
I Can't Find a Single Productive Use For My Tablet - fraqed
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/i-cant-find-a-single-productive-use-for-my-tablet/
======
greggman
I have an iPad3 and a Nexus 7. They sit mostly unused. I'll pick up the iPad3
once in while just for fun. I've played a few games to completion (Sword and
Sworcery, Groove Coaster) but that's about it.

I don't find them good for consuming except for movies on a plane. Movies at
home? The bigger the screen the better. I'd much rather watch movies on my 42
inch TV from my sofa than my tablets.

Reading? I'd much rather use my Kindle Paperwhite. It's better on the eyes and
soooo much lighter.

Browsing the internet? I'm a curious person and I click lots of links. So for
example I'll come to HN and ctrl click every title that sounds interesting.
Tablets hate this workflow as they start removing tabs. Even when it does work
invariably I'll run into a page that doesn't work on the tablet. Maybe it's a
WebGL page. Maybe it's a Flash page. Maybe it's a page that requires
interactivity but does not respond to touch events.

Finally I'll want to comment on something or post something I found to my
facebook or G+. In those cases tablets suck balls. Editing text in a tablet is
a exercise in frustration. Trying to move the cursor, format, copy and paste.
It's not fun. Pasting a link in the Facebook app doesn't generate a editable
preview like it does in a regular browser and many other shortcomings.

I could go on and on. Some of these limitations I put up with on my phone but
then my phone fits in my pocket and is always with me. My tablets though,
really, I find them pretty useless. There's sole purpose at this point is to
once in a while check out some new app someone tells me about. Otherwise mine
are unused.

~~~
8ig8
> I'm a curious person and I click lots of links. So for example I'll come to
> HN and ctrl click every title that sounds interesting. Tablets hate this
> workflow as they start removing tabs.

I'm the same way on my desktop, but on my iPad, I accomplish this by using the
'Add to Reading List' functionality. Just tap and hold a link and it is queued
up.

I used this all the time for HN and Google News. I like not having the clutter
of tabs.

~~~
pooriaazimi
It also saves them for offline viewing, so you can view those "tabs" in, say,
a bus to work (without using 3G network).

------
Mz
Probably stupid to admit this, but I bought a tablet to go homeless. It has a
longer battery life, which is extremely important when access to electricity
is limited. It is also far more user-friendly when in a tent or otherwise
without proper desk facilities, which is the norm for me, not the exception.
Given my medical condition, I view paper as evil. And normal keyboards get
pretty disgusting. My tablet is surprisingly clean. Yes, it can be annoying in
all the ways he lists. But it is my personal lifeline. I make money with it.
It allows me to participate in online forums, which helps me keep my sanity.
And a million other useful, productive things.

I had dual monitors at work when I had a job at a Fortune 500 company. Yes,
they can be great. But I posit that tablets aren't useless, the author is
merely too rich and spoiled (as are lots of people on hn, who no agree with
him). Not everyone can afford dual monitors and multiple other electronic
devices to choose from. That's like saying cars are passe and going out of
style since I got my pilot's license. Why would I want to drive when I can
fly? Hey, good for you. But there are quite a lot of people on planet earth of
more modest means (maybe he has heard of third world countries?) who, like me,
might well appreciate the hell out of having a tablet. I am sure I would
happily go back to a netbook should my circumstances suddenly change. For now,
I cannot imagine how painful that would be under my present circumstances.

Back to your regularly scheduled discussion.

~~~
phaus
It's not stupid at all. If you didn't buy it, you would have lost a source of
revenue, which would have made your situation worse in the long run.

I'm definitely spoiled, as in, I've never had to worry about having food and
shelter. I've been close to that point while looking for work, but its never
actually happened.

I'm fortunate enough to have a tablet and a computer, and while my computer is
clearly better suited to some tasks, I could do pretty much everything that I
have to do with a tablet, a Bluetooth keyboard, a $5/month vps, and an
internet connection. It might not be ideal, but if it were my only option, I'd
be just fine. There's actually people out there who prefer to work like this.

In short, I don't always create content on my tablet, but it definitely helps
me be more productive.

~~~
Mz
Stupid to admit it because my credibility is in the toilet as is. Reminding
people that I am homeless just gives them another excuse to be dismissive
assholes. No one wants to hear that I am competent, intelligent, etc and on
the street because of my medical situation. It is too threatening. It is far
more comfortable to believe my problems are somehow due to poor choices. It is
similar to the principle that if you want to convict a rapist, you want a jury
full of middle aged men, not women. Women will blame the victim and let the
rapist off. Most women do not want to believe that you can do nothing wrong
and still be the victim of sexual assault. So they find fault with the rape
victim and conclude she was "asking for it" so they can tell themselves "I
will never be raped because I would not (dress that way/talk that way/go to
that part of town/whatever)."

I know plenty about social psychology. It is actually a personal strength or I
literally would likely have died.

Anyway, off topic and probably nothing anyone wants to hear. I am just kind of
cranky this morning.

