Why Android Tablets Aren't Selling

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During an interview with C|Net, NVIDIA's CEO explained why he thinks Android tablets aren't selling. There you have it, all the answers to your problems. Everything should be fixed in no time now...right? :rolleyes:

"It's a point of sales problem. It's an expertise at retail problem. It's a marketing problem to consumers. It is a price point problem," he said, for starters. Though Huang didn't mention the $499 starting price for the iPad, it was clear that this was a reference point. "The baseline configuration included 3G when it shouldn't have," he said.
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You have to admit it is funny that Huang, NVidia's CEO, would point to price as an problem.
 
Motorola thought they could offer a tablet that cost $300 above a ipad at the time of launch. Im not sure they even have a market research department over there.
 
sigvoror said:
You have to admit it is funny that Huang, NVidia's CEO, would point to price as an problem.
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i was thinking the exact same thing lol.

sadly though, it's amazing how the average person wants whatever apple releases. It's crazy how ppl just flock to them...
 
It's a Laptop vs over size cell phones that can't even make phone calls.... problem. :rolleyes:
 
Hey! Sometimes when I am at home watching TV I don't want my legs to be a little warm while surfing the internet or hey sometimes I want to play Angry birds on a giant screen or hey I don't want to feel a keyboard when I am typing or not be able to see flash. Geez leave me alone.

/sarcasm

Tablets will never be anything but just toys.
 
Android tablets matching or exceeding the iPad's price is market suicide. nvidia is in a really bad position over this. The company rode the ARM tablet hype and the stock price benefited. If Android doesn't take off, the bubble will burst.

The 3G thing might be part of the problem since it seems to add (too) much to the retail price. Do people think Samsung and Motorola in particular would not include 3G data services?

Maybe 2012 will be the year of the Android tablet. :p
 
Come on man. Get a clue. People buy PC over Mac b/c price. Duh.

It really irks me to think that people who get paid WAY more than myself.....etc etc. Life is lol.
 
Android Tablets don't sell, because Tablets don't sell.

Sure, hipsters buy iPads, but they don't even use them. They didn't want a tablet, they wanted an Apple iPad.
 
I personally think that some of the problem is due to at least a portion of the Android tablet market requiring a cellular subscription.

Most people want a name-brand they have heard of, but when the name brand tablets require a Verizon (or other mobile carrier) contract rather than being wifi-only, that stalls the deal.

I know there are some wifi-only Android tablets, but a number of the ones I've seen aren't well-known brands to the average consumer.
 
spaceman said:
Come on man. Get a clue. People buy PC over Mac b/c price. Duh.

It really irks me to think that people who get paid WAY more than myself.....etc etc. Life is lol.
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This isn't about PC vs Mac.
 
I use my ipad every single day, it has replaced magazines and newspapers for me. I use it at night before going to bed and in the morning primarily, but I find myself using it all the time, you really don't realize how much you use them until you have one to be honest. It was a gift and I would of never bought it but now I definitely would replace it if it ever broke, they're fantastic
 
they are not selling because they suck. and the ones that don't suck cost the same or more than an ipad. no mysteries here.
 
pankkake said:
Android Tablets don't sell, because Tablets don't sell.

Sure, hipsters buy iPads, but they don't even use them. They didn't want a tablet, they wanted an Apple iPad.
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False. I bought an iPad and had never (and still haven't) bought any other Apple products. I use it everyday. It's replaced almost my entire notebook usage, and I love having 10 hours of real battery life (unlike every notebook I ever got that claimed 9+ hours, then under real world usage you got 2-5 depending on how hard you're pushing it). Compared to a notebook I can do the same things, but with a device that weighs less, doesn't get hot enough to cause me discomfort, produces no noise, and has a very long (real world) battery life.
 
Android, iOS... they are both dumbed down sorry excuses for an OS. Win8 will make tablets useful.
 
