It seems like a great companion device when you're on the move but the laptop is still an essential to get a majority of your 'real' work done in many environments. But I think there will still continue to be a steady increase in the tablet adoption and utilization.
True enough, although I would argue that the tablet does not totally take the place of a laptop. There is no way I am able to do the work I do on a laptop with an iPad. It also does not include all the smartphone capability since you can't text or make calls.
I would say that it has a little of each functionality but falls short of replacing either one.
Overlap in capability is no doubt a problem for the iPad and other tablets. Getting something that does the work of a laptop and a smartphone, when many people have more than one laptop and smartphone, takes a lot of rationalization.
I totally agree with Barbara. Apple fans trust their product and are eager to go purchase any new "toy" and perhaps don't mind paying a premium. When others enter the market, they are expected to be cheaper, for those who can't afford the real thing.
One question that comes to mind is what was the original forecast was based on? It seems an insane level of growth for a new product. Maybe what we are seeing now is a more realistic level rather than the overly optimistic original forecast-ed.
One of the reasons why there is more hype than shippments is that the only tablet so far that provide consistent user experience is the iPad and the Android tablets do not measure up. The disclaimer - I am not an Apple fanboy and have never purchased an Apple product, even though I admire their marketing brilliance. It is interesting to note an early trend - customers see to report higher satisfaction with tablets that offer propriatory operating system, such as RIM's Playbook, HP TouchPad and Apple iOS. Our study, based on analysis of 6,413 customer reviews published online on or before July 1, 2011 on popular websites like Amazon, Best Buy and Cnet.com, shows this trend quite clearly.
Other than cost, I think the biggest problem with tablets right now is way too much competition. Other than the Ipad, which any Apple fan will buy, many other consumers have way too many choices. It seems like every day a new manufacturer comes out with a tablet that is supposed to be better than the others. Until the hype dies down and the true competitors stick around, there is going to be a lot of people holding off on their purchases. At $500 you can get a great loaded lap top.
I do think that consumers are holding off on buying tablets: first, the cost but second, there are so many versions flooding the market that I think consumers are waiting for the inevitable shakeout. I think the success of the iPad is purely Apple-driven: Apple fans will buy anything the company puts out no matter what, and the rest of the market waits until iPads come down in price or a contender establishes itself as the leader.
I am one of the wary concumers that is now doing "cost benefit analysis" of my excitement to own an ipad, the reality of what I truly need vs. the hype of buying the tablet. I agree that $500 truly is a lot for the use I will get out of the tablet. I am therefore leaning towards a laptop for the same value. My smartphone is doing just fine and RIM is giving out free apps to enhance my smartphone capabilities. So I am not joining the hype for now!!
I was fascinated by the tablets when the ipad came out initially. But I plan to wait for some time to because i want to have the best tablet. But slowly I understood that my smart phone can do everything that a tablet can do except the little bigget size LCD. But I do not think there is any end to tablets. This is truly a media consumption device but definitely a useful for college going students and among the sales teams.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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