Samsung View [spread itself too thin]

[minervx]

The Samsung View is an example of why it is important to have specialized uses for electronic products.  It's a $500 18" portable display with some tablet functionality, a crossover between a tablet and a monitor.  Of course, there are plenty of people who can afford to buy a new gadget every month, but this is not a great deal for the majority of consumers.  I want to explain where Samsung went wrong and how they can hit a home run with a "View 2".

 

It's not a great display.  It's 18" large and has 1080p resolution.  That wouldn't be bad except for the fact that it costs $500 and I can get an 18" 1080p display for $80.  By now, just about everyone has a 1080p monitor or television, so why make a lateral move, when I can instead invest in a 1440p or 4K display which a lot of games and streaming apps will fully support in the next few years.  Also, it doesn't even have an HDMI port for a Fire stick (fail).

 

It's not a great tablet.  The specs are weaker than what you'll find in Samsung's tablets.  Why even make it a tablet at all?  Why not just let it be a screen that the user can stream their phone or tablet onto?  Just about everyone who is going to buy this already has a better mobile processor, so why even include an inferior one.  It would be unsuable for anyone without a tablet or a phone, but I highly doubt anyone is considering this for their first computer.

 

It's not great for portability.  It's thicker than it should be because of the internals.  You can't really hold it like a tablet at all.  The jug-handle it has does make it portable, but it's non removable and makes the device very hard to accomodate in a case.  It's not easy to take with you on an airplane in a suitcase.

 

For $500, it doesn't advance my technological capabilities at all.  It doesn't enable me to do anything I couldn't already do.  It probably could've been perfect in all 3 areas if it were priced at $700, but then it would be prohibitive for many people.  Not a horrible product overall.  Just very mediocre.   It's a novelty and not great for most consumers.  In all fairness, the first iPad and the first Kindle Fire could've been described that way.

 

Rating: 5/10

 

These are my recommendations for the View 2:

• $400-450 price
• 18" 2160p Display
• No tablet functionality (just for streaming)
• Thinner body.
• Foldable and detachable jug-handle stand which locks into place
• HDMI port.

[Himommies]

10 minutes ago, minervx said:

No tablet functionality (just for streaming)

This would make it feel even more dead for 450 dollars.You can buy a XBOX and a TV for that price

 

11 minutes ago, minervx said:

HDMI port.

I agree it needs a HDMI input

 

11 minutes ago, minervx said:

the first iPad and the first Kindle Fire could've been described that way.

Not a good comparison considering that both of those were revolutionary products 

[minervx]

iPad was revolutionary but the display and processor are barely usable by today's standards, whereas iPad 2 is usable by today's standards.  Kindle Fire was just an impulse buy for broke people.  My point is that the first version of a product should be avoided because it's basically a test-run and the sequel will fix the issues.  For example, iPad 2 is much more usable today than the iPad 1.

 

For $400-500 price, this product would be worth the price if it were a 4K display that was very well designed (extremely portable, great battery life, great colors/contrast, etc).  If the View 2 can be portable in a way that a small monitor cannot, then it would be worth the premium for a niche of people.  But to have a $500 product that has the limitations of a monitor and the limitations of a bad tablet is absurd.

[Himommies]

4 minutes ago, minervx said:

  My point is that the first version of a product should be avoided because it's basically a test-run and the sequel will fix the issues.

Are you dissing the NES

[minervx]

I absolutely am.  SNES is better in every way, but I'll talk about this in a different thread.