Has the iPad helped Tablet PCs?

[heatlesssun]

When the iPad was announced I predicted two things:

1. The iPad would do well
2. The iPad would help the Tablet PC

It certainly does look both are becoming true, some hellacious Tablet PC designs are coming out, the W100 and the dual screen Acer possibly next year and now the Dell Inspiron Duo Netbook/Tablet Hybrid http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/14/dell-inspiron-duo-tablet-netbook-hybrid-unveiled-with-rotating/

Of course all the PC makers are now doing Android tablets, but honestly the iPad and Android tablet are pretty much the same thing, mobile OSes, Windows really still stands alone as the only full desktop OS on these devices for better or for worse.

And by my thnking the iPad led DIRECTLY to a new form factor in the Windows space which now comes in SEVEN unique form factors:

1. Desktops with separate monitors
2. All-in-one desktops
3. Single screen clamshell laptops
4. Convertible clamshell laptop/slates
5. Pure slates
6. Slates with attachable keyboards (the old HP TC1100 and yet to be released Asus EP121)
7. Dual screen clamshell laptops (new for 2010!)

Windows Form Factor 7.

Without the iPad the W100 probably would have never seen the light of day even as a concept device though it might have been Courier or Nintento DS inspired as well. #7 I think is here to stay as eventually a W100 with a digital pen, essentially Courier, will be made by someone no doubt about it.

So the Slate Wars (tablets have digital pens) are upon us and while the iPad is doing great there's tons on intrest in Android and even Windows 7 devices. This isn't a zero sum market as the iPad and Android and Windows (and Mac OS X some day sooner rather than later) desktop do different things well, ESPECIALLY ink on the Windows and even OS X side, which I predicit will make a HUGE come back. Touch slates are cool but pens are generating a lot of intrest simply because they things that can't be done with touch and a tablet with a pen is an AWESOME note taking device. Pens are one of the most popular accessories for the iPad. Slate 2.0 will be have a lot in in common with Tablet PC 1.0.

 

[Bahamut]

And still nobody has done it right...

My Wife asked me what I thought of the iPad just yesterday and I told her, after owning PocketPCs, TabletPCs, PDAs, cell phones, smartphones, Kindles, etc, that my instant reaction the first time I held an iPad in my hands - and I do mean instant, like within a 1/10th of the first second was...

"Holy shit this thing weighs a ton..."

and it does. I know it's basically 1.5 lbs but, my god... it's insanely heavy for what it offers. That's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it. They could have used magnesium and also cut that damned ridiculous bezel/border down to 1/4 the size it currently is and shaved nearly half the weight but, that's Apple for ya.

I wouldn't say the iPad has helped anything except Apple's profit margins - it hasn't had any noticeable effect on actual TabletPCs (which the iPad is not). For people like myself that have used practically every device ever made that fits in the hand, I gotta say I wouldn't buy an iPad, and if I got one for free or won one in a contest it would get sold pronto, but that's just me as usual.

There's absolutely nothing on the market today - not one device - that I've seen and thought "Ok, that's something I'd buy for myself" and think I'd be happy with it to any degree. Not one. Not the ExoPC coming soon, not anything from Archos (even though I do like that Archos 43 and in some respects the 101 too), nothing from Apple, nothing from Asus, etc... not one damned device out there interests me - except that Asus EPad of course but it'll never see the light of day (the EPad was a prototype product shown at a tech show a few months back, it's not the Eee Pad they are bringing to market, different products).

Damned shame...

But you already know this, heatless, at least coming from me. There will never be "the perfect device" for me, I already know this, have known it for decades and, well, at least I'm not being let down any more than I already am I suppose...

 

[heatlesssun]

Yep, you're definitely a glass half empty when it comes to current slate/tablet technology and you have valid points but the glass is only HALF empty. Regardless of the state of the technology my main point is that the iPad has helped Tablet PCs. My tm2 YouTube videos have 100,000 hits and almost daily I get pinged by a YouTube viewer that asks me if they should get a tm2 or an iPad, obviously that question wouldn't be asked if there were no iPad. Plus if you look at HP's site the tm2, a niche Tablet PC has the second most reviews posted out HP's online offers, just one of the leader. And review after review of the tm2 refers to the iPad. And there's no way all of these Android would be coming out had the iPad not done well,no way to deny that.

