened her laptop in about 8 months.... 8 months ago she got an Ipad2. She is the norm, not the exception.
And we are still trying to figure out why we would buy a tablet. We just can't see a need no matter how hard we try.
Same. I have a smart phone, a netbook, and a really nice desktop. I like the phone because it fits in my pocket. I'm willing to live with the limitations such as a relatively small screen, no keyboard, and lack of true windowed multi-tasking because its so portable. Of those limitations, the only issue a tablet addresses is the small screen and to some extent the lack of keyboard. But then its too big to take everywhere unless I buy a purse. If I were to commit to carrying around a device in a purse, I'd lean more toward an ultrabook since its a fully capable computer, not just a web and Angry Birds device.
OK, so a tablet could be used in the living room for surfing the net while watching TV. I've done that with the netbook but not enough to justify another device. I don't even watch that much TV. I probably spend more time watching Netflix at my desk on my second monitor than I spend in front of the TV.
People like to complain. It's the "in thing" to do: Apple bash.
I'm not Apple bashing - the post I wrote above pertained to (as I wrote) tablets in general. I brought up that my-iPad-sits-on-the-shelf example because those are the tablets that were used by the people who wrote those messages.
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If that was even remotely close to true, the iPad 2 would have tanked. Do you know how many people ditched the iPad for the iPad2? MILLIONS.
I'm not sure what this has to do with a tablet's practical uses. If anything, I think it has to do with some people's need to have the latest and greatest, even if the latest is barely better than the "old" version. And I have to wonder, since the iPad still doesn't use Flash, how many people cannot access certain features of all those sites that use Flash (and many sites are 100% Flash-based, like this artist-centered media creation collective who's done stuff for Beck among others - so no access at all!) and end up having go over to their horrible clunky laptop or desktop to do what they want/need to do.
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Have you used an iPad? I am guessing not.
Yes, I have. For what it is I think it's a well-designed piece of equipment - no ass-kissing here, I mean that - but like most Apple gear I think it's severely overpriced.
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Are you on Facebook?
Not any more. Their sloppy & arrogant (to me) attitude toward privacy issues was the final straw in driving me off that site.
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Are you on Facebook? Do you have a personal email account? Do you sometimes just surf the net for no real reason? These are things the tablets do very well.
I already discussed activities like those in a previous post and said I thought paying $300+ for such mundane uses - especially when combined with the hassles I also listed, particularly when it comes to web surfing - was not worth it to me.
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My wife hasn't opened her laptop in about 8 months.... 8 months ago she got an Ipad2. She is the norm, not the exception.
See my previous post about tablet usage.
Again, I think tablets have their place in a household but not when they cost 2X or more than a laptop or desktop that is much more powerful and many times is easier to use.
The fact that the Kindle Fire and other similarly priced tablets are selling so well tells me I am not the only one who shares my views towards tablets in general.
I am one of those people who looks at tablets as "they are as useful as a dustbuster to a bachelor guy". Much like a dusbuster, the tablet idea was innovative and cool initially but for those who prefer muscle and larger size from their screen and PCs, a tablet or even a laptop just doesn't cut it, not to mention overpriced in case of tablets and iAnythings.
The only time I ever used a laptop was when it was a job requirement. One of my previous employers actually gave me a laptop which was decent at the time. I think I turned it one once to do a fresh install before giving it to my sister.
I sincerely agree on that point: tablets (and phones for that matter) are very over priced.
On the other hand, the laptop that your wife hasn't used in 8 months IS clearly over priced. It's just sitting there .
Same exact thing with my wife's laptop. Usage has gone way, way down. You can do most web surfing, email, notes, movies, ebooks, magazines, games, quick DIY info, etc... on a tablet.
Maybe I'll buy my wife the new iPad and keep her iPad for myself. Keep her happy, so I can buy my guns, motorcycle, DSLR camera, and a pickup truck.
I still can't believe how useful a gadget this tablet has evolved into. I was one of those that doubted the tablet's usability but always kept an open mind about it. Different strokes for different folks ....
I grab it whenever I can. Bring it everwhere with me. While waiting for the wife out shopping. For the son's after-school activities. Reading and surfing in the dark. Watching movies on a plane, train or bus. Battery life is excellent.
When lots of typing is called for, I slip it into the leather folio with bluetooth keyboard. Hardly ever a need for a laptop.
In our case, I can't see a need ever for a netbook. I have a 13 inch laptop. What would I need a netbook for? The way I see it, we have 1 gaming PC for the son, 1 laptop (for just in case we need it), and 2 tablets and we're golden. My wife has a smart phone (iPhone). I have a plane jane cell phone because I don't want nor need a smartphone. I don't text either.
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And don't forget the mouse because I cannot imagine using a touchscreen inserted into a wiggly/rickety dock gizmo makes for a productive experience. And hopefully every website you visit is optimized for tablets because those lil' touchscreens sure can make the text & photos on many sites really teensy & hard to read.
laptop or desktop to do what they want/need to do.
