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Apple's Secret Weapon To Win the Tablet Wars
Hugh Pickens writes "International Business Times reports that when manufacturers trotted out their Android tablet prototypes during the CES show two months ago, pundits were happy to toll the death knell for the Apple's iPad, but now manufacturers are discovering that simply making a good tablet does not guarantee that it will sell — much to the chagrin of Motorola and its Xoom product. Now it is plain for all to see that Apple's secret weapon is their network of dedicated Apple stores worldwide where dedicated sales people are not only able to better explain its tablet to consumers but Apple also captures more margin than competitors who have to share margin with retail partners. Apparently, we are not going to see a repeat of the Android ambush of the smartphone market where the combined, price, savvy marketing, and modulated supply releases of the iPhone created so much aspirational demand in the market that buyers simply surged at the chance to buy what was perceived to be an equivalent product at lower prices. 'Motorola's Xoom is only the first to face these problems,' writes AA Defensor. 'Soon RIM's Playbook, and HP's TouchPad will hit the shelves and unless they can do something drastic over the short term, it might remain to be an iPad market. But not because they did not build a good product.'"
If that's true, then the Microsoft guy might have been right. That tablets computers are a fad that will fade into a niche product that isn't worth their time to pursue.
That would make it the first time in many years that the world "Microsoft might have been right" have appeared in a sentence written by me. I feel a chill. Is the world ending?
Fanatically anti-fanatical
Apple's retail experience is so poor.
The stores are crowded and hot, you can't find anyone to help you, and you can't even find a cash to pay and get out. Apple can do better than this.
Did they hire Moses as their campaign manager? That guy was a whiz at promoting tablets.
No, no sig. Really.
ThePromenader
As far as knowledge base I'm not convinced either. I went in with a simple question of whether garageband would run in the background as I run a guitar tab app and still function and they didn't know the answer. Though I will admit that they at least understood the question, they just didn't know or have a way to verify and answer. I was a little bit disappointed seeing as garageband is an apple app.
I don't know about everyone else, I'm simply waiting for the 4G to come preinstalled, then I'll buy it.
Apple's secret weapon is their network of dedicated Apple stores worldwide
No, their secret weapon is their network of dedicated Apple *users* worldwide. Many (not all, but many) Apple fans have an almost cult-like dedication to Apple products, and are also pretty effective proselytizers for the cause. Motorola, HP, etc. don't have that kind of advantage, no matter how good their product.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
If the solution is to start building retail stores and hiring people to explain the products like Apple does, then go for it! Samsung, Motorola, HTC, Acer, ViewSonic, etc. should build their own stores and sell the products directly. They'd get wider margins, which means they can offer at slightly lower prices. Additionally, people are pulling away from the carrier centric model, because quite frankly, most carriers treat their customers horribly because they know that they can. Customers are not inclined to judge products solely on the product like they do for Apple devices because there's no clear separation of the product from the carrier. Most people's logic is something like: "Oh, AT&T is terrible, that means all the devices that run on AT&T's network are bad too." While their Android devices have some serious suckage, in general the device does not equal the carrier in suckage. Unfortunately, that's how must people think.
Decoupling the device from the carrier is the best way to fix this problem.
The secret weapon is obvious -
Its making apple products look 'cool' and special - in part because of their price, and in part because of their 'magical exclusivity'. The dedicated apple stores do help. But not because of the profit margins.
If apple were to sell a brick, they would sell much more than a normal brick, because of the 'prestige' that buying an apple product brings.
It is WAY to early to make this kind of a judgement. There is absolutely no reason why Android couldn't take over tablets as well as smartphones. Judging by the success or failure of a first gen product like the Xoom is definitely not an adequate representation.
when people talk about the success of Apple, where they always focus on singular Apple products and techgeeks especially zoom in on specs and the like.
It means a lot to be able to walk into a store and have people actually help you. The trend is usually towards superstores where there is a million and one products which nobody knows anything about anything. Even in Best Buy, where I usually avoid/ignore the sale's people, when I do take advantage of their nagging "Can I help you", the inevitably don't know anything about the products they're selling, even in their department, and read to you from the box as if you're illiterate. (I asked a salesperson in that department if a specific computer case fit ATX sized boards because it looked a bit small. Total deer in the headlights look. Box didn't say anything.)
The closest I've come irl people knowing, is at microcenter, although mine the salespeople are so pushy it's uncomfortable. But it can be a powerful thing for a brand. I know Sony has stores and Gateway tried them the last decade, but not sure what became of them.
Your product will FAIL if it's priced higher than the "premium" product that is out there.
Yes the new Motorola tablet is better than an Ipad, but it is not PERCIEVED as being a luxury item like the iPad has become.
Have an iPad? you must be rich. no really, it has that "feel" that has been perpetuated by apple.
The only way the Android competition can touch the iPad is to be cheaper and get units out there that are BETTER than the ipad. not cheap knockoffs that are half baked... Like the ones that dont have a legitimate Market app on them.
IF your tablet does not ship with Market ready to be used, your tablet is a fail. If your tablet does not ship with honeycomb or at least a 2.2 android and can be upgraded to the latest easily.... then your tablet is a FAIL.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Ford used to have Ford shepherds, looking after Ford sheep, so they didn't have to share margins with wool manufactures. Vertical integration isn't a silver bullet.
Besides, Apple engages in resale price maintenance (which is kind of illegal), so they *don't* share margins. Companies who stack Apple hardware do so with only nominal profits (IIRC).
The reason the iPad sells is that its got a years headstart, and Apple has locked in all the good components, so it's also the best value. Plus it's got the Apple brand.
The Apple stores do help them, as a niche seller of iMacs. But iPads sell themselves.
The iPhone was first released in June 2007.
The T-Mobile G1 hit the U.S. over a year later, in October 2008.
As a result of their early lead, Apple was untouchable for a long while, but that's changed.
In this case, the iPad also had an early lead... but if the last go-around means anything, then early sales data doesn't necessarily indicate which one will come out on top in a few years.
Who else actually makes a good tablet?
secret mystery of god providing? seems as though rulers get them by default, then, arm the (soon to be) armless/lifeless? yikes
Apple is a software company and the fact that it comes inside a piece of complimentary hardware is not really that important. But look up what Mr. Kay had to say about the companies that are "serious about their software" some decades ago.
As for "Apple's secret weapon is their network of dedicated Apple stores worldwide" - well, there are ZERO of them here in Russia. iPads and stuff are still VERY popular.
Wen I use a computer, I want raw power. A PC with Ubuntu will do. With windows... mostly .. I get angry at the lack of decent virtual desktop,but is almost there.
But wen I want a tablet, I want usability. And Apple has that. I don't need my tablet to have 16 GB of RAM or any other stat. Is not about stat, is about the experience, and Apple has it. I suppose Android can get here, but I am unsure if thats what the Android people ask for... maybe Android is taking notes from Windows, and not from iOS.
-Woof woof woof!
actually the massive profits earlier in this century were due to not having fixed costs. turning into a chain of stores is a different thing, with great fixed costs and the need for constant sales, in other words, needing a hit product all year long. earlier when they didn't run practically any stores they could just take a few months off in engineering instead of releasing a new product to fill the shelves. now they must release a product quarter by quarter to keep in profit in the stores and the stores are under pressure to recommend even products that don't make sense for the potential consumer.
i'd rather have them engineer something for the computer literates though, than this crap of only engineering the product to be cheaper and easier to be put together and to be used while more and more intoxicated.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Can someone explain the use cases IPad-like finger-only tablets are intended for to me?
Laptops I understand: you can use them to code, do your e-mail, ssh into machines to get stuff done etc.
Phones I get: you can use them to read your e-mail `on the go' and perhaps even send quick replies to important things, read maps, and do skype if you're the adventurous kind who likes voice communication.
Tablets with pens I also get: you can read and annotate papers/books with them or draw.
But I don't understand the use cases for finger-only tablets. They seem to be selling well, so my guess is that it's games or porn. Does anyone have experiences with these fingery tablets?
"Now it is plain for all to see that Apple's secret weapon is their network of dedicated Apple stores worldwide where dedicated sales people are not only able to better explain its tablet to consumers"
I don't think the people lining up at 1am at all of the Apple stores were there for an explanation. Apple's secret weapon is making good quality, working products and being able to market them to their fanboys.
Apps and marketing. Most people I talk to don't seem to know the Xoom exists. I bought one, and while I love most things about the Xoom, so far there are very few Xoom-native apps. And many apps designed for phones crash when trying to upscale to the Xoom resolution.
For $600 you can get a 32 GB iPad or a 32 GB Xoom.
The Xoom has better cameras, Flash support, SD card reader, higher resolution, faster processor, more RAM, etc, and yet no one seems to care.