But really you are underplaying just how good some of these devices are. I've been looking at these things a LONG time and many of the devices that have come this year have just been impressive. I know the tm2 and w100 are pure slates though technically the W100 could be considered a hinged slate but damn some of their capabilities are sick. Streaming video and writing this post at 40 WPM with almost perfect real time conversion, no stuttering, no heat, no noise and decent battery life, I can get up to 6 hours. Or stream TWO 720P videos over WiMax better than a lot of of people can do on their desktops, though for only 10 seconds before the battery dies!

Yes there's still plenty to improve in slate/tablet space but there are good products their that can deliver experiences that most people don't even know are possible.

 

[harsaphes]

The Ipad is great. Instant on is hard to beat.. I use it everyday..do i love it?..no, but I like it alot. Exopc is about to launch their W7 tablet and it looks like it might be a winner..great early reviews..Im keeping it on my short buy list.

 

[Crucible1001]

I have the pocket version of the ipad.

 

[kinein]

it feels like a cross between the kindle craze and the tablet/small laptop craze.

I've seen it in lecture halls and it definately has a niche @ the educational level in terms of taking notes, flash card program, etc.

The usage of the ipad can greatly reduce paper usage - in schools, hospitals, office work.

It will help facilitate the current transition to digital society! Not that I have one but it definately has influenced the industry to some measure with companies rushing to compete with it. Much like how everyone and their momma rushed with iphone competitors over the last few years after the iphone came out.

It won't be the end all but it'll be one of the many catalysts 10-20 years from now you'll look back and be able to identify the ipad as one of the old-ancient techs that revolutionized the way we conduct our lives.

 

[Snufykat]

The bad part of that statement is it has all been done before. Apple just repackaged it with a better antenna than their phones have.
It will be remembered as revolutionary, but it holds no interest to me.

 

[heatlesssun]

The Ipad is great. Instant on is hard to beat.. I use it everyday..do i love it?..no, but I like it alot. Exopc is about to launch their W7 tablet and it looks like it might be a winner..great early reviews..Im keeping it on my short buy list.

Yeah, I'm about to pre-ordered one. I wanted to see if the HP Slate had any inking first but my guess would be no.

 

[kinein]

The bad part of that statement is it has all been done before. Apple just repackaged it with a better antenna than their phones have.
It will be remembered as revolutionary, but it holds no interest to me.

I'm just thinking about it from a global perspective, not from a case by case individual viewpoint - true Apple isn't creating a totally new product. But its shown how to re-iterate an idea and concept and make it a tangible product that satisfies consumer wants with intuitive design, ease of use, and a business model that has incredible potential, utilizing the appstore to generate revenue after initial sale of platform.


Because of this success, the integration into main-stream consciousness and use will increase the % of the population that come into contact with it and technology similar to it. This in turn will lead to an even more tech-savvy global population.

This also inspires the competition to consider product design, both manufacturing and software in terms of how best to satisfy the needs and wants of consumers. Its "revolutionary things like the ipad" that will in the long-run spur innovation as others attempt to compete or are inspired by the things Apple is doing "right".

 

[Bahamut]

Seems the iPad - at least from Best Buy's bottom line - has halved the sales of laptops since its introduction:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/17/ipad-has-halved-laptop-sales-claims-best-buy-ceo/

If it's done that to laptops - and again, this is just one retailer reporting on their internal data, one can only imagine what it's done for actual TabletPC sales which probably don't even register anymore in the big scheme of things.

 

[heatlesssun]

So Best Buy is selling half as many laptops as it was a year ago? Is the overall laptop market only half of what it was a year ago?

 

[Bahamut]

I'm sure the info isn't based strictly on sales figures alone, but also on what the retail store personnel are probably relaying to them on top of those figures: that customers come into the stores, happen to see the iPad, get a demo of it, realize it'll do exactly what they want to do (music, videos, surfing), costs roughly the same as a full size laptop might or less, gets the basics done just as well, and of course it's an Apple product so...