------
mbrock
My iPad mini is pretty useful for me. I use it for all kinds of random stuff,
nothing too serious. It's not absolutely indispensable, but very nice -- and
fun at that.

Getting away from my cubicle to sit somewhere nicer with a cup of coffee and
plan/brainstorm with SimpleMind+, a great little mindmapping tool whose touch
interface is really slick.

Calendar and mail works great. It's like a little secretary.

Sitting in my armchair in the morning with a cup of tea reviewing todos and
stuff is nice.

I'm comfortable enough with writing on the iPad mini (in portrait) to write
stuff in Drafts (great app). Sitting somewhere with the tablet makes it easier
for me to focus on just writing. I usually write in Markdown and save to
Dropbox, then I can do whatever with it on the computer later.

Reading articles on Instapaper. Not "productive" in the narrow sense, but I
don't really subscribe to this dichotomy!

I also use it as a remote for my music player... Meditation timer... I play
music with some friends and it's awesome to be able to just pull up the chords
& lyrics for any song. (Plus Propellerheads has a fun iPad synth that I play
some silly leads on...)

I didn't really have any idea what I was going to use it for when I bought it,
I just needed it to do some mobile web app prototyping. But it's delightful!
My laptop is pretty stationary now -- the mini fits in my inner coat pocket.

~~~
visarga
> it's delightful .... yet ... not "productive" in the narrow sense.

I totally agree. I like the idea of tablet very much and I own an iPad 3, but
I don't use it at all. My MacBook Air is the same size and weight and gets 99%
of my time.

The tablet is a gaming device for mu kids.

------
photorized
Tablet is primarily a media consumption device.

So - reading/learning. That can be productive.

I also reply to emails and schedule calendar events from it. As soon as I need
to edit documents, manage servers, or write code - I move to a laptop or
desktop, it's just more comfortable.

P.S. wrote this on my iPad

~~~
rogerchucker
I don't think reading/learning are productive use cases. Productivity, IMHO,
means you create/produce something that is tangentially different (regardless
of how small it is) than what existed before an activity. In the minds of most
people, creating new knowledge or acquiring new information does not conform
to the above definition.

You could argue though that iPads and other tablets _help_ you stay productive
on a broader basis. At least that's how I justify my use of my iPad. They
simplify certain aspects of my workflow (like easier/intuitive annotation of
PDFs). But I know that simplification is not at a level where I'd like it to
be.

~~~
photorized
When I read, I come up with ideas. Key is to stay off News, FB.

------
erichocean
This is timely. My company is building business software, and amazingly, it
runs best on a tablet (iPad specifically).

Oh, it's perfectly usable on the desktop, but it's so much more effective on
the iPad -- faster, more enjoyable, easier.

I'm still amazed; a month ago, I could have penned the OP's article.

~~~
jaxn
This doesn't surprise me at all. I am reading all of these critiques and
wondering if the people who don't have a use for tablets are all programmers
who sit at a desk all day.

My iPad is indispensable. I use Evernote to store a ton of important info. My
calendar is almost exclusively managed on my iPad (largely because I set
appointments while in meetings). I have a few web apps that are critical to my
business that I frequently use from my iPad.

Then there is my downtime. I love reading on my iPad. I also have a Nexus 7,
but I don't like it nearly as much. The narrow screen makes traditional
websites uncomfortable to read, though the evernote and calendar uses are
great.

------
MrFoof
I use my iPad for when I don't want to work.

It's that simple. I don't find using it to be terribly productive for work
purposes (especially as a data warehouse consultant). I realize that some
people have, and that's great, but for me it doesn't fit the bill.

So what I use it for is when I specifically want to ensure I can't work. I
grab it, I go into the sitting area of my bedroom (away from dual 27" display
setup), and do things that are very much "not work" in my lounge chair. I
might check on my finances. I might play some games. I might browse a few
sites, catch up on them with something like Reeder, or read old articles with
Instapaper. I watch my subscribed channels on YouTube. Perhaps check the
weather. Perhaps do some shopping, catch up on Twitter, or maybe check
Facebook to see what friends are prattling on about. If it's late, it'll get
perched on a nightstand and I'll play some podcasts, stream a movie or TV
show, or put something on from YouTube and fall asleep to that.

I could do that on my iMac + display as well, but then I might get sucked into
doing actual work, which I want to avoid. I'm not going to work on large
database apps or ETL processes on my iPad. I'm not going to code effectively
on my iPad. It's suboptimal for it. So I relish in that fact and it's my
"coffee table computer" or my "fun computer". And for that, it does a great
job, mostly in ensuring I stay away from "doing work" when I don't want to be
working. Overall, it ends up being about 30-35% of my "total computing" time,
but at least all of that time is 100% leisure instead of constantly straying
back towards work.

~~~
SirPulse
Get a surface Pro. You should be able to do both the things, work and play
without having to worry about switching devices.

~~~
vetinari
Switching devices is a feature, not a worry.

On laptop/desktop, you know you are working. You don't procrastinate.