Then again if I'm a developer, I'd jump all over the lack of Xoom-native apps. It is easier to stand out in a very small pool of apps.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
What makes a good tablet? It's a combination of hardware, software and 'ecosystem.' Some of the non iPad hardware is interesting, particularly for things like cameras. The value of Android for tablets is yet to be shown, the new tablet focused Android release is immature when compared to iOS. So I'm not convinced that it's yet fair to cite alternatives to iPad as "good" yet. "Promising", but not verified as "good". We'll see what RIM has to offer shortly.
When you bring in the ecosystem, you have not just the Apple store (both on-line and brick-and-mortar), but also the associated maturity of Apple iOS applications. I think Apple still has at least a 1 year lead, when you look at the total package.
Personally, I'm disappointed by the iPad 2 camera, but otherwise I think it's a very solid device, at a very convincing price point.
but now manufacturers are discovering that simply making a good tablet does not guarantee that it will sell
I'm confused. Have we actually had a good tablet not made by Apple that has hit the market yet? The latest batch of Honeycomb tablets are looking promising but how many are actually available yet?
Who need's speling and grammar?
Which is strange. The best price/performance is from buying Apple.
That said, my rooted Nook Color ($250) does enough tablet stuff for my needs.
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my HTC Inspire has more RAM than my ipad 2. yet the ipad is faster and a lot less laggy to use.
specs is not everything
A "good" tablet will fail. Especially when it is more expensive than the iPad. The challenge that the Xoom faces is that it is a good tablet, but not *as* good as the iPad, and it's more expensive to boot. A sucessful competitor will need to be as good as or better than the iPad, and have a competitive price.
"Apparently, we are not going to see a repeat of the Android ambush of the smartphone market where the combined, price, savvy marketing, and modulated supply releases of the iPhone created so much aspirational demand in the market that buyers simply surged at the chance to buy what was perceived to be an equivalent product at lower prices."
All android cellphones I have used have been far superior to the iPhone, not equivalent!
Apple, in their sneaky and not-to-be-trusted ways, have managed to re-discover that there is value in interfacing directly with customers and keeping them happy. Banks and other companies have been pulling out of direct customer face time feeling that keeping their people trained and professional is just "too expensive" and sometimes puts them in harm's way when some asshat in management or directorship decides to do something that makes customers angry.
What Apple is doing is not new. It is something that other companies have been weaning themselves away from for decades. Apple sees that people really WANT this and have proved that it can be used to dominate a market.
Dell, on the other hand, has also been trying to cut back on some of the services they provide and have also been paying the price.
The more I see businesses treat their customers as if they hated them, the more I wonder how it is they stay in business. It can only be because of the reluctance of people to change.
Yeah, whatever. My wife and I are having plenty of fun with a G-Tablet and Flash.
OK, so I admit, I actually haven't ever touched iOS ever, so you could say my experience is quite limited. Butt, I've played with enough Apple products to feel the discomfit of roaming around their walled garden in a designer straightjacket. It was some work to get a custom firmware (TnT-Lite 4) onto the G-Tablet to fix Viewsonic's misguided attempt at customization. But once Android manufacturers figure it out, they'll have a solid product that supports insertion of external memory devices and USB sticks and keyboards and joynipples and other devices and pretty much all of those things I've heard Apple people complaining about. And Flash.
But other than Flash, I am disappoint in Steve Jobs' promise that there would be pr0n apps on Android. So far the best I could find after extensive searching (aside from all the lame jigsaw puzzles) is some kama sutra app featuring stick figures.
Can anyone suggest a decent Android tablet for app development that is not too expensive?
Apple's products are not just hardware or software, they are an experience, and possibly even a lifestyle for a lot of folks. I was in an Apple Store around Christmas time getting an iMac repaired, and they were running Genius Bar sessions teaching people how to use their iPads & MacBook Airs. What surprised me was the vast majority of them were gray/white-haired men & women. Apple is tapping into a demographic not usually well served by other computer manufacturers, and doing the whole guiding & hand-holding to get them up to speed. It was a pretty impressive effort, and goes to show why Apple isn't going away any time soon.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
How is that apparent? Apple has 10% of the total market, who tend to be fervent "early adapters". Once the market accepts the product (which I think is early to say with the pad/tablet), Apple has made high profits on low market penetration. Whether or not it's called an "ambush", I wouldn't assume that the exact same thing won't happen every time a similar good product is available cheaper. The post looks a little fanboy to me. As for the stores, running your own retail to boost "purchase experience" didn't work for Levis.
Gently reply
Apple's secret weapon is the product itself. And with the product“ I don't mean the iPad alone. It's the whole iPad experience. It all begins with the buying experience in the Apple Store (like it or not), goes on with their perfect minimalist design, the quality of the software, the software update process, the iTunes/AppStore infrastructure, and, not to forget the fact that the iPad is the gadget you want to own if you want to be part of the in-group. It almost seems unbeatable for the ex-hippie silverback generation and not so individualistic younger consumers alike.
I use an iphone. and a samsung android phone. ...
If I had the need for a tablet today, I would go for the ipad.
The simple reason is that the iphone works way better.
With Android, you keep dreaming of a future version that solves everything. My Android device is stuck at version 2.1 (although I bought it after the iphone 4 came out!!!)
Today we dream of version 3 devices. but the iphone 5 is surely around the corner
If tablet manufacturers can't find a way to distribute their products there is something seriously wrong with them. In truth I reckon they'll do okay and in aggregate Android 3.0 tablets will sell more eventually than the iPad. I also expect that most of the major tablet models will individually sell in the millions too, assuming they're competitively priced.
As an aside I strongly suspect Amazon will launch a tablet soon too. They sold something like 10 million Kindles and it's not hard to imagine that figure being matched by a Kindle / tablet model. Even B&N sold 3 million Color Nook tablets so there is a huge market. Biggest question is whether a Kindle tablet would have Android 3.0. I would not be surprised if all the open source / not open source shenanigans isn't directly related to what Amazon is up to and trying to head them off.
My wife has the Samsung Captivate. It shipped with Android 2.1, which has a notorious file system bug that made everything extremely slow. The GPS was basically unusable. The moment she flashed 2.2, it was considerably faster. Then she flashed the Cynogen mod version of 2.3, and it is even faster.
And 2.x builds of Android can't use hardware acceleration for rendering on the screen.
Honeycomb was specifically built around dual-core processors and hardware acceleration. I'm in the exact opposite boat where I find my iPhone 4 to be pretty laggy, where as my Xoom is really fast.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
you know, the only thing that 99% of the world does on computers.
Have you ever gone online on the world-wide-web?
Saw this one coming a mile off. The iPod wasn't nearly the best player on the market, and yet it dominated everyone from iRiver to the Rio Karma by an absurd margin. Marketing + digital lifestyle = profit. How much of an idiot do you have to be not to see this one coming...
The only thing Android can fight for at this point is the product halo, but unfortunately between Apple TV, NFC iMacs, iPhone, and iPad (all of which speak together fairly easily) Apple's already ahead of the game for the living room. The big battle will be the content creators and providers, who aren't nearly as disorganized as the music industry.
-rt
many of the newer subscription issues include the even newer miraclemorph prosthetic devices, so that the advanced weapons may be operated by the armless of every discipline, race, motive etc... being fair to all is truly disarming.
censored? chariots? honestly?
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I'd say separate out "edition 1.0" type issues from the sales concepts.
In my opinion one of the last big drivers of "clunky" laptops is the last stages of spin-wheel drive storage. We're just on the edge of switch-overs to flash/other solid state memory, and when that happens we'll have a "tablet" form factor on a "laptop grade" machine.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Apparently, we are not going to see a repeat of the Android ambush of the smartphone market where the combined, price, savvy marketing, and modulated supply releases of the iPhone created so much aspirational demand in the market that buyers simply surged at the chance to buy what was perceived to be an equivalent product at lower prices.
what does that even begin to mean ?
the summary explains that the apple tablets are selling more (not to mention with a vague term like 'capturing the margin' -> what margin) because apple is pushing its sales much harder with stores, 'knowledgeable assistants' generating demand by persuading the customer to buy the tablet and so on.
basically, APPLE is selling its tablets. not tablets selling themselves because they are what they are. so, this entire piece is based on building an argument over an aggressive sales method ?
'apparently, we are not going to see' -> no nothing is apparent. the only thing apparent is, that you produced an argument out of nowhere.