You guys kill me. 7.33 million units in Q4 and 4.69 million units in Q1 and "iPads don't sell"

Find a NVIDIA board partner with those numbers OR margin....

I have an iPad2 AND an Acer Iconia A500 tablet. The Acer has a few things going for it but the main issue is that Apple is the best at creating products that just work. Are they for everyone? No. Especially not this crowd. We demand more features etc but we are also willing to put up with horrible UI's and poor industrial design to get them.

Android tablets fail because there are no apps. I have 4 kick butt SSH clients on my iPad. I can't find one decent one for my Acer. Network sniffers, traceroute tools, snmp apps, VNC servers, the iOS has them.

Is the iPad perfect? No. Is it a "tablet". No. That word is reserved for the idiots in Redmond that insist on putting Windoz on mobile devices.

Let the Apple hating begin.....
 
I wouldn't pay $700-800 for a Tablet unless it ran Windows. That's ridiculous.

I do have an iPad 2, (which I got for free from my company) and they are pretty nice devices. But for what I do with them (Angry Birds, Netflix, Pandora) it's not worth $700, and I probably wouldn't have even paid the $499.

They are simply pricing these things too high.
 
Insomniak said:
Android tablets fail because there are no apps. I have 4 kick butt SSH clients on my iPad. I can't find one decent one for my Acer. Network sniffers, traceroute tools, snmp apps, VNC servers, the iOS has them.
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That might be a bit of a chicken before the egg argument, imo. There aren't a lot of Android tablet apps because there aren't a lot of Android tablets yet.
 
niconx said:
Android, iOS... they are both dumbed down sorry excuses for an OS. Win8 will make tablets useful.
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I don't disagree but how much OS does anyone need on a Tablet?

I would think that they only need enough to fit their purpose. Tablets are great for surfing, media consumption, and light-weight applications. They aren't workstation replacement devices yet.
 
Can someone explain to me the appeal of a tablet? I really haven't been able to think of a reason for wanting one. I mean I never find myself using a laptop and thinking "Man, I wish this thing were less powerful and didn't have a keyboard."
 
jiminator said:
they are not selling because they suck. and the ones that don't suck cost the same or more than an ipad. no mysteries here.
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I agree. Not only that, but the marketing blows too. If you asked most normal people (non-[H]) about a Xoom or Galaxy Tab, most wouldn't have a clue what you were talking about... the ipad on the other hand is a household name by now. Apple effectively shows people, via advertising, how the ipad can be useful to them. Android tablet manufacturers seem to be focusing of people that want a tablet but don't want to buy apple instead of showing potential customers why they should be choosing their tablet over an ipad (or any other android tablet for that matter)
 
I don't know, I didn't think I'd ever want one but since I got my Thunderbolt I find that I use it more than my PC for general web browsing. I'm typing this out now on it. For general web browsing and such its easier to whip out my phone and check on something than it is to walk downstairs and fire up my compy. That's where I think their appeal lies, with people like my wife who only uses the internet for Facebook and email, its perfect and convenient.
 
We have a few of the Android tablets around at work and I don't know why anyone would purchase one over an iPad. Maybe if they need something very specific that only Android offers, but other than that I can't see paying more for an Android tablet, I just don't see the same level of user experience.

And because Android is what it is, we are already running into situations where the OS fragmentation and devices not getting updates is hurting us. Oh but heck, if we want more 3.0 tablets we should just spend another $700 on the Galaxy Tab 10 inch (which likely won't get updated either).

Meanwhile every iPad and iPad 2 we have is happily up to date and we don't have to worry about them.
 
niconx said:
Android, iOS... they are both dumbed down sorry excuses for an OS. Win8 will make tablets useful.
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I hope Windows 8 has a good touch interface. That still won't solve the problems with trying to run legacy (non-gaming) software on a touch tablet running Windows 8.

iOS is a pretty nice touch OS and its underpinnings are quite advanced and complete for a handheld OS. It's less impressive on a tablet of course, but the non-resolution dependent compatibility between the 2 form factors is quite handy.
 
