August 4th, 2009
Tablet devices suck, so why does Apple want to make one?
The rumors of an Apple tablet/large screen iPod continue to live on, along with the possible upcoming Crunchpad device. After reading Jeremy Toeman’s latest article titled, The Tablet That Nobody Really Wants…, I have to say I think he put into words perfectly what most of us have been thinking. Wired posted an article stating that 2010 may be the year of the tablet, but I respectfully disagree and don’t think any year will be the year of the tablet. People rarely write with a pen and paper anymore and I don’t think they will go back to handwriting, especially on an electronic screen that cannot compete with a nice sheet of paper.
I have tried different tablet devices in the past and I see very little benefit from them for the majority of people. The iPhone/iPod touch seem to be just about as big as you need for a productive web surfing and media consumption device and a tablet Apple really does not make much sense to me.
I do think the handwriting recognition found in Windows Tablet PCs is actually extremely accurate and quite remarkable. That said, I am still way more accurate and productive on a QWERTY keyboard and find little benefit in handwriting on a computer screen. The convertible Tablet PC devices do give you a full notebook experience along with a tablet experience, but these have never seemed to sell that well and are priced quite high compared to a comparable netbook.
Does anyone think a tablet device doesn’t suck?
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Subscribe to The Mobile Gadgeteer via Email alerts or RSS.
