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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Over-Rated Technology Rant

I apologize for my intermittent posts the last few months; I've been really busy trying to find my feet in my new job.

Today I want to rant a bit about what I feel is the most over-rated and overpriced piece of technology ever. I am talking, of course, about the Tablet PC.

I mean, honestly. What makes a Tablet so awesome? I don't think a tablet can do anything that can't be done on another device just as well, or even better, and usually with more style.

For example, what can you do on an iPad that I can't do on my BlackBerry? My Berry can send and receive e-mails, browse the web, play music, take photos, show movies, and open and edit Office documents, just like a tablet. But even more, my Berry can also make and receive calls, send messages, and fit in my pocket, all of it at a fraction of the price of a Tablet.

So my question is this: Why are tablets so popular then? Could someone please explain it to me? The discussion is open. Feel free to comment.

Lourens, out.

6 comments:

  1. i feel I should disagree whole heartedly on this one.Samsung's galaxy tab is awesome and it can make and receive video calls and regular calls.it's basically an oversized wave smart phone. and try watching a movie on your berry.you will soon be discouraged by the crappy screen wherein the galaxy tab excels. I will be getting one soonish if possible. and I'll love it to pieces as I love my wave.

    I do dislike the ipad though. it is overrated. :)

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  2. Because Apple has what Seth Godin will describe as a tribe! Let's face it, Apple has come a long way since the gay apple logo!

    I think part of the appeal is the touch screen (very sci-fi for the nerds amongst us), great screen resolution and a much bigger screen. How many of us really watch a movie on our phones?

    And then there is the bit of all the cool kids have the expensive toys.

    And by the way, this was all done on my Blackberry while listening to music on my iPod :)

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  3. I've heard a lot of good things about the Galaxy Tab, and that Samsung are actually bringing some new things to the table with it. I would like to hear about your personal experience with it! It just might be the exception...

    Jaco, you're actually proving my statement that the iPad is little more than a status symbol and yuppie toy, and fantasy device for Trek fans.

    And, for the record, I actually enjoy watching movies in bed on my Berry... ;-)

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  4. I don't think you can actually say anything about a tablet until you had one for a couple of months. Then you accidentally leave it at home one day...and disaster. Even with my phone and laptop linked to my ipad working without it becomes cumbersome. I cannot take write notes on my phone since it is much too small while my laptop is too big and clumsy to take to a packed lecture hall. Why not use paper you may ask. Because my previous notes are on my ipad and very well organized but even better once it is written it is converted to text :)
    The same problem arise when I go to the meeting on this ipadless day.
    The worst however is the article that I were reading (and on which some of my digital notes were made) is on my ipad at home. I can of course read it on my phone but it is a bit taxing on the eyes and again the small screen makes written notes difficult. I cannot read from my laptop while riding on the bus.
    Sure my phone can do many of the things my ipad does. Sure my laptop can do more and faster. And sure we lived without it for many many years. But now that we have it we will probably never live without it. I will never use it to replace my phone or laptop but it fills a niche and comes in very handy.

    But maybe I am just a trek fan (like much of of the people in this country apparently ;)

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  5. All right; it seems Tablets have quite a loyal following. So here's what I'm going to do. I am going to get my hands on a tablet, and use it actively for a few weeks, after which I will give my opinion again. Don't expect this to happen too soon though; I'm living on a teacher's salary these days... Anyone of my readers want to sponsor me one? ;-)

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  6. Wish I could sponsor you and get you the iPad 2. It promise to be even better and I am sure that it will become part of your life in the same way your smart-phone does. Luckily my boss is a bit of a geek too and he actually convinced the head of department that our group (having the name of computational biology) requires something to make us more computational looking. Otherwise I would not be able to play with these things :)

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