Add all that up and it sortakinda makes sense, I guess.

I dropped by a Best Buy a few days ago for the first time in many months and they had a display set up (rather prominent front area demo) where you just couldn't miss the iPads and there were several folks there. Laptops? Desktops? Pushed to the back by several rows... in fact in the store I was in, all the Apple hardware was clustered up near the front and customers wouldn't have much choice but to walk by that stuff to get to the laptops/desktops.

Best Buy isn't giving that stuff front placement like that just because the products sell well - the margins on such sales aren't all that so, there's gotta be something additional happening on the Apple side, I think.

As for actual TabletPCs, that particular store didn't have any - not one tablet device or actual TabletPC at all. I expected to see at least one or two models by HP but when I asked, the clerk said he hadn't seen one in stock for months, and he didn't mean they were sold out: he meant they simply didn't stock such machines and hadn't for some time.

 

[heatlesssun]

The Best Buys around me have have pretty large and open displays of laptops around 2 dozen models but BB has rarely had any TPCs on display. The last time I saw one was the HP tx2 and of course the pen was missing!

But I'll bet you a $100 you'll see some TPCs this holiday season at that BB along with some Android devices and this is my main point. The article you linked to said this.

 

[Snufykat]

This in turn will lead to an even more tech-savvy global population.

There really does not seem to be much "tech savvy" about using a touch screen interface to click on the content that the cult of jobs has deemed appropriate. But that is just my opinion.

 

[Sly]

I still remember a time when the term 'tech savy' was reserved for the hardcore geeks that actually know what they're doing.

 

[heatlesssun]

This is one thing that is a definite minus to the iPad. One can STILL put knowledge of Windows and things like Word and Excel on an resume. Now try putting iOS and Pages and Numbers.

In an time of high unemployment where people needing new skills to keep up, the iPad provides none of that benefit.

 

[phide]

It certainly does look both are becoming true, some hellacious Tablet PC designs are coming out, the W100 and the dual screen Acer possibly next year and now the Dell Inspiron Duo Netbook/Tablet Hybrid http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/14/dell-inspiron-duo-tablet-netbook-hybrid-unveiled-with-rotating/

But what would suggest that the iPad was the catalyst for the creation of the products you've listed?

I use it everyday..do i love it?..no, but I like it alot.

Same. Great little thing; use it daily; like it a lot but don't love it.

They could have used magnesium and also cut that damned ridiculous bezel/border down to 1/4 the size it currently is and shaved nearly half the weight but, that's Apple for ya.

I guess Apple figured that being able to comfortably hold the device without inadvertently tapping on GUI elements was of more importance than shaving thirty or forty grams (if that much) from a 680 gram device. We call that "function over form", a design philosophy which some have accused Apple of neglecting.

In an time of high unemployment where people needing new skills to keep up, the iPad provides none of that benefit.

I'd say it depends on the industry. The iPad has found a place in various creative industries including film, television and audio. Thus, basic working knowledge of the iPad is of some benefit to those pursuing a career in industries in which the iPad has begun to enter. And, in those industries, knowledge of Word and Excel may very well be of minimal benefit.

 

[heatlesssun]

But what would suggest that the iPad was the catalyst for the creation of the products you've listed?

A device as expensive and exotic as a W100 may have been built as Toshiba does have a long history of building Librettos but not ONE discussion of the W100, or for that matter any Tablet PC in the IT media doesn't reference the iPad these days and as I've said I've gotten a sharp uptick in people asking me about Tablet PCs, this is what made me start this thread. At the very least the iPad helps to draw attention to Tablet PC like they've never received since launch in 2002. I certainly have never seen a Libretto get attention like the W100 and that's CLEARLY because of the iPad.

I'd say it depends on the industry. The iPad has found a place in various creative industries including film, television and audio. Thus, basic working knowledge of the iPad is of some benefit to those pursuing a career in industries in which the iPad has begun to enter. And, in those industries, knowledge of Word and Excel may very well be of minimal benefit.

