

A Google Tablet: Why the Android Community Needs It - vmyy99
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/A-Google-Tablet-10-Reasons-Why-the-Android-Community-Needs-It-570865/

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lukifer
Android doesn't need a Google tablet, it needs a _great_ tablet, regardless of
who makes it. And I don't see it happening anytime soon.

Android tablets aren't terrible. They're fast, usable, and some of them have
real advantages over iPads. But they miss the point of the iPad market:
_making computing fun_. In the hands of regular people, Android tablets feel
heavy, clunky, techy, okay-I-guess. If they were significantly cheaper, people
might not care, and buy the most affordable movie/game thing for the kids. But
they're the same price, and often more.

And of course, that's aside from the mess that is the ecosystem. I don't think
apps are a big deal to regular people, but games are, and so are books, movies
and music. These things exist on Android, but both the selection and the
experience can't compare to iTunes (which in my mind, should be a relatively
low bar).

No one wants them to put out a really good tablet more than me. But the tablet
market is incredibly different from the phone market, and neither Google nor
its hardware partners seem to be chasing the right things.

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bookwormAT
I disagree here: There is nothing heavy, clunky or techy about Samsung's
Galaxy Tab series. The devices are slim, light, durable and they look
stunning. Android 4.0 also makes much more sense as a tablet operating system
than iOS. IMHO of course.

The reason they do no sell any of these things is simply that consumers need a
good reason why they should not buy the default that everyone else is buying.

The iPad has the mindshare of both consumers and developers, and making a
tablet that is thinner than the ipad doesn't convince anyone to switch. Well,
price does.

~~~
lukifer
Disclaimer: I've not held every Android tablet in my hands, so my opinion is
based on general impressions of many non-Apple tablets. And I'm only talking
about the bigger tablets; in the 7" space, Androids compete more with
e-readers than the iPad.

I just checked, and I had no idea that the 10" Tabs beat the iPad on weight.
If it wasn't for the fact that I prefer 4:3, I'd be strongly tempted. And
credit where it's deserved: Android 3+ is much better at tailoring the
environment to a tablet rather than being a modified smartphone OS.

Nonetheless, I can't really picture my mom using a Tab. That may be an unfair
assumption, but that's part of my point: the Android ecosystem is not creating
the right impression with its target market of people who are sick of their
computing experience being computer-y. (And of course, the price issue is also
huge for a luxury item like a tablet.)

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rogerbinns
Not mentioned is the critical issue of pricing. Every manufacturer can and has
made an expensive tablet. There are a boatload that are more expensive than
Apple's offerings.

The widely held belief is that Amazon's $200 effort is sold a few dollars
below cost. It is also fairly cheesy hardware and construction.

If Google make a cheap tablet it is also going to be a mediocre tablet. The
pundits all write as though what will be produced with be both cheap and good
quality/featured. I'll bet a cheap/mediocre device would actually end up
benefiting Amazon (better "ecosystem" for the same price) and Apple (may as
well spend $100 or so more and get quality).

It would be more interesting if Google had a range of 3 tablets in price and
quality/functionality since the conversation then becomes which Google tablet
to buy.

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BlackShirt
IMO, the issue is not the tablets themselves but the apps.

The thing Google should focus on, is promoting good apps, they're are
currently doing some promoting (e.g. staff picks, top developer), but a
developer's choice when it comes to this type of promoting is limited to hope.
What they need is something like the Apple's approval system, but not to the
extreme of "the app is either approved or denied". The developer can pay a fee
to get his app reviewed (UX, performance, ...etc) and when "approved", it gets
a symbol (check mark, star, whatever) and put on a category of "promoted"
apps. This will probably encourage more developers to put more effort, and
more users to trust more the quality of promoted apps.

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nixle
Kindle Fire <3

