Why Consumers Won't Buy Tablets | Hacker News Reader

Why Consumers Won't Buy Tablets

news.cnet.com

2 pointsdanhak5 comments

If apple makes one, especially if there is some kind of cellular data plan attached, it is going to be a big hit. Newsflash, all those iPhones are basically tablets and it has gotten enough people used to that kind of interface that a certain segment of users will happily start replacing their laptops or skipping the netbook class all together in favor of this kind of device.

I don't expect to be able to type quickly, accurately or prolifically on my iPhone the way I would on something the size of a tablet. I suspect many people feel the same way...that was the whole point of this article.

I agree that these devices risk falling between two categories, not quite big enough, not quite portable enough, but I'm not sure about the keyboard thing. The on-screen keyboard on a decent sized tablet will be about the same size as a netbook keyboard and - unlike a phone - you can put the tablet down on a desk and type using both hands. I would imagine that a sensibly designed tablet might have little fold out feet on the underside to provide some elevation/rake at one end to support this mode better.

I definitely agree that an Apple tablet at ~700 USD would be massively too expensive - but then I think that most existing Apple products are fairly outrageously overpriced - and well off Americans don't seem to mind too much.

I actually think that with a good enough tablet, having external accessories/peripherals like keyboards, mice, storage etc.. would be a good thing, not a bad thing. When you're at home/work, you could use the propped-up tablet as the 'screen', with the rest of the 'computer' spread out on the desk, plugged in via USB. When you want to go out, just unplug the tablet and go. Lots of people use laptops in exactly this way now, as their primary 'desktop' & laptop computers - they just plug more stuff in when it's in 'desktop' mode. Using one like this would probably require a more general purpose OS, rather than something fairly phone specific like the iPhoneOS though.

I think these kinds of stories are interesting because all these tech pundits act like they are the only people who have thought of these shortcomings. I think one of the reasons there hasn't been a product from Apple yet is for precisely the UI issues discussed in the story. If Apple indeed has a product in this space, it's likely to be different from what people have been envisioning. Remember that before the iPhone, people were picturing something much like an iPod. What Apple actually released was something few (if any) people predicted beforehand. Apple will either innovate their way through these issues, define a new product category where many of them are irrelevant, or keep it mothballed (until one of the previous two points is possible).

These same people were just overflowing with insightful commentary about how a touch-screen phone wouldn't work and how people wouldn't pay that much either.

I think it's fair to assume that if Apple is going to release a piece of kit, they'll make sure it works. It might be as expensive as all get out, short some hardware and suffer arbitrary limitations. But have they even made a major usability mis-step in the last decade?

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