Read radical news here
back in the days apple newton was sold at all stores; it was pretty useless and doomed with a heavy pricetag! i tried android tablets, no update and no external keyboard option, only for one samsung model so you are stuck with that brand; if there was a standard for periferials that would cause more trust, when all tablet producers make their own confusing interface and block updating of course there will be lack of trust. the ipad is simply very good hardware and very good software (not perfect, alas!) coupled with a functioning ecosystem of apps grown from iphone while keeping the same connector so most thirdparty devices are working, spreading trust in users. palmpilot was once the main pocket computer on the market and destroyed by everchanging models with different interfaces and stiffened innovation, had they kept to the slow and steady development that apple do, we would all be seeing palms now (their interface is still faster for looking up appointments, adresses and taking notes than the iphone)
If something doesn't have a keyboard, I expect it to fit in my pocket. Even my 2005 Sprint Pocket PC (Audiovox 6700) cell phone had a full (and large) keyboard built in.
I can see how a tablet would be cool for playing Scrabble or serving as a picture frame or as a GPS or as an e-reader, but not for composing substantive e-mails or documents. And even for those uses a tablet is good at, its lack of pocketability limits its usefulness.
I think Apples (not so) secret weapon to win the tablet war is selling their own product relatively cheap while buying a significant share of the tablet-displays. That raises the prices of tablet displays and forces Apples competitors to sell their tablets at a relatively high price.
If the stores are crowded... well, that happens when a store is busy, which happens when it's popular.
Finding a place to "pay and get out" is as easy as finding someone in an Apple shirt, which is a pretty good system except (as you discovered) when they are busy.
The profit advantage of Apple's vertical integration in retail is often overstated. Yes, they can capture 100% of the retail sale price, which Motorola or HP cannot. But they also have the expense of operating the retail stores, complete with rent, maintenance, labor costs, buying new t-shirts every few months, etc. And for the iThings they sell through AT&T/Verizon stores, Best Buy, and every place else you can pick them up these days, that advantage is lost.
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As long as the competition simply tries to copy the iPad, they wil have a hard time beating it. Yet, Apple with its closed business model, will not easily get a dominant market share for a long period, but will be a major force of influence. I do own a tablet which, except for Germany, is not quite popular; at least not here in the Netherlands, yet it has raised a lot of interest from my colleagues here, by the way I use it. I dropped the MeeGo from it as it is not mature at all yet and put Ubuntu netbook mix (10.10) on it. True, it's far from where the iPad is looking at pure tablet things, but extending it with a usb-.DVI connector and connecting to my 1920x1200 screen it suddenly turns into a perfect dual screen notebook replacement and yet it still is the only thing ( 1kg) that I need to carry around (I happen to have a display that size both at work and at home). Bluetooth keyboard on both desks and a very tiny usb based one for the road to finish things. Plug in a DVB-T stick and watch live TV on it. Mine doesn't have 3G but I can use my N900 phone for tethering. A 3G model does exist as well though. Oh yes, forgot to say it runs a dualcore Atom, so everything running on a Linux PC simply works (or even Windows, if you want/have to). Ok, I'm not saying my use is "the way" to use a tablet, but I think it shows the potential if you start to think outside the Apple build iPad box. I bought a second one a few weeks ago for experimenting and I can't wait to see what more I can do with it.
iPad secret - make so easy as 3 year old can use it. My kids at 2 years old pick up the ipod touch and quickly and easily picked up how to use it. Now 3 they play music, watch movies, play games with no out side help. Hell I have seen the very non-computer literal people pick it up and have complete control and most importantly confidence over using - yep the 87 year grand parent who never touch a computer mastered it in less that 20 minutes. The is the real success - the very easy to use interface. Combined with a ever growing app store makes it nearly impossible to catch.
To catch apple you need to have an amazingly easy and intuitive interface and large enough application base to encompass the all the tastes (yep even the 100,000 variations of the fart app). BTW: The 87 year grand parent spends hours and hours exploring the world via Google earth and virtually visiting every place they ever dreamed about going to. The 3 year old kids love the pee monkey games!. To each their own and that is the second secret to apple - the massive list of applications.
Also I find the the battery life is a big bonus. By the time I get around to using it still have life in for me to play a few games I really enough and read a couple of web pages.
First of all, the tech-aspect is not what the average Joe is looking at. Faster cpu? better cameras? higher resolution? They wouldn't know what the hell you are talking about. Oh look it can play the cool game or do the cool stuff my friend can do with his phone! This is a real-life situation I've withnessed: 3 college girls talking about apps on the apple appstore, one holding an iPad, one an iPhone, and a 3rd looking very interested. 10 minutes later they're browsing through some fashion-brand app and talking about shoes & stuff. You really think that 3rd girl would EVER consider buying a tablet that can't do that? And if she got one, she would think it sucks.
That is your average user. They do not care about specs. They care about the cool stuff they can do with it. And you know? They're absolutely right. Better camera? As if a tablet would be a replacement for a 'real' camera - or even a phone camera? SD card reader? What for? Storage expansion? Storing camera photo's on the tablet? Most people just attach their camera to their PC using usb, and using the standard crapware that came with the camera to store them on their pc. Faster cpu and more memory? They won't even know what you're talking about. USB? What are you going to connect to it? Keyboard? Camera? Printer? Seriously?? The point of a tablet is portability. Wireless is the key.
Flash? That must be the most pointless argument ever. Users don't even know what the hell it is. And if what I've seen from flash on Android phones reflects the user experience on the tablet, most users would agree it sucks. Also, most videos on the web - the primary use for flash - nowadays play perfectly on the iPad. If your site's video is not working, on other sites it works just fine, your site is broken. Not the tablet. I never understood that a closed tech with such a bad security-trackrecord as flash would suddenly become an argument "pro" an "open" platform. Although the interpretation of Android's openness seems to be subject to Google's will.
Oh, and as someone who had his own software development company - I wouldn't risk investing loads of my own money in a platform which could very well fail miserably.The iPad's market however is something easily accessible and visible for everybody. And the market is there, people know it, and it "just works".
Apple's iPad is compelling to the public (and difficult to sell) because it's not a PC and it's not a phone. It really is something different.
Android is selling because people know what they're buying: a phone. The basic uses are pretty obvious. You don't need a lot of marketing, etc to understand. It may be that "Android" itself is irrelevant - it's a cheap OS that's being promoted as the secret sauce, but who knows if the public cares about the sauce or the price.
The iPad, as you can see from the comments here, is a bit harder to pigeonhole. It's not a laptop, even though it's portable. It's not a "computer" as it's known today. It's not a TV.
However, you can watch TV on it (MLB, Cablevision, Netflix, AirVideo, YouTube, etc). You can check email. You can play games, make music, etc. You can do lots of stuff with it. It's basically the equivalent of a portable Apple ][, in that it's a "Personal Computer." The rest of the industry has no idea what that means. Most technical people have no idea what that means either.
If I was to coin a phrase, it's a "casual computer." What do I do with my iPad? Play games. Check email. Do a quick browse with Pulse across 75 websites. Take notes and organize my thoughts. FaceTime occasionally. There are things my MBP does better, and that my desktop(s) do better. That's not the point.
But the key thing is, the casual use cases are what most people use their home computers for. Very few people write papers on their home computers. Very few people write anything in real life, except forum posts, facebook/myspace comments, IM/chats, and emails. Very few people write code, do spreadsheets, or any of the thousands of things that require an i7 or a core 2 duo.
It's the "Computer for the rest of us", and the rest of us means "people that aren't computer people." Geeks think it's ridiculous, but anyone who's been paying attention to computing is aware that the public thinks PCs are too hard to use, too hard to maintain, and too complicated...and if they don't believe it they act that way. How many of us have answered questions that seem completely ridiculous to us? "No, that's not a cupholder."
There really isn't any of that complexity with the iPad. The only really complicated iPad thing is whether the switch is the orientation lock or mute. Do people want heavy-duty games? Not really - most people have lives, and don't have time to invest hours in learning how to play a game. Heavy-duty apps? Probably not - they just want to kick out an email etc. They want to see their data wherever they are. And they want to be entertained. The iPad does those very, very well.
the summary says it all: people flocked to Android phones because they were getting an essentially similar product for a lower price. Current android tablets are far from equivalent (especially screen size and quality, build quality...), and/or rather more expensive.
We'll see when other major players enter the market if they can be both cheaper and "equivalent". Apple has the scale, and the purchasing clout and lock-in, to make competing on price, or even finding parts to build tablets with (esp. screens), challenging.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
Seriously, I'm no fanboy for any company or technology but Apple gets almost everything right and that is what no one can touch. They design the OS, the hardware, and the actual product design and do them all with real effort and one unified vision. Until another company does this, they will not beat Apple at their game. They may be able to do well at their own game but not Apple's.
The only possible companies I see are HP, Dell, Asus, or possibly Google with the ability to even try to compete. However, to do it they need to create a fully realized ecosystem, not utilizing and relying on some other technology/OS. Asus could cut Windows and Linux and do their own thing and if they could make solid inroads in China and Asia, it could catch on. They already have an aversion to MS or foreign operating systems and hardware. Dell and HP have dipped toes in this water but gave up far too quick. HP has some design ability, Dell does not. Google could cash in and really tightly create and integrate a full system, but they have floundered with disconnected and aborted starts and products time and time again, they lack the vision and leadership.
