Tablet war - Apple OS, Android, WebOS or Win7... very interesting

Seems so many tablets are going to be launched this year after iPad. Ipad is already very popular and being from Apple, it must be nice( did not used one yet). Only problem seems flash support I think.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Eee Pad, he tablet from Asus, will run windows 7 and seems realy slick n nice but I highly doubt that windows 7 can be a successfull touch OS unless MS modifies it a lot( like Apple did with their OSX for iPhone and iPad) and makes it light as well. Also I wonder if people will be putting antivirus and other security applications too on these tablets to protect the windows.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/31/asus-eee-pad-official-intel-culv-processors-windows-7-and-a-1/

Android seems still not developed enough to be a real tablet/ netbook OS at the moment, just IMO.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/01/vias-wondermedia-decorates-computex-with-arm-9-powered-android/

IU don,t know anything about WebOS though. HP bought the Palm and they must be putting it on some tablets too.

http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/HP-confirms-WebOS-tablet-1006131.html

Oh.. I just forgot MeeGoo. Hmmm.... it,s still one morte platform.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/01/meego-moorestown-powered-tablet-hands-on/

All of this seems very interesting. Personally I will like Android to be on a tablet but it must be as sleek and sexy as iPad. What do you guys think?

 

Seems no one is interested in tablets!

 

theyre pretty useless IMO unless uve just got some money to throw around and want a new toy to play with.

 

Hmmm... I don,t have money to throw around but wil sure like to play with one of them.
I think time will if they are useful or not.

 

well in this current time, and this current state, thers no real work productivity gains by using a tablet over a laptop and even for just the fun value its far more limited than things u can do on a regular computer.

 

It's all about portability and mobility, just like the netbook class of devices, except that genres such as the iPad are really just focused on pulling down content only. Work productivity per se really doesn't enter the equation.

At the moment, I'd say that odds on I'll pick up something like the iPad (or Kindle or tablet or ....). Was weighing 3G vs non-3G version, but my HTC Eris really fills just about anything I'd need 3G for on an iPad for, so I'd probably opt for a non-3G version.

Still waiting to see how the competition unfolds and whether there will be any need for a bit of an iPad hardware update (I try to avoid x.0 versions of most things, but from what I've seen and briefly done, the 1.0 iPad is really quite nice and doesn't suffer very obvious 1.0 shortfalls).

Blue

 

I am sure such devices are infact needed by many people, regular laptops are way too big n heavy for mobility.

 

a netbook is too big and heavy? yet provides more functionality than an ipad can (unless ur talking about playing games or watching youtube videos, which even for youtube videos its just as easy on a netbook)

anything practical that u can do on an ipad, u can do on a netbook. only bonus is u get apps with the ipad, but thers tons of options to get the same functionality for the netbook.

 

I was referring to the weight of a laptop( not a netbook).

It,s my opinion that regular windows is not an OS for a netbook, way too heavy for that hardware. Moreover I like a touch interface over a crowded small keyboard, more of a personal liking.

I think tablets are newborn( or even in utero infact), and they might gradually replace the netbooks. Let,s wait n see.

 

well unless they get a lot better for doing things other than simply being able to read content off the internet for fun i doubt they will replace netbooks because typing out large documents on a touch screen with no physical feel of hitting a key is really awkward and much slower than using a normal keyboard.

then they start selling add-on attactchmenet keyboard to compensate, and all in all, by the end of it all, just to get the functionaliy of a netbook or laptop, ull be spending hundreds more than its original price, its just way too much money for not enough product.

 

IMHO, an either/or view (either desktop or laptop, laptop or netbook, netbook or iPad, or any other permutation) misses the point.

Let's face it, print media of all forms is on the downswing. The capital required for production and the expenses for distribution are simply too high. We're obviously still in a transition phase. In books, you have the pure ereaders such as Kindle/Nook/etc. They have a clear niche. It's probably an open question of whether pure ereaders are the answer, or whether it's a multifunction device such as the iPad, or something else altogether that does provide for actions such as typing to a big part of the deal.

The first adopter price is high, but it will come down eventually. How much? Who knows. In part, that will be determined by whether a real multifunction device is required or if the market stays fragmented with both real PC's and pure content delivery devices. If it' the latter, prices need to drop (and they will). Apple has a lot of price flex here (as do Amazon and B&N) since they distribute paid content as well as hardware.

Blue

 

I want to comment on these in reverse order...

I don't think that there will be a x.1 on the hardware, BUT you do have iOS 4.x coming at some future point and I think apple likes to charge for the OS Updates on its products. I have to admit that I think they've really managed to get some almost double-dipping going on. Upgrade the iHardware at point A during the year, update the iOS Software at point B during the year. It is a vicious cycle to help get more money out of the consumers.

I don't think that the 3G version is worth the expense unless you have money to blow. Especially since your paying for lax security (The AT&T thing...) as a bonus.

Portability is definitely the goal here. I am not a apple fanboi, I don't own an iAnything, and I really want to find reasons to not like the iPad. I must admit though, the more I really think about the iPad there are things about it that I do like, and uses come to mind that make me want one "if it just did one other little thing".. While I don't see myself buying one in the next year, I'm no longer ignoring them as something that is useless. I am enjoying the idea of just grabbing it, curling up on the couch and reviewing the news of the day, having a conversation in IM, and other light duty one way use. However, I have to say that if Apple could either perfect in house, or license (Say from Nuance) the technology to implement a working speech recognition system, I think the productivity issue could be greatly diminished. While speech recognition wouldn't be practical in public, or on airplanes (confidentiality, annoying your neighbor), a portable keyboard is not much to carry, especially in anticipation of that type of use.

I have to admit now though, iPad v2.0, with dual cameras (front/back) combined with iOS v4.x with FaceTime is an interesting thing to contemplate. Curl up on the couch (Or hotel room bed), initiate a FaceTime call to your wife, kids etc and have a nice video chat. Yes, its completely doable at this point with almost any laptop you buy off the shelf with a built in webcam, and Skype, but its portability and convenience.

Let me know when Dragon Naturally Speaking is available on any tablet and I'll be interested. (Especially if it has a RDP client.)

 

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