On tab, you know you are entertaining yourself. You are in "definitely not
working" mode.

Surface Pro breaks this paradigm.

------
geekam
iPad for my old parents has been a tremendous benefit. They are not very
technology oriented. I remember pulling my hair when they had a PC and they'd
call me so often for every little pop-up window that was different from their
usual workflow. For example, system updates and all that crap.

However, with iPad they learnt things much more quickly than the PC. The
things they do on the iPad does not involve a lot. They are just content
consumers who do not want their computer to be in their way. The mobility of a
tablet means that when my Dad has back aches he can just lie down on a bed and
read form his iPad.

about 4 years ago when I thought I'll first buy them a computer so that they'd
be able to do some video conferencing with the family, I actually took them to
Microcenter, just to show them the variety. To my surprise, my Mom 'assumed'
that the computer will respond by her touching the monitor to click on an icon
(she had seen people playing with iPhones).

On the other hand, for me iPad hasn't got a lot of value at this point. I do
not play games. I am a programmer who is constantly on a computer and when I
am not on a computer, I am on my iPhone. But that does not mean I fail to see
how cool a computer that can be carried in your hands is for others.

------
InclinedPlane
I find this wildly at odds with the experience of my friends. Granted they are
early adopter type folk but they have taken to tablets extremely intently.
They use them for gaming, and browsing, and other miscellaneous activities.
Just because they are not great at everything doesn't mean they can't be
incredibly useful tools.

~~~
rogerchucker
The author talked about "productive use" - you listed gaming and browsing. In
many circles those don't rank as productivity. There's a fine difference
between "great"/"cool" and "being productive".

~~~
cmsj
Are we being a bit condescending by insinuating that points earned or facebook
walls commented on, is not productive? I'm sure you cure cancer with every 5th
keystroke of your best selling novels and crush awesome ruby code for
breakfast.

You're espousing a pretty narrow view of what a computing device can be used
for in a way that produces some value for its user.

~~~
see3peeO
Think about it this way. If your work only allowed you to use a tablet to do
your work, how productive would you be?

I'm pretty sure every business prefers a 'narrow view' of what productivity
means. The article is in relation to productivity.

------
Jach
> Asus Transformer Prime

There's your first problem. (Okay it's not a big problem, and yay for sd
slots, but the Nexus 7 and 10 are fantastic devices.) I have a Nexus 10, and
got this case for it: [http://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Removable-Bluetooth-
Keyboard-Fu...](http://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Removable-Bluetooth-Keyboard-
Function/dp/B00AG0D61O) The keyboard is just big enough that I can type more
or less at full speed (the weird location of the right shift sometimes bugs
me). I can understand the view that without being able to type quickly,
productivity in a lot of areas isn't possible. But it's an easily solvable
problem with a case, especially if you have a 10-incher and thus aren't too
worried about trying to fit the thing in your pocket. (Though caseless my N10
fits in my rain jacket pocket.) I also can get that lacking a second monitor
is a pain, though it helps to have a 2560x1600 resolution on the tablet.

Here's a sample of productive/useful things I use my tablet for: programming
(Terminal IDE is a great help here, it has vim and ssh if I need something on
my main machine), calculating, price checking, note taking with keyboard (if
you can type, why write?), lecture recording, reading, testing Android apps
I/friends have developed, fitness tracking, instantly satisfying my curiosity
when only Google can do so, navigation, calling people over SIP, memorizing
important things with Anki, taking pictures and never having to say "I wish I
brought my camera", and buying stuff from vending machines that accept NFC-
credit cards. All of these could be done with a good phone+keyboard+maybe
screen-dock, but I don't want a phone.

------
teilo
This is another way of saying, "Why do I need that? I've always done it this
way." It is also a form of soft ludditism. Why do I need a word processor? I
have a typewriter.

My regular use of a tablet (with a data plan): Reading. It's almost energy
replaced books for me. Email when away from my desk. Note taking. Reference.
Lots and lots of it, whether through a web browser, PDFs stored in my Dropbox,
or special purpose apps (language dictionaries among many others). Extra
screen to put a document on while working on my laptop away from an external
monitor. General web browsing, on the couch, when eating lunch, etc. News.
Flipboard has replaced newspapers entirely for me. Emergency server
maintenance - I once resurrected our storefront server at 1:00 AM without
getting out of bed. Remote VNC over VPN from anywhere. Casual gaming. A 9.5"
screen is so much better for this than a 4" one. Movies while flying - way
easier than trying to work with a laptop in coach.

Not to mention anything I would do on my Laptop - if I had my laptop with me
at the time. I carry my tablet with me everywhere. I leave my laptop on my
desk.

~~~
pidg
I feel tablets are more a case of "Why do I need a typewriter? I have a word
processor." My laptop and phone already do most everything my tablet does, but
better.

I gave up on my Nexus 7 after 3 months of trying to like using it. Somehow,
every time I went back to my (Android) phone after using the tablet, it just
felt 'better' - more responsive, better-designed, more comfortable. Perhaps
it's an OS design issue, but I thought Android had been built with tablets in
mind after 3.0?

