Can NetBooks & Tablets Co-Exist?

bsk_cw writes "According to Computerworld's Serdar Yegulalp, there has been a lot of talk about whether the iPad will take the place of the netbook — or, in fact, whether it will eat into the market share for more mainstream desktop and laptop computers. But, he continues, the iPad has a long way to go before it becomes a netbook killer — if only because it has created a space all its own."

Comments

Well...

[Jorl17]

Can Cars and Motorcycles co-exist? How about motorbikes and bicycles?

How about Laptop and Desktop computers?

This is just silly.

Re:Well...

[RapmasterT]

agreed. this is the same kind of exhibitionistic editorial masturbation that we get over and over and over from these people. Yes, we get it...you like to see your words in print and didn't have anything really useful to say. fine, but I'm getting sick to shit of it. OMG, two devices with radically different form factors and usage patters might be able to co-exist! who could have predicted that!

Re:Yes.

[kg8484]

I'm going to agree and disagree with your statement. Openness by itself won't do anything. However, openness leads to two things that will help tablets.

First, it opens up the market to competition. While this may not help a company like Apple, Google's Android platform allows new companies to enter the market without having to write the entire software stack. This in turn should drive prices down.

Secondly, an "open" platform allows more things to be done with it. Say some company is willing to sell me a netbook with a detachable keyboard (or a tablet with a clip-on keyboard that swivels), I would be more inclined to purchase that over a traditional netbook. Maybe not everyone, especially if it commands a hefty premium.

The one advantage that netbooks currently have is that they can run Windows and hence all the software that is developed for Windows. Until someone makes a good office suite for Android, I don't see people flocking to tablets over netbooks any time soon.

Re:Yes.

[jedidiah]

> I know this isn't a popular opinion here on Slashdot, but guess what? *Most people don't give a shit about "open" or "closed" hardware*

Being "open" simply means that the hardware can do ANYTHING that any other PC can.

Read the data you want.

Access your data freely.

Do trivial things that you're used to doing on a normal PC like PRINTING.

A REAL COMPUTER does anything that anyone can imagine. A glorified iPod does only what Apple allows.

It's amazing that anyone actually defends this nonsense.

Re:Not Only Coexist, But../

[Arkham]

You can actually have your iPad activated at the Apple store, and never connect it to a computer again. Generally, I connect mine once a month or so to back up the apps, books, and documents, but that's it really. It's definitely an area where some improvement is due (and iOS 4.2 in November adds some of this, like wireless printing) though.

This entire premise is flawed. If you need a physical keyboard for lots of data input, an iPad (or any tablet with a touchscreen) isn't ever going to fit the bill. It doesn't matter what you do. Similarly, if you are primarily interested in media consumption (web, video, etc), then the tiny screen on a netbook isn't going to cut it.

Re:Yes.

[jedidiah]

The open-ness of a PC or a netbook is what makes it so useful.

It can do anything that a normal desktop PC can do INCLUDING RUNNING THAT STUPID TETHERING APP for the iPad.

How funny is that? That $300 dirtcheap ultraportable netbook from Walmart can be the thing that I use to "manage" my iPad/iPod/iPhone/iWhatever.

This isn't about running Free Software. This is about doing anything you damn well please with your own property and having thousands of hardware and software vendors waiting to cater to you.

You can do all that

[SuperKendall]

..except you can't save anything

All applications save. And all offer some means to transfer content off the iPad.

print anything

You can print from some apps now and it's a system supported feature in November.

access any random website

Now you really lost me since I can reach any website from the iPad, there are zero browsing restrictions.

or access any random bit of data.

99.9999999% is enough, it turns out.

It's all dependent on this idea that a computer, even an Apple computer is "too much for the masses to deal with".

Critical refinement of your statement - normal computers are too much for most people to MAINTAIN. Come on, having helped friends and family with computers, you honestly have any doubt that is the case?

The Mac used to be the proposed solution to all of normal consumer's PC difficulties.

The Mac was the hardest computer to use - except for all the others. I guess it makes sense they figured out something even less hard, since they were always at the forefront of computers that were easier to maintain and use.

There's no market inertia or vendor lock associated with it that Apple can exploit.

100% correct which is what makes the dominance they enjoy purely a result of building a good product people enjoy and not market control.

The iPad doesn't need to be castrated despite the protestations of fanboys.

The iPad is not that constrained despite the assertions of the Haters.

You got your first four facts totally wrong, I guess it follows you wouldn't understand platform constraints either.