As much as I may not agree with Jobs and his visions, at least there is one captain at the helm and everyone marches to one beat to create one product with one goal and the least wasted effort and time. Chaos and Bazaar mentality will never get you there. The last thing I want to say is that companies need to realize that no one wants their logo obtrusively displayed. I refuse to buy a product with the company name or logo on the front unless it is subtle or well designed. Xoom is not. The Nook does OK there, Apple generally does excellently, and a few companies get it, many still do not.
http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
I'm sorry. can't someone bring up the $800 xoom's price tag? - www.awkwardengineer.com
Your product will FAIL if it's priced higher than the "premium" product that is out there.
Yes the new Motorola tablet is better than an Ipad, but it is not PERCIEVED as being a luxury item like the iPad has become.
Since we are talking about perception. Did you consider that the Xoom isn't better and that you are just perceiving it as such?
Why is it that you consider the Motorola Tablet as better? HW is comparable. But the software is beta.
I read several reviews of the Xoom. All had the software crashing all over the place. It was clearly rushed out the door in early beta state to have "something" to compete with, but it really doesn't seem competitive at this point.
Better obviously has some subjectives involved. But my definition of the better product, isn't likely to be the one with unstable software that crashes regularly.
I recall the days when people were saying there was no need to record HD for home movies, or a 2 megapixel camera was more than anyone needed because most users just crop the photo and save it as a lossy, low-res JPG anyway. Those arguments still hold true. I wouldn't carry around a tablet as a camera, but the Xoom cameras are good enough to replace a standard camera in most uses, where as the iPad camera pretty much sucks.
Storage expansion is important, even to the average user. My iPhone 4 is basically filled will apps to the point I can't use it for MP3 storage.
Flash is important. My mother bought an iPad because she heard so much about them. Her primary purpose was to surf the web, and she won't use the iPad because it won't run Flash. It basically made the device worthless to her.
And Android 3 is a completely different user experience. So you're making assumptions the experience is exactly the same, when it isn't.
And now you're insisting Android will fail miserably, when Android had to play catch-up and already has become the #1 mobile OS shipped in the world. History suggests that while the first Android phone came out a full year after the iPhone, and initially did poorly (as a single device on T-Mobile) it has had great growth in the past 18 months.
Likewise, it has to play catch-up in the tablet market, but it has already proven it can win at that game.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
In the long run I think that Android Tablets secret weapon is the whole Howard Moskowitz/Prego Sauce issue. In the Android market, there's variety... Don't like the 10.1 inch form factor? That's ok, there's a 7" or 12" Android tablet for you. Don't like typing on the screen? That's ok, look at the "Transformer" which comes with a detachable keyboard... Don't like the Apple software? That's ok, there are Motorola Xooms and Galaxy Tab 10.1s that are almost identical feature-wise, but run Android.
It's the same reason that Android is now dominating the phone market, and why Apple still doesn't rule the laptop or desktop market, despite producing a better product: People want variety, and Apple doesn't provide that. Apple makes one product, and does it very well, but if you don't want that product, or you want a product that's almost the same, but slightly different, you're driven to another vendor.
I agree with the food chain argument (apple having stores where people can go ask questions, touch, and play) as when I've tried to buy an Android tablet, they have a cardboard mock up sitting out, or a pick-a-slip style system where you cant even see the box (stored in the back rooms) - this really makes me edgy on buying something when they hide it so badly.
I feel that Apple's real secret weapon is their marketing. Apple is very good at making their products appear cool, and perception means more than reality to your standard, non-techie user. A laymen friend of mine told me the other day that he wants an iPad. When I asked him why, his answer was: "because it's cool". I questioned him further. He said he could use it to watch movies at work. That was the best reason he could come up with. It would be easy to dismiss if I hadn't heard this "it's cool" reasoning over and over again. A lot of people want Apple, but most of them don't even know WHY they want it. Good marketing isn't easy to accomplish, but Apple has done a good job of finding the right formula. That, and on the rare occasions I watch prime-time TV (It's usually when I visit my parents; That damn thing is always on.) Almost every commercial break has an Apple commercial of some kind. A combination of repetition and slick looking commercials has convinced many people that Apple has the "coolest" products, and they can be cool too, if only they had one.
From the ads I see on tv, the tablets are just portable tv's you can take into the tub. How hard can that be to make sw to do?
The reason Apple is selling lots of these things is that there exists a large demographic of gibbering, slobbering, knuckle-dragging mouth-breathing slope-browed cretinous morons who'll buy anything shiny with an Apple logo stamped on it, even if it is a giant cellphone that can't make calls, and costs more than a netbook whilst being less powerful, with much less storage, no ports, and infinitely less useful. The rest of the tablets, clones of Apple's flaming turd of suck, are no better. The Xoom, for instance, being a useless tablet that also requires you to sign up for a month of 3G in order to use the wifi, gives me absolutely no incentive to buy it. The only way I might potentially purchase the Xoom, or any other tablet, for that matter, would be if I suffered massive and profound brain trauma of the sort that might leave me with the IQ of an average Sarah Palin supporter.
Apple's plan is to do the same thing they have done since day one
big surprise, apple relies on their dealership network! next you will be telling me that they are going to make their products stylish and easy to use
I should hope that people would like a tablet that DOESN'T connect to iTunes. That NOT having to continuously run iTunes software (or helpers) is actually a selling point. It's kind of ironic that people buy svelte wafers to play music / vids and then are forced to sync them with a piece of bloatware. Not only that, but said bloatware deliberately obstructs users and limits what files they're allowed to copy to their own device.
See, what you don't get is, non-geeks don't care.
They don't care that they can't copy arbitrary files to iDevices. What would they do with a zip file or a copy of their Civ 5 saved game on it, anyway? If they want something like a PDF file, there are a number of apps that will display those, and let them copy them over by selecting them in iTunes. I agree the interface is a little clunky, but it doesn't prevent you from copying to an iDevice any file that you can actually use on it.
Furthermore, they don't care that they have to sync it in the first place. Geeks love to bitch about iTunes, but pretty much every non-geek I've talked to that has used it has had no troubles with it.
I certainly don't disagree that iTunes has become more bloated than it perhaps should be, and that Apple should think about breaking the iDevice syncing capabilities out into another application (maybe iSync? ;-) ), but that's the kind of thing that generally only bugs geeks. Most people aren't geeks.
Dan Aris
Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
Tablets from Samsung, Asus and Acer are much more interesting to watch now, because they have pricing that meets or beats the iPad. Android is now the dominant smart phone platform, and there are too many connections between tablets and smart phones for this to not make the difference. Android has the support of many hardware and software companies, and most importantly, it has a customer base that's expanding much faster than iOS. In effect, this is the shortest head start Apple has ever had. It wasn't enough in the PC market. It wasn't enough in the apps-driven smart phone market. And it certainly won't be enough in the tablet market.
If making a good product were all that is needed to succeed, do you think 90% of the world would be using Windows on their desktop right now?
It does not follow that demand is driven by Apple. Apple may at best be manufacturing desires and wants in the consumers that only they can fulfill, with their smart marketing campaigns and image they are creating about their products (but companies have been doing that forever now). But they also happen to have not only a good product, but better overall user experience than any competitor ( Apple has never competed on specs even with their desktop/laptop products). It's easy to outspec almost any Apple product for less money, but people that do that always miss the point. They buy faster hardware (but when it comes to desktops usually one that requires noisy cooling) for less money, install Windows on it and then they end up with crappy OS/ecosystem, that is severely lacking in usability, and are working with a computer that sounds like a helicopter. But they can run benchmarks a few percent faster.
Apple on the other hand sells hardware that's downright beautiful, minimalistic, clean (have you seen PC keyboards lately? It's like driving through Las Vegas at midnight, with so many labels on each key fighting for your attention), hardware that has decent performance but is not noisy or intrusive, and they have OS that seamlessly works with it, that is also minimalistic and gets out of your way (it's not chatty, it doesn't popup uninvited questions, dialogs with million options on it etc), but is at the same time certified UNIX for people who know what to do with it.
Until other manufacturers realize this, and start competing on overall experience users are having with their products and stop competing on specs (a legacy of having only one OS provider to chose from, so all they could ever do is offer a computer with slightly better specs for less money), they won't make major traction.
As the island of our knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.
