Are tablets a dying breed?

[Sir Asvald]

7 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

Okay, the Surface is fine because it runs a full x86 version of windows and ONLY because it runs a full version of windows.

 

iPads, Surface RT's and Android tablets (I have used them all) are a pain, there is limited app support and the lack of a decent file explorer (The RT does have that)

 

The ONLY people at my school who use iPads (or any other stupid mobile OS tablet) play games on them, they usually have a Laptop with them, or the plain just do nothing.

Well, I've used the Surface Pro 4. And I liked it. It's just to expensive for me at the moment. 

[ShadowCaptain]

8 minutes ago, Sakkura said:

was estimated to be 26.5 months, not the 12-18 months you claim.

Well most phone contracts are 24 months, so that makes sense

[LordLeewee]

plenty of people will get on just fine with them if all they want are emails or web browsing. i have an iPad, never use it. for web browsing I've got an 11" macbook air which isn't much bigger than an iPad, got my main rig for anything heavier and my phone for anything that requires instant information that i cant wait 10 seconds for my laptop to boot (if it was every switched off, which it isn't)

 

so for people with an abundance of other tech, we've always had something which does everything better so never fully integrated them. 

[LukeTim]

I've had an iPad Air 2 since last May, and I still use it daily. It's a fantastic device.

The large screen is much more pleasant to read on than a smartphone, and its smaller size means it can be used in a lot more comfortable places/ways than a laptop. It's also more portable. I have a tablet pocket in my backpack, so I carry my iPad everywhere with me and I don't even feel the weight. When I put my MacBook Pro in there it begins to enter the realms of discomfort, particularly if you're walking around a lot. In addition, battery life is superior on the tablet. If I am going out somewhere for the day with the MBP, I would absolutely need to take my charger, because it often won't last long enough (though Chrome is often to blame for that, it's a real battery drainer). When I take my iPad out, it can last at least the entire day and still have 20+% battery left.

However, I do think that as far as tablets go, the iPad is the only decent option. Android has woeful Tablet app support. Windows is just a desktop OS, designed for a mouse, with touchscreen functionality slapped on top. Neither Android nor Windows tablets provide a great user experience, in my opinion. I'm not crazy about Apple, but I do think that the tablet market is pretty skewed in their favour at the moment. Nobody else seems to care all that much.

 

I don't think tablets like the iPad Pro are going to replace Laptops - not by a long shot - but they still have a use and a place.

[GeekJump]

Do we count 2-in-1's as tablets or laptops???

 

If they keep going the way they're going, hybrids and smartphones will phase them out. Besides the crap budget tablets like the $50 kindle and no-brands, the prices for tablets now just aren't competitive.

 

I was tablet shopping recently and for the price of a decent tablet I could just get a 2-in-1 or laptop of similar specs...WHY BUY THE TABLET THEN?!?!? (I opted for a new phone instead)

 

Especially now with phablets matching up with tablets power. No point of owning both. A couple years back I carried around a tablet and smartphone because my phone screen was small, the battery was poop, and speeds was ehh. My tablet covered all those negatives. Now, my smartphone is better than my tablet (power wise), has similar battery, and a 1440p screen of smexiness. Anything I can't do on my phone now is reserved for my actual computer (design, editing, etc.). My tablet is collecting dust now.

[TetraSky]

I own two tablets.

One 8" x86 Windows tablet and one 7" Android tablet. I mostly only ever use my tablets when I want to read/watch something away from my computer and the small screen of my smartphone just isn't enough. Which really happens like once or twice a month.

 

I personally wouldn't use a large smartphone. 4inch to 5inch is the maximum size for me when it comes to a smartphone, anything larger than that and it's unusable as a phone. (needs to be "portable"(fit in my pockets) and be comfortably to use with my small hands)

What I do hope to happen more, is the "convertible" type of laptops/tablets. Where you can just remove the keyboard from the screen and use that. (Like the MS Surface, the transformer lineup from Asus, etc..), that's where the future of tablets lie to me. And what my next "tablet" like purchase will be instead of just a tablet and no keyboard dock.

[LokiFire]

Tablet is what 3D was for TV's.. a niche and a useless damn product from the start.

[AlTech]

11 hours ago, ShadowCaptain said:

 

Agreed, tablets are in their own category, I assume in the future they will most likely all become 2 in 1 devices since it makes sense to add a keyboard in this manner but not sacrifice portability since it can be removed

 

I think tablets will continue on, the reason they are slowing down in sales, is that a tablet bought in the last 3 years is still perfectly usable today without needing to upgrade

Same as PCs, a 5 year old laptop can still do the tasks 99% of people do

the only people buying new tech are gamers and high end content producers, somebody like my mum, could use a 3 year old tablet and laptop, and an old phone and thats all she needs, 

Not for me it can't. I need every drip of performance.

 

But i'm not 99% of people. I am less than 1%.

[ShadowCaptain]

18 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

Not for me it can't. I need every drip of performance.

 

But i'm not 99% of people. I am less than 1%.

Well its never going to be a MAIN device, its a 3rd device for me