
Why the iPad Is Going Extinct - kristianp
https://newrepublic.com/article/128577/ipad-going-extinct
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edgan
Tablets aren't worthless, but they are niche. The niche is where a phone
doesn't have a big enough screen, but a laptop is too cumbersome.

1\. Video and map display for a drone in the field

2\. Reading, you could use a dedicated device, but I don't

3\. Secondary display to watch video(TV) passively while working on a laptop,
while not around a TV

4\. Some games for the bigger display, and increased battery life

One of the things has held tablets back is that historically you had to have a
second data plan to get your tablet online anywhere. So most people would get
the wifi only models. I find the combination of a phone as the mifi like
device, and the tablet as the great combination at times.

You can now share data between devices on some plans, but carrier
compatibility definitely complicates things.

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grubles
You have four points. One of which involves some conflict in Afghanistan,
while the other three involve sitting on one's ass consuming content. That is
a huge discrepancy. I don't know if that means tablets are destined to stay
around for a while or that they are completely replaceable with a laptop or a
"phablet."

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nikdaheratik
The headline is a bit overdramatic. The iPad isn't taking off like the iPhone,
mainly because fewer people need it and not very many people are interested in
replacing it every other year. But it's still _useful_ and bringing in a
profit.

The end of the article, however, does make a good point. All of these
publications that were betting on jumpstarting sales again by all these new
iPad users are very disappointed. No one has managed to keep the bundle + ads
business model working and Facebook/Google/social is eating their lunch. So
Apple's doing okay with the product, but one of the iPad's "killer apps"
turned out to be a dud.

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legitster
I've regretted each tablet I've ever bought. They aren't as powerful as
laptops, they aren't as portable as phones, they don't read as nicely as a
Kindle or (gasp) a library book.

They end up sitting in a pile. For the odd occasion that I might want to pull
one out I barely bother to keep them charged.

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api
I've seen it this way for a while: tablets occupy an uncanny valley between a
phone and a desktop/laptop. They are too restricted/jailed and limited in UI
scope to replace the latter, and they are too bulky to replace the former.

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notjustanymike
Strange nobody wanted to shell out $600 for a device that only let you
consume. Also strange to refer to Microsoft's Surface as a hybrid tablet. It's
still a tablet, just one with better features and software than Apple's.

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api
Surface is a laptop with a detachable keyboard.

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bhhaskin
That is what a tablet is. Most tablets these days run mobile OS. I think that
is where the real issue is. Mobile OS are great for consuming content, but not
at creating content.