But as you have said time and time and time again the iPad is all about ease of use, its so simple an amoeba can use it, not sure how having the computing skills of an amoeba makes one competitive. I'm not saying there aren't educational and productive opportunities with the iPad their but I don't see people listing iPad skills on their resumes anytime soon unless they're developing software for the iPad. In a nut shell for the average out of work joe that needs skills to get a job I simply don't see how a computing device built around ease of use helps directly.

 

[GreenMonkey]

The Best Buys around me have have pretty large and open displays of laptops around 2 dozen models but BB has rarely had any TPCs on display. The last time I saw one was the HP tx2 and of course the pen was missing!

But I'll bet you a $100 you'll see some TPCs this holiday season at that BB along with some Android devices and this is my main point. The article you linked to said this.

I got my HP TX2 1025dx from Best Buy as a display model for $399 (sans pen which cost $20 to order). I saw a non-clearance TX2 at another Best Buy shortly after the TM2 came out...haven't been in there lately...I'm sure it's probably gone now.

I still like my TX2 a lot. I plan on putting an SSD in it when the >80GB ones drop a bit more in price. Right now it's getting frequent, tiny HDD activity I can't pin down which is hurting the battery life...but I upgrade-installed win7 from Vista due to lack of drivers at the time...so I know it needs a clean win7 install.

All Win7 needs is a good GUI layer like Media Center and an SSD to speed it up, and it would make a great tablet.

As far as the ipad, I really dislike it, but it's helping the tablet market. I'd still take a nice Maemo / Meego/ Android tablet also, as long as it had an SDHC slot, HDMI, USB, etc.

 

[ShadowStriker]

No mention of the IBM TouchPad eh?

 

[phide]

...I've said I've gotten a sharp uptick in people asking me about Tablet PCs

Is that not the result of your talking about them now more than ever? In any iPad discussion or discussion even vaguely related to the iPad you make it a point to talk about various Windows-powered tablets. It would stand to reason that you would be asked questions about them if you make it a point to talk about them ad nauseum.

Imagine if I talked about blood oranges every time anyone mentioned anything about fruit. You might expect that I'd be asked more questions about blood oranges when I talk about them than when I don't.

But as you have said time and time and time again the iPad is all about ease of use, its so simple an amoeba can use it

I never said that.

In a nut shell for the average out of work joe that needs skills to get a job I simply don't see how a computing device built around ease of use helps directly.

Because you aren't familiar with its potential application in various industries you aren't a part of. To this end, your inability to see the potential benefit is unsurprising. If the iPad is used as a tool for a particular role, knowledge of the iPad is of particular benefit and may be a valuable addition to one's resume. It's really no different than Microsoft Office in that respect.

 

[heatlesssun]

Is that not the result of your talking about them now more than ever?

How does this apply to YouTube? That's where I said the qestions were coming from. I would imagine the average YouTube member never heard of [H].

I never said that.

No you didn't litterally say that but you have on more than one occasion touted the iPad's ease of use. Not saying that this isn't true just that you've mentioned it a lot.

Because you aren't familiar with its potential application in various industries you aren't a part of. To this end, your inability to see the potential benefit is unsurprising. If the iPad is used as a tool for a particular role, knowledge of the iPad is of particular benefit and may be a valuable addition to one's resume. It's really no different than Microsoft Office in that respect.

What marketable job skills can the average person gain by simply using an iPad? Not designing or programing for, mearly using an iPad.

You can't have it both ways. The iPad isn't a complex tool to use, it supposed to be simple, that's kind of the point. If it's simple to use then how can using it increase one's skills? Obviously one can read books or use apps and tools that help increase knowledge like any other platform. But really, how many employers are going to look at iPad experience as valuable?

 

[phide]

How does this apply to YouTube? That's where I said the qestions were coming from.

I quoted what you said.

No you didn't litterally say that but you have on more than one occasion touted the iPad's ease of use.

Yes.

The iPad isn't a complex tool to use, it supposed to be simple, that's kind of the point. If it's simple to use then how can using it increase one's skills?