I think Apple's real secret weapon is Steve Jobs. Apple has built a following on stylish, mostly well made products, and great marketing. There's no reason other companies can't do the same, but for it to really work, you need a strong visionary leader at the helm. Love him or hate him, Steve Jobs is that guy. I'll never forget how when Apple bought NeXt and brought Jobs back, he swiftly took over the whole company and turned it around. That's why the shareholders are so worried about what happens to Apple after Jobs is gone. In a lot of ways, Steve Jobs is Apple. Who is HP? Who is Motorola? I have no idea, and neither do consumers.
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
For one simple reason; iTunes.
A tablet can be a lot more without the imposed restrictions of iTunes. Some people use more than one computer. More than one piece of software. These people like that all systems play well together.
I use more than one computer and the iPhone was a chore, even when it was two Macs. Ask yourself why do I need 16GB when I can't store my stuff on it. I had an iPhone with 32GB couldn't use 5, (not the way I wanted). Now I'm on Android with 32GB and I'm looking to upgrade my SD card. Yeah. If you need an app to connect to a computer or transfer a file using bluetooth then the iPhone is for you.
DRM? No thanks, I'll just get it somewhere else...
Apple's real secret weapon is making shit that actually works.
Anecdote: Why my Priest Bought an iPhone, and then a Mac Book
So my Priest's phone starts losing his appointments. This is a big deal for a priest, because all you do all day is pray and drive to appointments. (Well, I'm Eastern Orthodox, so he has a wife and kids too. But for his job, its to pray and drive to appointments to bless things.) It's some kind of Windows smart phone pre-iPhone. So he calls me for advice and I tell him: "Get an iPhone".
So he goes to the phone store, and thinking that Windows Windows would be better, he gets a W7 phone.
It won't sync with Outlook. Let me say that again. It won't sync with Outlook.
So he drives back to the store, returns the phone, and gets an iPhone.
iPhone syncs perfectly with Outlook.
In 2 weeks, he's a huge iPhone fan. He loves it. His favorite feature is Google Maps.
In another 2 weeks, he's asking me which model of Mac laptop he can get. My priest is excited about shooting videos with his iPhone and editing them on the Mac. Usually, my priest is talking to me about his computer not working.
Apple brings me to their platform because I'm a visual person, and their color scheme makes my eyes bleed. But they keep me because mostly, their shit just works. Steve Jobs told everyone his real secret: Don't ship the crap.
Proprietary parts, proprietary software, proprietary vendor shops and an Apple-specific software vendor environment... How is that a "secret" to their success? That's the most obvious component of their business plans-- reduce costs by keeping as much as possible in house. That way, when they *do* charge above competitor prices, it's just outright increased profits.
LOTS of people don't get along well with "PCs". They have problems with them because they don't understand all the diddly geeky buttons, Alt key stuff, and 'where things are'. These people still write all appointments in paper day books & on PostIt notes. Their comfort level with a PC is below 5%.
Non-comp users take one look at the iPhone & iPad and how easy it is to use email and the web and say to themselves "I can do that.". And, indeed they find they really can and it is a niche market.
There are specialty uses for viewing images of all types and reading publications of all types, and some mobile workers from government to hospitals to corporations see such benefits, so that is another SET of niches.
When you add up all those "niche markets", it appears you get to a 50 million unit per year market or larger. Not surprising.
There is no secret weapon. But a great many obvious ones.
First Mover advantage: You can argue tablet existed before, but until iPad, they didn't for the average consumer. Apple's iPad will be seen as the spark that started a new product niche, they will have mindshare advantage, competitors are left playing catch up and will be largely perceived as iPad knockoffs, that you get because you were too cheap, or unsavvy to get an iPad.
Mature OS vs Beta OS: You can argue about better notifications in Android or some other pet feature, but the reality is that Honeycomb is beta quality. It is unstable, apps are crashing all over the place. You certainly aren't going to win converts with this.
Apple consistently builds top quality HW: Again you quibble about some minor spec sheet improvement some competitor has, but Apple is pretty much a safe bet of deliver top quality HW. If you go with the competition, you will have to dissect spec sheets/reviews to make sure you aren't getting a crappy screen or low battery life, etc...
Ecosystem: 65000 tablet specific applications vs 100...
Unique Killer Apps: Apple is creating a suite of excellent apps that off a cut above anything available for Android Tablets. Garage Band, iMovie, Pages, Number etc..
Marketing: Apple is fairly good at marketing and they are clearly outspending all the competition on tablet marketing..
Mom Factor Think about which one you would get for your Mom? I tried to get my Senior Mom using a PC and it was hopeless, but I think an iPad could work for her and I do think it will be easier with an iPad than an Android tablet.
Against this, the main thing Android tablets seem to have going for them is: Nerd rage about walled gardens and Nerd spec sheet worship. That doesn't seem very relevant this time out. I honestly wouldn't have a clue how to compete against iPad and I doubt any of the competition does either, they are just trying to build comparable HW and hoping.
After some earlier waffling, I am planning to get an iPad as my first Apple product ever.
Maybe there is no real tablet market. Only an Apple gadget market.
=-+
i wonder how many times i have walked into a big chain store and found myself with more info by reading the box on the shelf then asking any of the people working at the place.
Just don't go with the pretentiousness equal to Apple naming their service and support area "genius bar" (and yep, it is styled like a bar with stools and all).
comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
I still hear on a regular basis that Macs are better for graphics.
Easier font management, system-level RAW support for dozens of cameras, and nigh-universal color management'll do that for ya.
Sure, you can get the same-quality results from a Windows PC...but most graphics types would rather just buy a Mac.
I know! You should totally call them lazy, stupid fanboys. That'll teach 'em!
My mother is convinced she needs a Mac because she can't design a basic flyer on a PC. Perception trumps reality.
Sounds like she does. Perhaps you should take some time to explain to your Mom what an idiot she is for not picking up cross-platform skils. I'm surprised you haven't already.
You know, in the beginning, iPhone also looked as an unstoppable force. In the beginning Android looked as a late-comer, under dog, with no chance of ever winning anything in the race for smart-phone dominance...
Except that, no matter what, all the iDevices are completely closed, and thighly controlled by an anally-retentive Apple. Worse of all, it's a single platform available only from a single constructor. And in the long run an open solution as proven to be much more useful practical, etc.(if only, because it can be picked up by lots of constructor and the economy of scale + diversity of offer kicks in. As witnessed by the recent rise of Android above other platforms)
iPads enjoy the focus of attention in the present moment. but that's due to a whole combination of factors. Tablets have existed before, but...
- Apple is among the first companies that tries to make a practical one. A great propotion of previous attemps were basically laptops with the keyboard sawed of, the iPad is "just" a glorified iPod with an oversized screen.
- That has an impact with weigh and practicality: A lots of the previous attemps were heavy and bulky, tablet-done-right like the iPad are rather light.
- That also comes in terms of hardware design. Lots of previous tablets try to pack as much PC function as possible, tablet-done-right like the iPads pack only the strict minimum.
- That also comes in terms of software and UI designs. Lots of previous tablets try to run slightly modified version of Windows. Which is completely awful as a tablet interface (its just too much designed for mouse and keyboard in mind). iPads run iOS, which is a not-too-bad interface and scaled up for tablets (though I prefer WebOS personally. It's really better in my taste for multi-tasking on smart-phones, iOS looks like a souped-up feature-phone interface)
- Also, application eco system plays a role. Most failed tablets ran windows and all the applications are just as bad for tablets. The few past "tablet-done-right" were sadly using new and less common OSes and thus lack a large enough library of software. iPad are the first attempts which not only has an acceptable hardware and interface, but can leverage the software library of iPhone and iPod which, despite being a little bit overcrowded with the iFart iUseless type, has already proven to work on a touch interface.
- Also, popularity plays a role here. Most of the failed tablets were done that way, because Windows is a recognizable brand. The few past "tablet-done-right" ran nothing that the average PHB has ever heard about and can trust. Apple, in turn, are just marketing geniuses. They could sell a brick for 10x the price and succeed in it by leveraging their image of coolness and prestige.
All in all, the iPad isn't a magic device. It's just less awful than lot of its predecessors and have a head-start of light-years in term of marketing.
Thus, the iPad is the first tablet that the public has ever heard about.
The public at large will need to get used to the concept, because none of the previous attempts has gained enough mindshare.
In this situation, having a single identified brand helps a lot.
Once the public gets used to it, the advantages of an open model will slowly become stronger.
iPads will slowly migrate into a niche of over-priced, over-hyped, prestige products - while a huge collection of product spreading over a very wide range of market niches will slowly take over the market. From ultra-cheap under-100$ (there's a 100€ Android tablet sold in my post office. And its currently on sale at an even lower price-point) done by asian companies trying to out-compete each-other in term of price and/or battery life, all the way up to other big companies trying to out-compete each other in terms of features. While all, at the same time leveraging the shared advantages of open platforms.