What might get me interested again is when colour, touch-screen e-ink tablets
become a reality. Until then, I'm happy with my laptop and phone - I don't
need a 'happy medium'.

Just my point of view, of course: I can see that tablets offer a great way
into computing for people who are largely information consumers, and for whom
a laptop isn't appealing.

------
Bud
I would say that it is notable that the author has apparently never used iOS.
Setting all subjective judgments of whether iOS or Android is better to the
side, what that means is that the author hasn't even tried out what is by far
the largest app/developer base available on a tablet. So I don't really think
the author's opinion bears much weight, when we have facts staring us in the
face such as the near-universal adoption of iPads in Fortune 500 companies,
sales figures clearly showing that many users are buying tablets instead of
laptops now and apparently are doing just fine, etc.

~~~
lnanek2
If by developer base you mean market share, Android tablets are selling more
than iOS nowadays. Apple is 43.6%, Android over 50%. Nowhere near the huge
lead Android has in smartphone market share, but still enough that people
going for the biggest market should chose Android:
[http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/31/technology/mobile/android-
ta...](http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/31/technology/mobile/android-tablet-
market-share/index.html)

Not really surprising considering competitors like amazon aren't even trying
to make a profit on the hardware cost and are selling the things at rock
bottom prices. Most business solutions I saw at CES were using Android tablet
bases as well now. I guess due to the low price and because you can customize
the entire software stack for health care providers or whatever you are
targeting.

~~~
mamcx
What? Developer base mean developers, not users. Developers are more with iOS
(better dev tools, better monetization, less tech problems, etc) Is well
understood. The most quality apps are in iOS. That is a fact. The most
qualified devs are in iOS, that is another.

Android have the market share, but the quality is not there yet (as compared
with iOS)

------
bbgm
I can rattle of examples

1\. Field guide for birding

2\. Field guide for astronomy

3\. Omnifocus

4\. Mobile fitness regime

5\. Taking notes in class (my wife who lives on her 15" MBPS) used one for a
class with iAnnotate. Worked like a dream.

6\. Synthesizers. The musical instruments on the iPad are stunningly good

7\. As a control surface. I use mine to control Ableton live

8\. Notes. I use mine for note taking often

9\. Scratching out ideas (I use Paper and a Stylus).

10\. And lots of reading research papers and figuring out ideas

11\. All my camera manuals stay with me when I go on a photo trip.

Books are one thing where I am all kindle all the time. Long form reading and
tablets don't work for me.

------
mdkess
For me it's reading.

This is why I think that things like the Samsung ATIV and the Asus Transformer
Book are so neat. For most things I do - writing code, writing emails, posting
my inane thoughts on Hacker News, the laptop form factor is pretty ideal.

I really like the book form factor for reading texts. For novels, my Kindle is
great, but for textbooks and technical books, with a lot of random access, I
much prefer a tablet to a laptop, and to the weight/space requirements of a
dead tree book. I have the Kindle DX too, which is a pleasure to read, but the
lack of random access is killer.

That said, I never have my tablet when I have my laptop, since it's more stuff
to carry around - which is why I think if they were one and the same, it'd be
ideal.

~~~
nnash
I use mine for document reading as well, after lecture I put all my readings
in dropbox and read them on the long bus ride home.

------
blisterpeanuts
Tablets make a great 2nd (or 3rd) screen to supplement your computer
workstation. You can keep reference material open on the tablet, which is a
good read-only device. The one missing link is cut-and-paste from tablet to
PC, and there are apps for that.

With browser sync, you can look something up on the main screen, then carry
the tablet to the lunchroom (or toilet) to read it.

Tablets are fantastic for children. If you have kids, you may find that they
take to it like a fish to water. You may want to steer them toward educational
nature videos and math games, rather than mind-numbing running games like
Temple Run, just to justify all that time they could have spent reading a book
or playing ball outdoors.

Tablets are handy for reading or watching shows in the dark. My wife and I are
watching Downton Abbey in bed. It's not ideal--I wish I had a robot arm
thingie to hold the tablet rather than having it balanced on my chest, digging
a ditch into my skin. But it's good enough; easy to pause and go back to catch
what they said (we're not British and the dialects are sometimes tough to
follow).

Basically, tablets are quite useful, and there's about 100 million users just
in the U.S., so they must be doing something right! What's more, I suspect
we've only scratched the surface of what these gadgets can do.

------
marvin
I use my iPad to read scientific papers as part of my Masters thesis. Saves me
a lot of time and headache with regards to printing, and keeps my computers
free for taking notes and looking up related research. Definitely a productive
use.

------
Ologn
Before going to bed, I sometimes would prop up a softcover book, hardcover
book, or laptop on my stomach and read. The hardcover book was usually much
too heavy, and even the laptop was too heavy. The softcover book was light,
but a little hard to hold, and I would flip the page every minute or two.
Also, many softcover books I read once and then would have to look for a new
one.

My tablet - very light on my stomach, as easy to hold as a book - easier with
no page flipping etc. The half hour before I sleep is usually when I use my
tablet.

Also - I develop for Android. Honeycomb was the first Android version designed
for tablets. It came out about 2 years ago, early 2011. Back then the Android
smartphone to tablet ratio was something like 95 to 5, if not greater. The
integrated smartphone/tablet ICS Android version came out at the end of 2011.
Meaning, the tablet OS and API hooks have only been out for two years, and
initially there was very little of a user base.

In other words, these are still early days. I am sure the popular Android
tablet focused apps of the future are yet to be written.

------
darkchasma
I can't find a single productive use for my TV, but I'd be an idiot if I
called it a "short lived fad".

------
ctdonath
My iPad 1 paid for itself in a month: I was able to squeeze in "anytime
anywhere" time to take on teaching an extra class.

Now I edit iPad app code on it in "anywhere anytime" opportunities. Our app's
users save hundreds of thousands of dollars (actual savings for mileage &
enterprise data access "anywhere anytime").

If you can't find a productive use you're not trying very hard.

------
Foomandoonian
SMS will never take off. Why would anyone fiddle with a tiny keyboard when
they could just use the same phone to call someone?

