Tablets are a fad

So my wife and I have been playing with the Build tablet for a few weeks now and it still frustrates both of us and its usefullness is declining.   We both like our smartphones for mobility but we are laptop users and will stay that way and probably more so when the ultra laptops hit the market.  I saw the Microsoft keynote on how natural it is to touch the screen etc but it only works for certain cases.  I see tablets usefull in many specific applications like for doctors, inspectors, control panels, etc. where one specific application is running.   It works for things like Kindles but I am even starting to get tired of my kindle and really want to go back to a real newspaper and book.  

I am making this statement because I think Microsoft should support tablets but they should still focus their energy on phones and pc's.   I think WinRT is a good idea for a nice interface to Windows versus Win32 api's and better performing apps (replacing .net layer code not interface) but all this Metro stuff is stupid.    It would be nice if they had leaders who could see this big picture but they dont.  Sinofsky has BA in Arts and never used .Net so he does not understand how his silverlight plan or lack thereof upset developers.   One of the guys who gets it is Anders H. but he does not want to be a front man and is happy in his background role.   HTML and Javascript still seem to me as a stupid way to do interactive applications on the web.   Microsoft should worry more about protecting their business and making it better (maybe some new ideas too) rather than chasing Google or Apple.  I have seen Microsoft make alot of mistakes before and they will survive this mess too.  

It works for things like Kindles but I am even starting to get tired of my kindle and really want to go back to a real newspaper and book.

Really? I've been reading e-Books for 7 years now, at first using Microsoft Reader on a Pocket PC. That wasn't anywhere near as good an experience as the Kindle is, and I still didn't feel any need to go back to real books. I absolutely adore my Kindle, and I hate it whenever there's a book I want to read that I can't find in e-book format.

@TomboRombo:Sorry, you're in the minority. Don't assume your preferences are inline with the rest of the market. Most computer users today are casual users. They watch some videos, use Facebook, send e-mails and browse the web. That's it. Most aren't even creating the occasional Word document anymore. These folks don't really have a need for anything other than a tablet.

This doesn't mean there's not plenty of us "power users" that do a whole lot more. Microsoft hasn't given up on us... the desktop still exists in Win8. However, ignoring where the majority of the market is at would be foolish. The casual users far out number the rest of us. Further, even we can benefit from metro style apps when we're using those types of apps.

@TomboRombo: On an island of two then,

Like wkempf has stated, your typical 8 to 18 year old has little to no use for anything other than a tablet, but your university student and adult at work require laptops or desktops more. Most teenagers have an XBox/Playstation for the bulk of their computing, added to their smart-phones

I have recently got an iPad and like it more than I care to admit, especially if I am in bed or sat on the couch.

Tablets are here to stay.

Isn't that a somewhat inevitable impression to get based on a early OS preview where there is a distinct lack of applications? There is an aspect right now that you have to make do with the Win7 tablet experience in order to do a lot of things, which is workable but not  ideal, especially with touch instead of a stylus.

As a tablet user and fan for many years now, they've always been on the cusp of being the ideal device for many, though not necessarily all, scenarios. We're getting there in terms of UI usability and devices will get lighter, have longer battery life and get significantly higher DPI displays.

Did you tire of the BUILD tablet because of its form factor, or because of the applications available for it? There's quite a huge difference.

Can I have it please?

I guess I should make it clear.   A tablet is not replacing my pc/laptop.   Thats where I think Microsoft has it wrong.  Apple has it right as many of you stated it should be a specific use device to look at facebook, ebay, craigslist, and a few other things like weather.    I just would rather have my phone when I am roaming at a portable level and my laptop for other things.  

So as far as my misstatement of fads,  it is not replacing the PC.   It is a special purpose device. For you guys who like to lug things around have fun dragging your tablet.   Dont drop it either!  I will take my smartphone.  

By the way I am not an Apple fan but I think they have the dumb down device right.  Keep it aspecial purpose device.  

Remember when Microsoft gave away the Windows CE Casio Device?  I think we have some history repeating itself.

Tablets aren't a fad. They have a very legitmate place in the market. That place is mobile content delivery. Meaning movies/music/newspapers/web-sites/etc on the go. 