But that takes time. A few years, maybe. Not a merely months after the release of the first iPads.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
You can also interprete history like this: if you can get the developers behind you, your platform wins. That is how MS 'won' the pc-wars in the '90s. That and lack of vision by Apple back then. And guess which platform has all the developers behind it right now? Also, Android is nowhere near the #1 mobile os. It only is if you only count "iphone sales" and ignore the iPads and iPod touches, 2 devices which have proven to be massively popular. Just to demonstrate what I mean: I have 14 collegues. There are 6 iPhones, 5 iPod touches, 4 iPads, 1 samsung galaxy tab, and 6 Android phones. 6 vs 15... And all iPod touches except for one are owned by ppl having an Android phone...
And on phones, yes, Android is a serious player there. But Android phones are mostly pushed through carriers, and people know a phone. What it's supposed to be it's primary use. Google trying to sell it's own Nexus one was a failure. What tablets are on the other hand are something new. And the only way you can demonstrate a non-tech person what it is, is by showing it. It just happens that the apps ecosystem is one of its primary strengths, you should understand if your iPhone 4 is filled with apps. And that on tablets, at this moment, can only be demonstrated on the iPad, and it's a going to be a though job for Android enter this market with nobody pushing the devices. It's the chicken and egg problem there. Nobody is buying the tablets because there are no apps, and nobody is making the apps because there is no existing market. Unless someone pays for the development of a few key killer apps for Android, the platform is going nowhere in the tablet market.
That said, I really hope Android tablets improve and would prove a serious contender for the iPad, just to kick Apple in the nuts now and then, since iOS can still be improved a lot (notifications anyone?)
Mainly because I like to have complete control of my devices and I just don't feel that Apple's OS gives me that.
Now I am NOT trolling here- please read on!
That said, I have an iPod although I use a 3rd party operating system on it.
And I do think I understand some of the attraction Apple products have: they work very well, look very nice and are easy to use.
I have not seen a desktop (or laptop) computer that is as easy to use IMMEDIATELY UPON PURCHASE as an Apple.
I have little experience with Apple hardware support problems but from my reading there are far fewer (but not NONE) problems and they are usually rectified much faster.
Apple's success is, I think, due to a mix of pretty much all of the opinions mentioned here: not the best OS but a good one that is easy AND works well. It "feels" smooth and intuitive.
Hardware works well, in general because it is tightly controlled.
The complete user/buyer experience is better than for competing products.
It generally does NOT win- at least for long- in any single area. For years Apple desktop computers were underpowered when compared to the competition- yet they sold well. The operating system was so good that they repackaged FreeBSD and made it their own- and for casual computer users (more accurately- non technical geeks) it was BETTER than the original.
Yes, all of this has a point to make concerning tablets: a more expensive, better-spec'd tablet will not beat the iPads if it does not have a smooth interface and easy to use apps. The mass market wants cheap, but even more it wants EASY.
To compete Android tablets need to have a few things: very easy to use apps (not gonna happen in general- open market.) are one, similar or better specs (done), cheaper price (OR significant hardware advantages- will happen but hasn't yet, not for sale), it will have to look as "pretty" (not cool, or impressive- pretty) and, most importantly, the ease of USE will have to be at least as good as Apple products in the OS itself (being worked on.) It will need to "feel" as good as an iPad.
Most of those points are being worked on, one will never be done (Apples control of their app market is tight, Android's is not.) My expectation is that Android will at least give them a run for the money in time.
As for what tablets are used for? Portable connectivity. Check tv listings on the couch? Check.
Check email while waiting for the train? Check.
Watch tv in the doctor's office? Check.
Anything, really. Not as WELL for the most part as it can be done on a desktop, but done anywhere.
Personally I am amazed by the success of 10" tablets- I find a laptop almost as portable and far easier to use. I find a desktop hugely better to actually accomplish anything on. My smartphone is immensely more portable .
I did get a Nook Color recently, as soon as the were successfully rooted. Not because I needed one, but because I like doing that stuff.
I expected to mess with it for a month or so and sell it or give it away.
A 7" tablet is an entirely different thing than a 10"- it really IS portable, almost as easy as my phone.
Upgraded from the stock OS I can now do any of my common "internet" tasks anywhere on an excellent screen- huge improvement over the phone, and I can most of this stuff with one hand.
For the money of an iPad or the 10" tablet competitors I would get a laptop, no question.
For half the money a 7" tablet DOES now make sense to me- but the only one currently available that is of good quality is... one that requires a custom ROM be flashed instead of using the original operating system.
Apple does what they do well: they find or CREATE a niche that works and then build a competitive product that either/or/and works better and more smoothly while looking nicer, then they ramp up customer desire.
They are good at it, and while I don't buy much of their stuff (iPod and a bluetooth keyboard for use with my Nook Color!) I can respect what they make for what it is: products that make a large number of consumers happy.
Linux computers, watercooled, photography
The Apple Stores are great for Apple, but not because of the cost savings. The electronics retailers may operate with healthy mark-ups, but little of that money is flowing to the bottom line. All of the things that cost Best Buy money still cost Apple money -- warehousing, shipping, rent, employees, insurance, etc.
And in many ways, Apple operates at a higher cost. Apple Stores are in high-rent locations with expensive build-outs. Apple's employees are better trained and paid than the typical electronics chain employees. The only thing that may be keeping the per-unit cost down for Apple is the ridiculous volume they do through the stores (dividing any fixed costs across more units). But that says more about Apple's successful products than their successful stores.
Apples secret weapon building computers and devices that you like more a month, six months, or even a year after the initial purchase/obtainment date. They are used to being disappointed so when they aren't, it makes a strong impression. People talk about those kinds of things in there lives.
Crisis is the rule, not the exception.
*4G will require consumers to send in their tablet at a later time
**SD card not enabled currently. Will be activated at a later time
***Honeycomb is very new and has some polishing
****Flash has just been released but there are some performance issues.
While the Xoom has potential, IMHO it gives the appearance of being incomplete to an average consumer. I know I won't buy one until they've addressed some of them.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
The only way to get the latest (Honeycomb) or Android Market on your device is to be part of Open Handset Alliance. As I understand it, Honeycomb requires a certain CPU spec that low-end tablets can't necessarily meet, and there is a perception that all OHA products have to have 3G. Any tablet with unlocked 3G will likely be more expensive than an iPad with only Wi-Fi.
In case you missed it, more and more developers have been jumping ship to Android.
The market is easier to get into. The rules aren't as draconian. Google doesn't take as much off the top. For subscription services, Google is going to take 10% where as Apple takes 30%.
And for developers, going after the Android tablet market in particular makes a lot of sense. In App Stores, essentially the rich get richer because the stores feature the most popular apps. New apps have a hard time getting the visibility they need, where as the most popular apps get more visibility. Since there are so few native Honeycomb/Xoom apps right now, it would be easy to get that popularity early and ride it.
As for your statement that no one are making apps, Android is a full year or two behind iOS, and yet there are 250,000+ apps. It has a faster growth curve right now.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
I've been to a Microsoft store, and a Samsung store. They are filled with crap products plus a few techno demo future products that one can't buy.
Start making better products, then we can start talking about a retail store.
I used to think a Kindle was an overpriced single-trick pony. Then Amazon sold it for $100 and change, now I take it everywhere, home, gym, plane. People will buy IPads because they are cool, sexy, easy to use, and useful. People don't care how much they cost. For non Apple tablets, they just have to be cheap enough for people to say, "why not", and then they will buy them. I don't understand why the other manufacturers don't "get it" yet. They can't compete at anything close to Apple's price. -W
Apple's marketshare keeps growing and growing--and yet we still haven't seen this supposed avalanche of viruses waiting to plunder the Mac world.
The problem is that all the good products aren't being put in the retail stores that do exist. They are only available in the carrier stores, which means that the customer makes the mistake of assuming the product is bad if the carrier is bad.
"I own an iPad and love it for what it's good for; consuming content. It's ok for making a quick comment on facebook or something. Other then some niche* work scenarios, the iPad is not very good at producing content. It won't be replacing "normal" computers any time soon. "
Yeah! It's not like Gorillaz could have produced an entire album on an iPad or anything.
Just because you're not able to produce content on it doesn't mean the device is incapable. There are plenty of people producing content with their iPads.
Getting a free 4G upgrade beats not having the option of not having 4G at all.
Getting a SD card beats not having one at all.
I haven't noticed any issues with Honeycomb where it needs polishing.
Flash sucks on all platforms, but it beats not having Flash at all.
I will agree that the Xoom launch seems arbitrarily rushed, and it they launched a month later, many of these things could have been resolved.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
when you are claiming that the Xoom is better than an iPad 1, much less an iPad 2.