~~~
johnrob
That is a rare case of correctly understanding the user but incorrectly
understanding the technology (most errors are the opposite). That laziness
drives behavior was correct, but that calling is easier than texting was
incorrect.

------
bane
under the assumption that something like "reading a book" is considered
productive

1) surfing the web from my couch

2) some games like plants vs. zombies are _sublime_ on a tablet, much better
than on a pc imho

3) pdfs read much better than on a pc or a kindle

4) comic books (cbz and cbr files) on a ~10" tablet are almost as good as the
real thing

5) when docked, my tablet makes a fantastic picture frame showing the photos
in my google+ account

6) there's some music production software that are really quite good, I like
Caustic myself, there's similar for iOS.

7) lots and lots and lots of pretty decent painting apps

8) I use it to see notifications, task, etc. things that I've entered from my
PC into some "cloud" service. calendars, trello tasks, etc. Just bringing my
tablet into a meeting with trello pulled up on it makes it seem like a have a
super human memory and is far less intrusive than a laptop

9) use it as a third monitor, there's some great wifi streaming apps that tell
your OS to use it as another monitor. Sure it's a bit slow, but if I stash my
email program over there, or a shell that's tailing a log or something, it's
perfectly adequate

10) better yet, just put a shell app on there direct and ssh into the server
and tail the app that way, keeping tabs on a long running startup process
while I'm in the bathroom has never been easier

11) remote to my PC running VLC...it's _awesome_ for this, I can seek fast
forward and rewind, control volume, pause play, whatever...custom home touch
panel remotes don't hold a candle to this

things I _don't_ do

try to type non-trivial amounts of text quickly without a keyboard, which is
where most of the examples from this post are about, which is weird since he's
using a transformer prime...who's entire point is the keyboard dock

------
j45
I think productivity is reflected in the software we use, not the device.

I've long maintained that there was no more productive time or software or
device in my life than a Palm os device with Datebk6. In contrast, it was made
to be productive, not novel, or distracting. Today's phones have all this
horsepower, but to what outcome?

It's a fair reflection that right now we're working our way learning through
the novelty and distraction app economy.

The masses don't know what else to do with tech (be productive?) because their
interaction with tech (tv, radio, web) has always been about finding that next
hit of novelty or distraction.

------
DocG
I tough similarly, but now I have found spot for tablet in my life.

It is not my home work tool. Hell no, downgrading from three screens to one
small? no.

I use low end Android phone, so I charge it only twice a week, but this means
I cant use it for other purposes so well. Tablet is the thing I take with me
whenever I leave house or go on a bigger trip. Battery life+ portability.
Traveling abroad, maps, internet, hostels, emails, everything. It is perfect
for these things, better than laptop. It is nothing I would prefer over real
computer inside the house. But I prefer it every time I leave the house.

nexus 7 is my choice.

------
wvenable
I think the author has an excellent point until he gets to "I feel like
tablets are a short-lived fad."

Every single comment here is how much people are using their tablet: for
reading, surfing the web, watching videos, etc. I personally use my Nexus 7
every day both directions on my commute to do all those things.

