
10 Reasons To Buy A Tablet (And 5 Reasons Not To) - solipsist
http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/12/10-reasons-to-buy-a-tablet-and-5-reasons-not-to/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
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zipdog
I'm interested by the nosedive in attention to netbooks.

Obviously the media has gotten bored and moved onto tablets, but have
consumers really moved past netbooks? I thought they filled a real niche and
would be significant for a lot longer

~~~
akgerber
I see a lot more real people using netbooks as opposed to tablets. Tablets
still seem like a toy for older rich folks while netbooks are a viable cheap
computing option for a lot of people who don't need a machine that does any
heavy lifting.

~~~
epochwolf
I see netbooks all the time. I'm the only person wandering around the local
coffee shops with an iPad.

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solipsist
Their reasons not to buy a tablet are somewhat flawed.

They essentially say that...

    
    
       1. Tablets aren't portable
       2. Tablets don't have hardcore games
       3. Tablets can't do "real" work
       4. Tablets aren't better than laptops when it comes to surfing the web,
          watching movies, etc.
       5. Tablets will be replaced with other tablets (who would have thought!)
    

Reasons 1-4 are all based off the assumption that tablets should be able to
compete with laptops and phones at the same time. However, tablets are in a
different market than phones and laptops for a reason. Apple and some other
companies have come along and created something that people have been longing
for a while: an intermediate device between a phone and a laptop.

Tablets are portable, but not the same way phones are. That's because people
would rather carry around something of bigger size with more functionality
than a phone.

Tablets don't have hardcore games, because the majority of users are casual
gamers. Hardcore games are for people who sit down at their computers for
hours while leveling up on a game. Casual games are for people who want to
play games in short spurts for quick fun. No long term commitment is needed.

Tablets do the work most people need to do on the go. "Real" work is done at a
desk on a laptop or desktop. Tablets are there to fill in and help get the
basic work done when you're on a taxi, plane, etc.

Tablets let you surf the web and watch movies anywhere, with ease. Instead of
some distant interaction with your laptop using a mouse, tablets offer direct
control using touch. They give you the features you need and no more. Content
consumption and entertainment has never been better than it has with the
tablet.

I will refrain from discussing the last argument listed in the article, as
another argument will come along in a few weeks and replace that argument.
There's no worth wasting my time doing something like _that_. :)

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saturdaysaint
In my experience, the iPad (and, by extension, all current 10" tablets) makes
a mediocre e-reader. I found the form factor uniquely uncomfortable for casual
reading in bed or in a chair - it's too heavy to hold comfortably for more
than 5 - 10 minutes. I liked the portability, but ultimately there was no use
case where I wouldn't prefer an ultraportalbe laptop or a Kindle. I sold mine
on Craigslist after 4 months. If they can shave a quarter of a pound off, I'll
be interested again.

~~~
true_religion
I wouldn't mind it because in bed, I don't even hold books. Instead I place it
on the mattress and lean to it. So the weight is unimportant. What's imporant
is that its flat and relatively short like the size of a large tradeback
novel.

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beoba
I've never really understood tablets.

I'm of the opinion that if I was going to carry around something too big to
fit in a pocket, I might as well just make that thing a laptop.

~~~
pohl
I love mine. I never carry it around, but I use it all the time. I guess I
sometimes carry it from the nightstand to the sofa, or to the kitchen, or to
my desk to sync. Those journeys are too brief for a pocket.

~~~
beoba
Yeah, I do that with my laptop. It does everything, and I can use it for hours
without discomfort.

~~~
pohl
I like to lay flat on my back - with my 14 month old son napping on my chest -
watching some tech presentation video (or browsing, or even playing the LASW
RTS. These are sublime moments that my laptop can't bring me.

~~~
dablya
I'm having a hard time picturing this being comfortable (or more comfortable
than having a laptop sitting next to you). Are you holding the tablet above
your son the entire time? Don't your arms get tired?

~~~
pohl
I had to watch myself do it because I had never noticed the specifics. Turns
out it varies. Sometimes I'm holding it over him, but the weight is being
transferred through my forearm to the sofa beside my body through one or both
elbows. Other times my hand is just balancing it and little Henry's diaper-
padded posterior is propping it up. I have a cover on it that flips behind the
tablet,like one would fold a magazine cover behind a magazine, and sometimes I
hold the thing with my index finger extended horizontally into this hinge,
with a moment of force being applied by the side of the device into the palm
of my hand.

It's never been something I had given much though to. The idea of craning my
neck and reaching my arms to operate a laptop on the table beside me strikes
my as uncomfortable, though.

To each their own, I guess.