The iPad is easy to use. One is not, however, born knowing how to use it. One is not born knowing where to go to change an app's individual preferences on an iPad, just as one is not born knowing how to change the font size in Word. One is not born configuring complex wireless connections on an iPad, just as one is not born knowing how to perform a computation with two adjoining cells in Excel. These things are potentially useful pieces of knowledge and potentially valuable pieces of knowledge if an employer would desire for an applicant to know them.

But really, how many employers are going to look at iPad experience as valuable?

Those who utilize it to perform necessary tasks, as I've already said. Just as organizations utilize Word and Excel to perform necessary tasks. Fundamentally, there is absolutely no difference: The difference is merely in scale. Few organizations use the iPad in a productive capacity. "Few", however, does not mean "none".

 

[heatlesssun]

Those who utilize it to perform necessary tasks, as I've already said. Just as organizations utilize Word and Excel to perform necessary tasks. Fundamentally, there is absolutely no difference: The difference is merely in scale. Few organizations use the iPad in a productive capacity. "Few", however, does not mean "none".

No one born to knowing how to poop properly either but obviously being potty trained isn't a marketable skill, though I imagin not being so would be a problem in attaining employment.

Bottom line, the iPad is a simple device that at every turn is all about hiding complexity and skill is all about knowing things that aren't simple otherwise they wouldn't be skills. Because the iPad is easy to use anyone can pick up an iPad and use it effectively. This would exclude apps like graphic design tools that require inherent skills to use in the first place and yes the iPad could be used to attain those skills but so could a Tablet PC.


When millions of people start putting iPad use on their resumes and it’s taken seriously as a skill I’ll be proven wrong.

 

[phide]

No one born to knowing how to poop properly either

Pretty sure there's only one way to do that. Either it stays in or it comes out, and if it comes out you've done it properly (and, no, you're actually born knowing how to do that).

When millions of people start putting iPad use on their resumes and it’s taken seriously as a skill I’ll be proven wrong.

Why would it have to be millions? Even if it's just one person it would completely invalidate your original assertion if it turns out to have been a benefit for that one person.

 

[heatlesssun]

Pretty sure there's only one way to do that. Either it stays in or it comes out, and if it comes out you've done it properly (and, no, you're actually born knowing how to do that).

And yet it is called potty training, go figure.

Why would it have to be millions? Even if it's just one person it would completely invalidate your original assertion if it turns out to have been a benefit for that one person.

Perhaps, however Apple faithful types are very quick to point out that no ones wants or likes Tablet PCs because they don't sell millions of units like the iPad which in their opinion makes the platform of no value. From programming to graphic art to Microsoft Office or just learning about how Windows works and obtaining certifications in all sorts of fields there are a vast array of marketable skills that can be acquired on a Tablet PC, not even you can argue this one. Tablet PC wasn't meant to be a drop dead simple device to use but an extremely flexiable and powerful one.

The iPad on the other hand is an easy to use consumptive device. It was not meant to be a device to develop a mad array of skills, it was designed to require almost none to be effective to use for mostly non-productive tasks. Why you know want to argure against yourself when just last week you were touting the iPad's simplcity is rather odd.

 

[phide]

From programming to graphic art to Microsoft Office or just learning about how Windows works and obtaining certifications in all sorts of fields there are a vast array of marketable skills that can be acquired on a Tablet PC

I'm not debating that.

It was not meant to be a device to develop a mad array of skills, it was designed to require almost none to be effective to use for mostly non-productive tasks.

Employers aren't interested in a "mad array" of skills. They're looking for applicants who have the skills necessary for those applicants to perform their job capably and efficiently (and ideally a set of related skills which may be of some benefit when needed).

Why you [now] want to argure against yourself when just last week you were touting the iPad's simplcity is rather odd.

I already addressed this. I'm not going over it again.

 

[heatlesssun]

Employers aren't interested in a "mad array" of skills. They're looking for applicants who have the skills necessary for those applicants to perform their job capably and efficiently (and ideally a set of related skills which may be of some benefit when needed).

Don't be so sure about that, especially in this environment. The job reqs I've seen these days want people to have more experience and skills than ever. Hell I wouldn't be shocked if one day Pages or Numbers showed up on a req and thanks to the simplcity of the iPad it'll only take me about 2 minutes to pick up.