However, the like the OP I'd really like to do something _productive_ with my
commute (coding, writing, whatever) and I have not found any good way to do
that on my tablet. Even my 1st gen netbook is more useful for productive work.

~~~
OGinparadise
_I think the author has an excellent point until he gets to "I feel like
tablets are a short-lived fad."_

Fine, but are you going to spend $500+ for the new iPad now that you know its
limitations first hand? That's what he may have meant. Personally I'd buy a
cheap one to browse while in the backyard or couch but the price matters. What
I love is a hybrid, or a light laptop (you don't even have to hold it)

The PC is not going anywhere for most people

------
fencepost
This seems to be mostly looking at tablets as potential computer replacements,
but that's not really where they're good. A tablet (or phone) can be a decent
supplement but is unlikely to be a replacement.

A few areas to consider:

* When you're mobile with a laptop and used to working on multiple monitors, there's software you can use to make a tablet or "phablet" into a second monitor. This depends on you having a reasonable stand and you'll probably want it plugged in (at least if it's a phone and you want to preserve battery life), but at least one of the options (iDisplay, iOS and Android) works with either Wifi or USB as a connection.

* Offload non-essentials or things you'd like to be able to refer to - ebooks, to-do lists.

* Offload communications (email, twitter, etc.) that you might otherwise be tempted to have on your laptop - if those are on the tablet, you're not flipping over to them on your primary machine.

* (mostly phones) As a capture device, these may not be as fast or flexible as pen and paper, but where they can be great is as meta-capture devices: take notes, draw, etc., then take a picture of it in something that auto-syncs for you to process further later (e.g. convert that quick sketch into a network diagram)

------
marcosdumay
Funny thing that the author gets a Transformer, and then claims that tablets
may have a chance now that MS "invented" the hybrid PC.

I've recently brought a Transformer for upgrading my 2008 laptop. The main
differences are:

\- The tablet needs rooting, I could find no good development enviroment for
Andoid, but Debian runs well as a userspace system. (Asus distributes the
rooting software, I wouldn't even buy it otherwise.)

\- The tablet has less USB ports (but has more I/O options). It still wasn't a
problem, but I've already needed more than the laptop had.

\- The tablet's keyboard is smaller, but better designed. Up to now, I'd say
they are equivalently hard to use.

\- The tablet has a slightly slower processor, but enough battery for an
entire day with keyboard, or an entire working day without keyboard (the
laptop lasted for 3 hours), and weights about 10% of the laptop's weight.
Also, it's smaller (10" vs. 14") what is both good and bad.

\- Touchscreens are simply great. It's still worse than a proper desktop, but
it is much more convenient than plugging a mouse at a laptop.

\- Also, you can unplug the keyboard when you just want to browse the web or
read something, getting a much more convenient format and just half the
weight.

------
zvrba
I have also Asus transformer prime. I use it for reading PDFs; I also have a
Kindle app; then there's streaming music, watching movies, and playing games.
Also useful for occasional web browsing (e.g., to look up something while
reading).

I also had a keyboard, but quickly figured out that it was useless. It
transformed the tablet into a laptop that only barely could do things I
usually use the laptop for.

------
ChuckMcM
Strangely, I heard a very similar rant from my Dad when he swore up and down
he had no use for a cell phone. He left it turned off and in the glove box of
his car initially because the only use for it he could imagine was if he was
on the road somewhere and couldn't find a pay phone.

When folks ask me "What is a Tablet good for?" I tell them its a TV you can
carry around. Oh and you can read books and news papers on it. Oh and you can
look at pictures you've taken on it. Oh and you can video chat with someone on
it. Oh and it will give you directions on how to get some where.

I have a keyboard case for those times when I need to use an ssh client to do
something, I sometimes compose comments to HN on the train, but I don't really
do any _development_ on the thing.

But I also know that my finding a place for it in my work flow is completely
orthogonal to my Dad doing the same. (although he immediately got an retina
ipad when they came out to preview pictures he takes, its a much better
preview than the display on his DSLR)

------
hmsp
Terminal.

Sounds crazy but I do a lot of work in the terminal and the ipad makes a great
terminal when paired with a keyboard.

It's akin to the distraction free solutions such as write room or the blocking
the Internet hacks out there... With the ipad you can just have a terminal and
nothing else fighting for my attention. Especially as the otherwise great
Promt app logs you out so quickly so I put off checking my email as long as
possible.

In short, I get more work done.

I think two tablets would make a great development environment, one running
the terminal and one a browser checking the results... I do mostly web work so
this is easy in the current state of affairs.

I guess I'm old school in my thinking that a screen can be totally detached
from its server but then again I once admined a few hundred sun rays. The
tablet to me is just the end display, if I need a unix environment I login to
a unix server and do my work. When I'm at a real computer 95% of my time is
spent on the terminal anyways so what is the difference if I run vi locally or
if it is running in the cloud?

~~~
csixty4
Doesn't sound crazy to me. iSSH is one of my favorite iPad apps.

------
habosa
For a few months I tried to convince myself that an Asus Transformer Prime
(with keyboard) was a great productivity device. I used it in class and did
some work on it, it was great (I thought). However I realized, like you did,
that I was actually pretty annoyed. I could do everything OK but nothing
really well. Even for web browsing, it was still not great.

I sold the tablet, but I still didn't want to go back to lugging my 15" MBP
around. Solution? The Samsung Chromebook. This is the perfect cheap
productivity device. The keyboard and trackpad are as good as a Macbook air,
it's thin and light, and it lasts a long time on a charge. With a $5/month
Digital Ocean VPS to SSH into when I need to do programming, it's absolutely
perfect. Never been happier with any tech purchase than I am with my
Chromebook. People tend to bash Chrome OS but they haven't tried it. For
people who think they should buy an iPad for "work anywhere mode", what you
really want is a Chromebook.