For 90% of the people out there the Xoom is not in the same league (crappy/buggy software, poor app selection, less smooth UI, worse battery life) and it is more expensive. Game over.
Sometimes perception actually matches reality.
If the price is low enough with high enough quality, the Android market could walk all over Apple. If B&N would publish the Nook Color with full Android (like my rooted one) at the $199 price point, it would clean up!.
Athiesm is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.
Clearly making a good mp3 player wasn't enough to sell a good mp3 player. My first mp3 player was a Rio Nitrus, which I thought was a better player than the first gen iPod. It had less storage, but a better form factor in my mind. Unfortunately, it never got enough market share. Rio brought out the larger capacity Carbon, but the much-anticipated Chroma, never made it out the door, and my next player was an 80GB iPod.
Apple had the manufacturing capacity and capital to keep bringing updated iPods to market on a regular schedule, the same as they are doing with the iPad. I'm waiting to see and handle the Playbook, because I'm a Blackberry user, but I'm afraid that RIM has missed the boat bringing a first gen product into competition with Apple's second gen iPad. Having owned enough orphan hardware in my life, I will probably wind up with an iPad3.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
Pure, unadulterated FUD. Plain and simple. Honestly is there anyone in the world that isn't smarter than a marketing person?
I'm going to require a source on those numbers. Do they cover anything outside the US or even anything outside NY?
But... the future refused to change.
The Android OS gave handset makers the opportunity to create similar smartphones for other carriers that at the time were not able to provide the iPhone for their networks. It's as simple as that.
But now in the emerging tablet field, the situation is different -- not only is the iPad available on two carriers, the experience of using it isn't tied to 3G (and you can use it equally well on WiFi).
This time it will be interesting to see whether Android (in the form of Honeycomb) will be able to compete against the Apple offering.
(A second factor I will say that is helping the iPad is that the device is essentially a hardware front-end for the iTunes Store. The Android app store simply is not up to par with iTunes.)
You're kinda missing the point. To an average consumer, it's a turnoff to buy product that's almost complete. Worse is if the consumer didn't really know that the Xoom cannot currently use SD cards, buys one, and then finds out that it's not available yet. They could feel cheated. And that to the fact that Motorola is priced the same or higher than the iPad. If Motorola wants the Xoom to be perceived as high-end, being perceived as unpolished doesn't help.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Two of the four points are that Honeycomb isn't ready, and Flash isn't ready.
I'm not sure those are fair statements. Honeycomb seems plenty polished to me, and they have a working 10.2 Flash implementation today on the Xoom that just works.
The SD card sucks. I really don't understand how they shipped that without a driver. They've been testing it internally for some time. Linux has a driver for it, and they could have gone with another SD card reader as well.
As for 4G, that is a bit of a moot point as most of the country doesn't have much in the way of 4G coverage yet.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
... having a "smart phone" as the CPU with tiny screen and communication, and a "doc" which allows the phone to be an integral part of the system is the way to go. I know people with iPhones and iPads and they hate that they have to pay twice for the same thing via two different formats, and having the phone act as a "hot-spot" which costs more doesn't address the over all problem. Apple won't do it, but Android will since it's the obvious way forward so people will buy a smartphone and "upgrade" to a generic docking station which will provide more capabilities.
XOOM was close, as are the others but suffers from the same problem of people not wanting to pay for the same thing twice.
Does anyone really claim that the iPad is so much better in the tablet market than the iPhone was in the smartphone market that its unassailable? Nonsense.
Don't forget the first Android phones... the G1 didn't even really try. And while the Droid was a pretty big boost to the "ecosystem", it didn't defeat the iPhone. The only case I can even recall of a single model of Android outselling the iPhone is recently, with the HTC Thunderbolt at Verizon outselling the iPhone 4... a brand new 4G product outselling last year's model.
And yet, even in the USA, Apple's stronghold, Android phones outsold the iPhone last year, and already beat RIM (the only other smartphone vendor to outsell Apple last year in the USA) this year. A market with multiple vendors always wins, in the end. That's why the IBM PC won, why DVD defeated DivX, why Blu-ray defeated HD-DVD, why Compact Flash and SD are the successful memory cards, etc. The only place this doesn't happen is in very limited niches markets only served by a few proprietary customers, or vertically integrated markets with unusual dynamics. The video game console market is an example of that; every vendor takes a loss on the hardware for a new console, only one hardware vendor per platform, etc. So sure, if Applet thinks they can make enough cash on the iTunes store to subsidize the market with super-cheap iPads, they win. But they'll never do it.
Price is an issue, though. Anyone who thinks the iPad is cheap is not paying attention -- the cost to make of any ARM tablet is lower than most netbooks. Apple made nearly as much money on the iPad last year as on the Macintosh. Just the hardware. Why ever change that model.
Some are starting to get the message. As much as Apple sells, they don't actually MAKE any component in the iPad. Samsung makes practically every component for a tablet themselves, including many found in the actual iPad. Is there any possible reason a Samsung tablet needs to cost as much as an iPad? None... they were simply setting the price based on Apple as the only competition. Another datapoint: Archos. They're on their fourth generation tablets now.... evolved out of the PMP world, never directly targeted at Apple. You can buy a 10" Archos with specs better than the iPad 1 for $300. The price, right now, should be keeping people away: ARM tablets at $500 or more look expensive when netbooks start at $200 and, in theory, offer more.
Yes, the iTunes store is a big magnet. It was with the iPhone too... but that didn't keep the iPhone on top. All of those Android users are getting the same kind of things from the Android Market, the Amazon Appstore, and maybe others. If there's really a market for tablets, this growing collection of users will be looking for Android tablets. Today's Xoom is really just the G1, in terms of the way Google's looking at the tablet market (despite the fact Android 2.x is just fine with tablets, I have found only one out of 50 I've tried on my "Adam" tablet didn't support full resolution -- vastly different than the iPad vs. iPhone story).
And that's even assuming something big doesn't happen. But we already know that today's B&N "nook" is getting an official update that will include apps as well as books -- the device is already proving a fine tablet among hackers. And Amazon's certain to release future Kindles with the full Android treatment as well. Neither device may be as open to other appstores as the average smartphone today, we'll see. But the same apps run everywhere.
-Dave Haynie
this makes a lot of sence. I saw a Xoom in best buy over the holidays and i tried to check it out to see if it was worth the purchase.
As soon as i touched it a loud alarm went off and rand repeatedly for several minutes. Naturalluy i took off and was turned off by the experience from even considering buying the product (at least in that type on setting)
if stores worked on warming people to new products instead of incorporating various anti-theft technologies that only help scare customers away, they would do much better at sellingthem. they don't sell themselves
I think you're ignoring the OP's main point: the cult-like dedication. Yes, Apple makes a good product. But there's a large chunk of that decision being made for materialistic reasons. Apple has the hip product, it's trendy. Most people aren't out there comparing specs and reading reviews.
And you're ignoring the other poster's main point: the "cult-like dedication" comes from consistently delivering products that people want to use, not from some trend.
Any company can buy good marketing and product placement. Hell, Motorola itself used to be awesome at this; remember the RAZR and how everyone had one, both on TV and in real life? But that doesn't last. The RAZR fizzled out because people got sick of the UI and went on looking for the next cool thing. That's what happens when all you have behind your product is marketing and fashion. You ride high for a few months and then crash and die out. That's fashion. You don't get "cult-like devotion" that way. People move on.
Slashdot has been stuck on the Apple-is-a-silly-fashion-trend nonsense ever since the first colored iMac came out. That was over ten years ago. Any fashion expert will tell you, no fashion lasts that long.
The people who are buying Apple's shit are doing it because those people actually like Apple's shit.
The XOOM and Galaxy Tab are just not great tablets yet because the tablet version of the OS is unfinished. It's functional enough for me now, but it's not nearly polished enough for general consumer and the lack of tablet apps is appalling. The Tab's solution of just using the phone OS is even worse.
Now looking at how fast Android improved on phones it's promising, but no matter how good the hardware is you're going to need Android 3.1 before you're in the game of competing with the super-slick iPad.
Archos isn't in Open Handset Alliance, instead building Android from the AOSP source release. As far as I can tell, Archos tablets won't be getting Honeycomb. This means Archos tablets don't come with Android Market, which is only on OHA Android (not AOSP Android). Instead, Archos tablets have the same underpopulated AppsLib that the other cheap AOSP based devices have. Or does one not need Android Market in order to develop for Android Market?
But relying on a tablet rather than a netbook will make it harder for someone who consumes to step up to creating.
but no one has told me of a killer site that I must visit that is 100% flash.
Homestar Runner? Weebl and Bob? Newgrounds? Flash cartoon sites like these would take ten times more bandwidth if they were converted from SWF to MPEG-4 AVC.