I expect as the price of tablets continues to fall, everyone will wind up with one. They will be a staple of a long car journey, long bus ride, long plane ride, or just to watch content in unconventional places (e.g. Toilet, back garden, in the pool, etc).    

The problem Microsoft has is that they want to build a tablet that can both make content and deliver it, and that is firmly against the market as it stands. Plus Windows is far too big and bloated for usage in what should be a "cheap and cheerful" little tablets that should cost no more than £100 each.   

As excited as I am for Windows 8, I won't buy a Windows 8 tablet. I'd buy either an Android or iOS device simply because I want as much battery devoted to my content as I can get. 

The title of this thread immediately made me think of ...

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

I don't think they're a fad, I think they're a niche.

Herbie

EDIT: For clarity, 'niche' does not equate to a small market, it refers to it's place in the technology jigsaw.

Put OneNote 2010 on your tablet PC and take it to a meeting.

Handwrite your meeting notes in OneNote using the pen then convert to typewritten text with one click. Even if you don't convert to text your handwritten notes are still searchable because OneNote does the conversion behind the scenes and indexes the results.

The combination of Touch and Pen is phenominally useful for consuming and creating.

(BTW neither the iPad nor Android devices come close with Pen support - even though you can buy fat pens for them.)

and hey, is there now no excuse for not carrying your web server around with you?  Here is the use case: A customer phones with a complaint about your site .. you whip out your 4G tablet and do a quick change and recompile (or not if it is HTML5 I guess).

Bob's your Uncle.

Dr Herbie wrote: I don't think they're a fad, I think they're a niche.

You git. You just summed up my entire post in eleven words! 

SimonJ wrote

Handwrite your meeting notes in OneNote using the pen then convert to typewritten text with one click. 

More realistic scenario, hand-write them, try and convert them in OneNote and have OneNote tell you that your handwriting sucks and then spit out a bunch of gibberish. 

@ManipUni: I want a waterproof  tablet for the bath/shower.  That's where most of my thinking happens.

@Dr Herbie:

I don't think they're a fad, I think they're a niche.

I will agree to that as a better title.  

"Tablets are a niche and should be treated as such."

Thanks

The tablet they gave out at Build was useless and abhorrent.

Next time go to Google I/0 and you'll get some good stuff. At the last I/O they gave us the 10.1" Galaxy tab running Honeycomb. They also gave us a free Samsung 4G hotspot device with 3 months of free 4G service, and a coupon at Amazon.com for a free 3G Chromebook(arctic white). I also have an iPad.

They are both super useful, and nice to work with. I more often than not bring the iPad into status meetings to browse Google Docs enterprise, and the bug reporting system while issues are being discussed as do coworkers.

You can use a tablet at meetings without obstructing the view of coworkers, ect...

At home I've installed Amplitube, Garageband, Fruity Loops iPad edition and for games Final Fantasy III (DS version) for iPad. I play FF III on iPad at night. The onscreen joystick isn't so hot, but it's very playable.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/final-fantasy-iii-for-ipad/id430823968

I also own this $29 device called iRig which lets me plug my electric guitar into the iPad and use it as a POD device. It also has a built in 8 track recorder in Amplitube, and many, many distortion and effect pedals.

The Win 8 tablet is just what you stated, unusable. But don't judge tablets by what Microsoft can offer. That's like judging the iPod by the Zune. MS has classically gotten things horribly wrong and reduced the price and aimed it at the 3rd world and emerging markets who can't get the real thing.

12 minutes ago, ManipUni wrote

The problem Microsoft has is that they want to build a tablet that can both make content and deliver it, and that is firmly against the market as it stands. Plus Windows is far too big and bloated for usage in what should be a "cheap and cheerful" little tablets that should cost no more than £100 each.    

I think that's a flawed argument when everyone in the most successful "passive consumer" market, i.e. Television, is desperately trying to find more ways to improve interactivity, as it has repeatedly proven a highly lucrative monetization strategy.  Not to mention the sheer number of internet successes that are entirely based on user's content creation (YouTube, Facebook et al).

I also don't really see the correlation between Windows and devices having to be expensive, we've gone way beyond the days when the power of the PC meant there was an inevitably high cost association. The average phone these days has more than enough hardware to run Windows sufficiently, it's really only the suitability of the form factor to the user interface that has prevented it.