Radical said:
Can someone explain to me the appeal of a tablet? I really haven't been able to think of a reason for wanting one. I mean I never find myself using a laptop and thinking "Man, I wish this thing were less powerful and didn't have a keyboard."
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Then you need to get your mind right. You don't need all that power or even that keyboard. :)
 
Radical said:
Can someone explain to me the appeal of a tablet? I really haven't been able to think of a reason for wanting one. I mean I never find myself using a laptop and thinking "Man, I wish this thing were less powerful and didn't have a keyboard."
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eBook, carry-about Netflix viewer and carry-about internet browsing comes to mind. It's readily functional than laptops. Pick it up, unlock it, use it. Battery life's nicer too.

Granted, the use for tablets are far less than that of a laptop, but hey we're living in a society of convenience. Everything's being replaced by easy-to-use devices and methods. Cell phones instead of payphones. Web sites instead of magazines and newspaper. Car instead of walking. iPod instead of boom box. And so on.
 
nutzo said:
Then you need to get your mind right. You don't need all that power or even that keyboard. :)
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I've always used Apple products, and PC products. I've never really hated on one or the other. As for the question this reply was for, its the perfect reply. I cannot see myself plunking down on another laptop. I bought the iPad 2 and I love it, It does what i need it to. By the same token, why would you buy a laptop where you can't upgrade the graphics card? Same essential argument. The Pad is for the mobility and convenience and I've given up on laptop gaming and lugging all that crap and power bricks around.
 
Matalim said:
12 million hipsters according to H.
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Yeah Apple only holds 87% of tablet marketshare so they're obviously not selling well. In my opinion discontinue the iPad altogether.

On a more serious note, I believe that people aren't giving credit where credit is due. I like many people on this forum do not see the point of a tablet because I have a laptop and an iPhone 4. However, you guys have to realize that 80% of the country doesn't care to have the best processor or latest graphics or 20MP camera, they want something that "just works." For someone who doesn't want to lug around a laptop or want to pay for a subscription service, the iPad dominates that market. It doesn't make any noise and it doesn't generate nearly as much heat. Apple, once again, came out with a very well designed and simple product for people who are technologically handicapped to be able to use it seamlessly. Hell my grandma has an iPhone 4 and she knows how to use that thing as a smartphone which I think is quite amazing given the fact she is almost 80. Apple designs solely on the user experience and less on the benchmark/[H] epeen and look where they are.

Like I said give credit where credit is due. Yes I know it's hard to compliment the dark side but hey, when windows comes out with an amazing tablet that sells like hot cakes, everyone will be praising it too.
 
LoneWolf said:
I personally think that some of the problem is due to at least a portion of the Android tablet market requiring a cellular subscription.

Most people want a name-brand they have heard of, but when the name brand tablets require a Verizon (or other mobile carrier) contract rather than being wifi-only, that stalls the deal.

I know there are some wifi-only Android tablets, but a number of the ones I've seen aren't well-known brands to the average consumer.
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My sister wanted an "E-Reader", and was torn between the Kindle and a Nook. We got her a Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi and she's quite happy with it. Oh, and it only cost ~$350 on Amazon. She can make Skype calls if she wanted. But that's not really what she needs. All she needs it for is checking her email and reading.

The flip side is she doesn't want a "smart phone" because the screen is too small. And she would rather not lug around a laptop wherever she goes (she's a College Professor). She also refuses to pay for a cellular service.

Now I have no way to prove this idea... But I suspect there are plenty of people like her. Who would like a Tablet, yet for whom the non-WiFi versions are a no go. Plus, as always, price is a big factor. The catch is that most of these companies don't understand the market.