------
brownbat
I'd probably agree, if we're being strict about "productive." I still wouldn't
give mine up.

I had a smartphone, and I was paying way too much each month to never make a
phone call, to check email, navigate the city, and check wikipedia/google for
conversational trivia.

I now have a Nexus 7 instead. Chucked the phone completely. I pay about $25
for metered data. GrooveIP would let me make phone calls on it, but I haven't
had the need.

I even stopped hunting for apps, I've just settled on this as a great
email/wiki/nav device. The bigger screen makes the experience better for all
the things I use it for. Larger size means larger battery, it feels like it
lasts forever. It's still pocket sized. A 6-inch mini-tablet would probably be
my sweet spot, but 7 isn't too shabby.

None of my uses are "productive," but I'm also not usually "producing"
anything outside of a fixed workspace. Kudos to those who prefer to write in
parks or coffee houses, I prefer my full chair and desk.

Wouldn't give it up; don't see it as a fad.

------
roasm
I've had the Lenovo Yoga for a few weeks now and as the OP noted, the
combination of very good laptop and pretty good tablet works very well. I'm
surprised how often I naturally reach up to touch the screen even in laptop
mode. I now even instinctively reach up when I'm using my macbook, only to be
mildly disappointed when nothing happens.

------
Scene_Cast2
I have a feeling that most people in the world are not looking for a
productivity benefit from tablets - they want to get home from work and
entertain themselves. The spirit that we see on HN - creating = fun, enough
energy for creativity / productivity outside of work, working on the go - is
the exception, not the norm.

------
beefsack
I've installed Ubuntu on my Nexus 7
(<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Nexus7/Installation>, the desktop version, not the
new mobile version) and now I code on my tablet, which is awesome for
something that I can carry easily around everywhere. I also carry a keyboard
that doubles as a case
([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWy3C4DAoOc&list=HL135376...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWy3C4DAoOc&list=HL1353769144&feature=mh_lolz)),
and now I have the smallest computer I've ever owned in my life.

If you're able to put a serious OS on your tablet, you essentially just have a
tiny portable computer.

------
Kylekramer
As a person who has had an iPad since the first generation (and at times used
it as the only device in my apartment), I still think Steve Jobs' 2003
characterization is correct: it is a great device for rich guys who can afford
a third computer.

~~~
bluthru
Doesn't the sales numbers basically debunk this notion? The iPad is a mass-
market device, and the cheapest computer Apple sells.

~~~
Kylekramer
I'd love to see good numbers for people who own a tablet and only a tablet (I
suppose I'd technically count as one cause my laptop is work provided). I
suspect the vivid anecdotes of "my grandmum loves hers and is video chatting
for the first time ever!" is overpowering the reality where most of those are
sold to people who already have desktops and laptops and smartphones. Could be
wrong.

------
methodin
1\. Traveling abroad 2. Streaming to television (never sure if this will work
right before its bought, however) 3. Casual gameplay 4. Leisure reading

Not sure if any of that warrants a purchase but they are valid use cases for
me.

------
grumblepeet
I travel with a laptop but I still use my tablet every day in meetings to take
notes (I have an external keyboard cover) and to catch up on emails on the
train. It is in use pretty much all day.

~~~
hollerith
Android tablet, Window-8 tablet or iPad?

~~~
grumblepeet
It is an iPad mini

------
vladev
I've actually found a sweet spot for a tablet. More than a year ago I ditched
my smartphone for a Nokia C3-00. This phone has 2 weeks (!) of battery life
and I use it only as a phone - it never drops calls or dies. I use the tablet
(Galaxy Tab 8.9) for everything my friends struggle on a phone - much bigger
screen for reading, bigger keyboard, more battery. It fits perfectly in the
bag I always carry with me.

Note that I don't compare it to a PC - a real computer is a lot more
productive _when it's around_.

~~~
eevilspock
Works for you because you _always_ carry a bag. If you don't, pocketable
smartphone can't be beat.

------
consz
I use it to play games on airplane rides and to jerk off in bed when a laptop
would be inconvenient. Other than that, I'm also at a loss of what to do with
it.

------
pjmlp
Fully agree, it is nothing more than an expensive toy to browse the Internet
and play games.

A proper computer wins hands down for any type of productive work.

~~~
corresation
I am sitting at a rec center right now while my son attends a birthday party,
having just finished updating a slew of items on Asana from my Nexus 7,
tethered through my smartphone. It has been an incredibly productive hour or
so.

I wouldn't have brought a laptop, but a little pad tossed in the swim
bag...perfect.

That is how it often is. The tablet saves the day where alternately I had no
real convenient options. It allows me to read up on technologies, learn
language innovations, send missives, complete to do lists, etc.

