

Nobody Needs a Tablet. So Why Are We Gobbling Them Up? - PixelRobot
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/ipad-usage

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simonsarris
All of the top things you can vote on that you use your tablet for are things
that my girlfriend uses my Cr-48 (Chrome OS laptop) for.

I don't think that tablets are special, per se, they're just one of a number
of ultra-portables (with Cr-48, netbooks, and smartphones being the other
ones) that are gaining in use because of how quick/easy they are to pick up
and put down.

Not on the uses list, but ultra-portables are also far more comfortable/easier
to take into environments like the bathtub. The bubble bath + kindle + zip-loc
bag wins the day in this use case, as there's the same functionality as on
'dry land' and no worry involved.

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teilo
Convenience?

Last night I was reading in bed on my iPad. I got an email saying that our
main e-commerce site was down. I switched to iSSH, fixed the database, typed
of a reply saying it was fixed, and went back to reading.

Yeah, I could have gotten out of bed, put my shorts on (TMI), gone downstairs,
and fired up my laptop. The point is, I was reading (comfortable on a tablet,
not so much on a laptop), and I had no need to go grab another device.

Had it been my phone, I wouldn't even have attempted it, but on the tablet, no
problem. So, yeah, it definitely scratches an itch.

~~~
rahoulb
I have done the same on an iPhone (staying in the country on a GPRS connection
with a hangover) - but it's much much better on an iPad.

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fourply
I've convinced myself I need a tablet because nothing really fills the "pdf
viewer" slot in a good way. I can print pdfs of several state law-specific
reference books for free (at cost of ink and paper ~2500 pages) or pay ~$400
for paper copies in 3-ring binders - or I can buy a wifi Xoom on Sunday. No-
brainer.

I have a hard time focusing on pdfs on a desktop or laptop when distractions
like reddit are so easily accessed - but if I can keep myself focused on the
content at hand I can have a portable copy of important references with me at
all times for a small price.

~~~
nickythegreek
Agreed, during my evenings I've been attempting to learn Rais. So I have the
Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial PDF on my iPad resting on the arm on my couch, and
laptop in my lap. These types of PDFs/eBooks really shine on the iPad over the
Kindle. From what I read the code section appearance on the kindle makes it
hard to follow. The color diagrams, code and touchable hyperlinks make the
tablet pc the book of the future.

The tablet for me is really about reading and reference. I got a bunch of 99
cent html5/JS/php/css reference books in case I need them there. But the real
bread and butter for me is FlipBoard and InstaPaper. These apps make the
tablet worth it. InstaPaper now has social interaction and a curated longform
article section so I don't even have to use my computer to find interesting
topics anymore.

Yesterday there was a HN post about Inkling, a textbook distribution app for
academic textbooks (McGraw-Hill, Pearson) that allows you to have embedded
multimedia objects and section highlighting/note sharing to professors and
classmates. Tablets are the reading experience of the future.

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vernabee
i think there are a lot of new areas for something like a tablet -- take for
instance, a lot of designers these days are using iPads/tablets as portfolio
devices in interviews or with clients. Instead of clunky paper portfolios or
simply throwing someone your website and asking them to check it out later or
after the interview, you can bring in your tablet, show off some nice high res
images, zoom in and out. It adds interactivity to the interviewing experience,
especially if you can bring up a website design you might have done and show
exactly how it works.

~~~
bryanlarsen
All of which you can do with your laptop. The tablet just makes the experience
a whole lot nicer.

So, just like the article explains, you don't _need_ the tablet, but it's
worth the $500+ anyways.

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rahoulb
I think a major factor is that most people _despise_ their "real" computers,
even though they like what they can do with them.

Which is why they don't care about the locked down nature of the App Store -
in fact it's an advantage.

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singer
Nobody needs a tablet? Sure... let me just pack my desktop computer up and put
it in my carry-on bag the next time I travel.

 _"As you might expect, the top three things consumers have been doing with
iPads are surfing the web, writing and checking e-mail and playing games"_

That sounds like the same thing people are doing with desktop computers and
laptops.

~~~
TomOfTTB
Did you even read the article? He explains really clearly that he understands
the advantage Tablets represent. He even makes a nice little Microwave-to-Oven
analogy.

~~~
singer
_"He even makes a nice little Microwave-to-Oven analogy." (TomOfTTB)_

The microwave-to-oven analogy doesn't make much sense. Do you think most
people are sitting beside their desktop/laptop while they use their
iPad/tablet? I love my iPad, but I will surely use my desktop when I can
choose between the two.

~~~
bryanlarsen
Just like you'll surely use your oven instead of the microwave if you're not
time-constrained because it's a richer taste experience.

~~~
singer
_"you'll surely use your oven instead of the microwave if you're not time-
constrained"_

So, if I'm time-constrained, you're thinking I'm going to type that email on
my iPad? Again, this is a bad analogy. I think people really do need tablets.
They just don't need them when their desktop/laptop is in reach.

~~~
TomOfTTB
He's making an abstraction not saying a Microwave represents a 1-to-1
relationship with an iPad

~~~
singer
Thanks for clearing that up. I was starting to think my iPad was going to cook
me dinner quickly. That is surely an item on the iPad 3 feature list.