They see how the Apple products are doing and want in on the action. Yet they fail to realize that the Apple "Faithful" would buy a dog turd if it had an Apple logo stamped on it. And they'd gladly pay top dollar... But the rest of us aren't living in some delusion where Steve Jobs is God. The sad part is that these "other companies" will never get a clue and realize that they aren't going to be "Apple". So it seem unlikely they will be happy with what success they do have.
 
I plan on getting a cheap wifi only tablet running Android. It will serve as a nice couch surfer and double as a fully customizeable media remote for XBMC. Easily worth it. I use my Fascinate for all my surfing duties already so it would be an increase in size there but having a larger touch screen remote will be cool too.
 
To be honest the biggest thing that has android has always struggled with is Apps. It's not nearly as bad on the phone side of things now, but the honeycomb apps are seriously lacking. Where as the iPad has a tablet app for just about everything you want.

Sure, the android tablets are better as far as hardware goes. But that is meaningless if there is no software to run on it. And that's what apple has.
 
Cannydog said:
My sister wanted an "E-Reader", and was torn between the Kindle and a Nook. We got her a Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi and she's quite happy with it. Oh, and it only cost ~$350 on Amazon. She can make Skype calls if she wanted. But that's not really what she needs. All she needs it for is checking her email and reading.

The flip side is she doesn't want a "smart phone" because the screen is too small. And she would rather not lug around a laptop wherever she goes (she's a College Professor). She also refuses to pay for a cellular service.

Now I have no way to prove this idea... But I suspect there are plenty of people like her. Who would like a Tablet, yet for whom the non-WiFi versions are a no go. Plus, as always, price is a big factor. The catch is that most of these companies don't understand the market.

They see how the Apple products are doing and want in on the action. Yet they fail to realize that the Apple "Faithful" would buy a dog turd if it had an Apple logo stamped on it. And they'd gladly pay top dollar... But the rest of us aren't living in some delusion where Steve Jobs is God. The sad part is that these "other companies" will never get a clue and realize that they aren't going to be "Apple". So it seem unlikely they will be happy with what success they do have.
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/facepalm

Sounds to me you failed the marketing 101 class too. Apple's iPad is quite obviously not a turd with an Apple logo on it. You can also find an iPad at low cost without 3G on Amazon or eBay. As someone else said, Android lacks apps for tablets whereas Apple excels in it. Who's got the turn then? Apple or Android tablets?

None of them do of course. Android's just getting started whereas Apple's simply ahead of the game, that's all. As with Android smart phones, they'll catch up and stay on par with Apple very soon.
 
Insomniak said:
You guys kill me. 7.33 million units in Q4 and 4.69 million units in Q1 and "iPads don't sell"
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Actually, my local radio stations gave away half of those. On a more serious note, I'm more interested in Windows 8 on a tablet. Microsoft seems to not want to screw stuff (products) up lately.
 
hesho said:
i was thinking the exact same thing lol.

sadly though, it's amazing how the average person wants whatever apple releases. It's crazy how ppl just flock to them...
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Average person? Most people who work in the tech industry would still prefer the Ipad over anything else because of what the Nvidia CEO said. Fix the pricing. Andriod tablets were never meant to cost the same as an apple product because now you lose your main argument against anything apple. We have them beat on price. The items which did beat apple on price, are just not up to par to compete.
 
He's not the only one who gets it. Samsung's next batch of tablets, some of which were given out at Google I/0, are supposed to come out at a $399 price point. They are thin, beautiful and powerful.
 
Wait did I miss the Apple occult initiation gathering because I didn't get brainwashed or sheeped into buying my MacBook or iPhone.
 
Android tablets aren't selling because for 99% of people tablets are useless. They try to fill a market in between smart phones and notebooks which just doesn't exist. Most people have no need at all for such a thing. As such, most people who buy tablets do it because they want a cool, trendy, hipster, gadget. The iPad is the only one that meets that requirement. They aren't buying for any need, just because they want a shiny Apple toy, hence only an Apple toy will do.

That is what it comes down to.
 
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