If you always have the option of a full PC, as apparently the author does, of
_course_ it is a poor substitute. Yes I prefer my dual big monitors, VMs
galore, and killer compute box. That isn't always an option.

~~~
pjmlp
I have a netbook for such things.

~~~
corresation
That is great. So a tablet isn't for you. It is for me and many others,
however, and this bizarre need to deride the tool is baffling.

------
peteretep
In the same boat as the author, with the exception that we don't have a
(working) TV, so the wife and I use my iPad as a pricey way to watch Netflix.

I have an iPhone 5, I have a MacBook Air (at work and at home) and I have a
Kindle. They're each very very good at what I want them for, and I rarely find
myself reaching for the iPad other than Netflix...

------
spython
I found the iPad to be a better media consumption device than my laptop. Which
means that I rarely spend my non-productive time on the laptop. Which in turn
creates a higher spatial divide between work and entertainment, creating
designated places for each. That alone makes me less likely to procrastinate
and more productive.

------
chrisro
I echo the sentiments here that tablets are media consumption devices, because
that really is what they're best at. The most productive use I have for my
tablet is using it to view a crochet or knitting pattern while I'm working on
it or for following a recipe when cooking. My tablet's primary use is for
reading, though.

------
phaedrix
Reading PDFs.

I Now do almost all reading of technical books on a tablet simply because
they're far lighter than most technical books.

------
cmsj
Author likes dual monitors therefore tablets are a fad.

This is nonsense. There will always be powernerds who want expensive keyboards
and 15 million pixels of desktop. Tablets are not currently productive... _for
us_

Now watch ordinary people using them and then look at tablet sales. Now tell
me they are a fad again :)

------
giulivo
I stayed in the dark for long time, waiting for a post like this. I refused to
spend any good money on whatever tablet.

Better, not only I haven't found any single productive use for a tablet, I
haven't ever found one for a smartphone either.

I think one could buy a porable mp3 player or an ebook reader for much less
money.

------
dscrd
My Android tablet is my portable calendar, piano sheet / guitar tab viewer,
access point to mail and chat, and a media consumer device. It's quick to
activate and easy to stop using.

My computer is the thing on which I sit down and get stuck for hours and
hours. If something I'd get rid of _that_.

------
trumbitta2
In my iPad2 I have the Kindle app, iBooks, and Flipboard, so I can read
everything I need or want to read. Also, with Paper by 53 and my Wacom Bamboo
Stylus I can doodle mockups to attach to any ticket for my team. I'm more
productive than ever.

------
pmikesell
Foreflight - for the pilots out there this one app makes the whole thing worth
it.

------
visarga
>The only thing that may save the tablet is the advent of Windows 8

What world is this guy living in? He barely mentions Apple, and the only thing
that may save the tablet is Windows? That footnote of a tablet OS?

------
armandososa
I use my tablet to read (books and comics), to play music (as in reading
partitures), to make music, to draw and to play games. That's very productive
to me.

------
mikecane
What irritates me was his choice of a Casio. Yet there's a photo of a Palm
PDA. Clearly he would have had less entry friction using a Palm over a Casio.

------
drucken
Makes a good, if expensive, toilet and commute reader.

~~~
exim
Agree. Going to toilet without my kindle dx, I consider as wasting of time.

------
bborud
It is not so much about trying to use the tablet for something you already
have a device for as it is to figure out what the tablet is good for.

------
pd_drawexpress
I am an author of DrawExpress - a gesture recognition diagram app. I built it
because there is really no app that let me draw ideas and designs fast enough.
Too many of the current apps for tablet are not optimized for touch-based
input. Productivity is all about speed and I like to see more gesture
controlled productivity apps in the near future. (My app video -
<http://youtu.be/SI9VdC_JYWU>)

~~~
hollerith
I wish you luck with your app, but think your comment is not really relevant
to the current topic (so I, ah, downvoted it).

------
lotsofcows
TL;DR: Bought something purely because it was cool and was then surprised to
find out he had no use for it.

------
eraad
You should check <http://www.squareup.com>

------
aclimatt
_...Christian’s experience when he attempted to use only a laptop for a full
week!_

Only a tablet?

------
onedev
PDFs and READING.

Those are MAJOR use cases of my iPad Mini. I absolutely love it.

------
tjr
My primary use for one has become displaying music scores.

------
edem
You can't find something which is not there.

------
voorloopnul
written on my Galaxy Note \ evd fast!

------
rogerchucker
My best use case for iPad has been the ease of showing some paper or draft to
my advisor instead of printing it out or sending it over email and hoping he
reads it. In general, I find iPad great for sporadic use cases that complement
my laptop-based use cases quite well. But often I will lament the fact that I
am using a $600 device (32GB) just for sporadic use cases.

------
SirPulse
Whoa, this discussion looks like an ad for Surface Pro! All you who are
griping for a tablet not being productive, should seriously give Pro a shot

------
thoughtcriminal
I gave this an upvote because MakeUseOf is a really useful and highly
underrated website. Great resource for getting the most out of apps.

