On Tablets and the Future

Tuesday - June 19, 2023 by: Kicking Lettuce

The last couple of days there seems to be a pickup of tablet talk. Such topics as "Do we need them?", "Microsoft is the future", "the iPad rules all", "I'm an Android fanboy but their tablets still suck". Let me break down the simple truths based on my experiences.

First, I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and I love it. Is it the greatest thing sliced bread? Most definitely not. It's laggy, bug ridden (okay, maybe an over statement), with a rag-tag collection of apps. And the digital content that Google provides? Less than adequate, and certainly no iTunes. Of course, I am still on Android 3.2 (HC) and I suspect 4.0 (ICS) will do a lot in the way of fixing the bugs and the lag; but what good is a slick tablet without much content? Simple: It does all that I need it to do.

Step back and look at the big picture: What do I really need a tablet to do? A laptop is too heavy to casually carry on my lap, and I'm certainly not walking downstairs to visit my PC if I don't have to. I can simply reach for my tablet and browse the web. Check email. Review my RSS feeds. In other words: Read Stuff. Heck, I bought a book in the Google Play store last night and it was perfectly acceptable to read for short bursts on my Tab. None of these things would I desire to do on my phone either--especially the miserable experience that is web browsing (even on the newer 4.5"+ screens). But in that small middle ground where a tablet fits, an Android tablet is acceptable. The iPad may have 250,000 apps designed for it, but when I want apps, I reach for my phone. When I want games, well, I don't play games. There is nothing the iPad could do for me that my Android tablet can not. And a lack of widgets on such a big screen is unacceptable. I spend probably 25% of the time on my tablet gathering the info I need without opening a single app. Headlines, scores, weather and such. Give me my lag, give my widgets.

If you are a Mac lover or a casual techie (in other words, you consider technology as a means to an end and nothing more), sure the iPad will suit you just fine. But if you want power, then .. that is where Microsoft comes in? You thought I was going to say Android, didn't you? No, an Android tablet is simply a glorified iPad. Or, depending on your viewpoint, an iPad is a glorified Android tablet. In other words, they are basically different means of doing the same thing and fit in the same walk of life for two user bases that simply do not like each other.

While I am rooting for the underdog in the Tablet wars (Android), I will give the Windows 8 tablet a serious look. Who can resist the power of a laptop on a slate? Certainly something Apple and Google can not even come close to replicating. Microsoft has made some unforgivable sins over the years (yes, I am looking at you, all versions of IE), but a Windows 8 Tablet does hold my interest.

Along the lines of my tweeted predictions: I can see a world where Microsoft wins the tablet wars in a similar pattern to the PC. Windows users will want the Windows 8 integration. Mac users will still want the iPad. And the alternative user base will go for Android in the same way that some choose Linux on a PC (ironically, Android is based on Linux).

Though, this is the way things should turn out. In a world where more people want to play than be productive, I am sure the iPad will turn out on top.