So how do I make the equivalent of Flash cartoons for HTML5, consisting of vector animation (either SVG+JavaScript or Canvas+JavaScript) synchronized to audio on a timeline?
The vast majority of users don't know what ssh is.
But if devices incapable of ssh, gcc, and other "geeky" pursuits become overwhelmingly popular, then devices capable of "geeky" pursuits will lose their economies of scale, and the "geeky" pursuits will likely become cost prohibitive.
The problem is bigger than this portrays. Other tablets might have one good thing that is almost as good as an iPad but the iPad has it all wrapped together with the pretty bow and all of the support. Apple's got things to offer that no other manufacturer has and the synthesis of the total is what makes it key.
As to Android phones, I know of some people who went out and bought them when they couldn't get an iPhone. They universally regret the Android and still want an iPhone. Some of them have ditched their Android for an iPhone. More will. Again, it is the better product that wins in the long run. Android is just a piece of the puzzle. iPhone is the whole masterpiece.
The fact that Apple is doing it for a price the others can't beat clinches the deal.
If computers are being used for recreation, then people don't want them conforming to a desk shape.
M$ understands game consoles because they've been beat to death by other venders first. M$ has invested heavily in their Surface vaporware too.
Apple just one-upped them by deploying an comparatively inexpensive alternative computing solution that's more useful than an xbox and surface combined.. and more portable than a laptop. *
Is a tablet as useful as a laptop? Hell no. Is Apple's keyboard-less tablet the only commercially viable path? Dear god, I hope not. It does however satisfy people's desires to be passive consumers of visual media and text.
If for example I owned an iPad, then I'd block slashdot on my laptop, but not my iPad, thus preventing me from wasting my time commenting here.** ;) Yet, most people wouldn't even consider posting here, they'd just ed the articles, making the keyboard a non-issue ll along.
We know the non-Apple tablet sales issues are entirely pricing related, i.e. people don't buy a laptop minus the keyboard for more than the laptop. Apple solves this pricing issue by selling the tablet for less than their laptops by (a) inflating laptop prices and (b) exploiting their vertical monopoly.
There is no reason however that tablets cannot be profitable for people other than Apple, they just must either (a) reach beyond the iPad's abilities, or (b) undercut it's price tag by using cheaper components. You might approach (a) by considering alternative keyboard form factors, like slides or flip outs, or even a cording keyboard on the back side. Wearables are an even more radical approach to (a). For (b), any eink based ebook reader runs less than 1/2 the price of an iPad, just add a specialized minimalistic (noscript) web browser, email, and IM functionality. Or you might try a compromise that offers both eink and lcd display modes, trumping the iPad for readability.
* In fact, I'd imagine the iPad will help create the market for surface computing, but hey, why pass up the chance to be a dick. And tablet will obviously place extreme price pressure upon surface devices.
** I'm not planning on buying an iPad to keep myself from spewing crap on slashdot of course. I will however buy the next really solid MeeGo based tablet device with a keyboard. I'd consider an Android tablet instead only if it offered both eink and lcd based display modes. I'll consider any cording keyboard based device running either Android or MeeGo.
The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell
therefore it must be crime-ridden.
As a geek you will tolerate things that an average consumer will not. As an example one reviewer had specific things he felt were lacking.. These things can be addressed and are not deal breakers for most geeks. An average consumer may feel otherwise on first impressions. As for Flash, even Adobe admits Flash for Android is beta. There are plenty of examples here on /. ranging to layout issues to battery drain to non functioning sites. Again, you understand why and will tolerate it. Average consumers may not.
I can only speculate as to why Motorola released Xoom missing these features. My best guess is that they thought they had more time. Last year Apple announced the iPad on January 27 and staggered the release of different models starting April 3 more than 2 months later. This year it was surmised that Apple would announce the iPad 2 on March 2. Motorola probably thought Apple would release in May based on last year. It might have been a shock that Apple have all models available in just 9 days.
This earlier release was probably not expected. Motorola probably knew that they could release the Xoom before the iPad 2 but thought they would have a few months to fix the deficiencies so that comparison would be more favorable to the Xoom in May.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
What is worse for an average consumer?
Flash works, but drains your battery, or Flash doesn't work at all, will never work, and you're screwed?
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
Here is it - Apple makes its products from the ground up, they control everything from hardware to software. By doing this they know everything will work - thats why when apple comes out with new software and they know it wont work well with older devices they exclude or cut out some of the features so the user still has a good working device with the new software. Others only think of the bottom line (vista) where they put the OS on a device that they know wont run well with it. Google has a good thing with its OS but they have so many devices from so many different companies that its hard to figure out what OS you have and will it work well with the hardware and thats something i dont have to worry about with apple. PLUS the stores do help when you have a problem
The only apple item I own is an iPhone 4, and it's not just a perception of quality. This phone - even ignoring the hardware inside - is a piece of art. It's so well crafted and built, I can literally balance it on any of its six sides. The little volume buttons on the side are precisely machined from aluminum. It basically comes off as a piece of technological art that no other phone I've ever owned has come close to. Just like having a nice home, television, furniture and kitchen are to people, so is having nice technological devices. I figure the other companies can catch up when they embrace apple's design philosophy.
While it doesn't come with Android Market, there is an app in AppsLib (ArcTools) that lets you install it.
And by install it, you mean "pirate it", I assume. I'm aware of ArcTools, but how is the installation of Android Market on a device using ArcTools authorized by Google?
You're neglecting the other scenario that is happening now. Flash is running, drains battery, but doesn't render properly and you're screwed anyway. You want to deal with it, go ahead. I have no urgent need for a tablet and am willing to wait.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
[...] now manufacturers are discovering that simply making a good tablet does not guarantee that it will sell [...]
... it does Flash - just not quite yet.
... it does 32 GB of storage - just not quite yet. And when it does, the user has to spend another 70-100 USD to upgrade it. It doesn't do 64 GB of storage, at any price.
... it charges nice and quickly - but you have to have your power supply with you at all times. It doesn't charge over USB at any speed.
Maybe they should try making a good product before resorting to statements like these.
[...] to the chagrin of Motorola and its Xoom product [...]
The problem with the Xoom is not that it doesn't have a chain of dedicated stores behind it, but that it isn't finished. It's half-baked goods, that costs significantly more than its main competitor, and can't do half the stuff.
It might have competed with the original iPad - it's about as thick and heavy - but that boat has sailed.
Knock off half the price, and people might be willing to put up with an OS that's basically just come out of beta.
[...] it is plain for all to see that Apple's secret weapon is their network of dedicated Apple stores worldwide [...]
Hm. Small lesson in rhetoric: If someone says "it's plain to see", they are probably trying to gloss over the fact that it's no such thing.
[...] it might remain to be an iPad market. But not because they did not build a good product [...]
Nope - the not building a good product is pretty much it. Try again, and try to finish it this time before putting it on the market.
yes, we have no bananas
Please don't bring politics into your rant. You're making those who don't like Sarah Palin look bad by association.
Why is Apple on top of the tablet market? Is it because of Apple Stores? A high quality "good" product? The air of exclusivity/cool? Ease of use? Marketing? Packaging? Word of mouth? The Cult of Apple? An abundance of apps?
YES
Apple is king of user experience from the point where you see the product for the first time on TV, in a store, or hear about it from a friend to the time you open the package up and turn on the device. They know how to create an emotional connection with the user. They create that emotional connection much more often and consistently than other companies. Their retail locations are part of the equation, but not the lone reason they are successful.
They've engineered a user experience where:
1. They show you the product
2. They show what the product can do
3. The things they show are a mix of things you really do (e.g. play games, send e-mails) and the things your fantasy self does (e.g. view tropical vacation photos, mix your latest hit CD)
4. You can see and use the REAL product at a retail location (versus a plastic mockup)
5. Everyone can do the top 5-6 things they do every day (e.g. internet, e-mail, music, photos, video, games)
Why do other companies fail? Other companies have a lack of organization around the product. It's like one area designs it throws the specks over the wall to people who market it and then another set of specks over the wall to the people who do sales and support. There's no consistency, no direction, no defined user experience.
Take the Motorolla XOOM as an example. The commercials are too abstract. They make a comparison to replacing your laptop, when many people in the target audience might not even have a laptop or might not use the product in the same way they would a laptop. They put some guy on a roof with the tagline "unhinged" and people start worrying that he might be jumping. They don't show what it can do. They don't appeal to the user's ego. Then you go to the retail location and try to find it. There it is at the end of the netbook lineup with ZERO marketing material and no demo/walk-through software running on the device. Plus, because of it's level of customization and the widget metaphor - the 50 other people who managed to find it before you have moved so many things on the screen that you can't make sense of what all the elements are for or where to even get started. The price tag has made it outside of the realm of justification for a casual purchase, which means you won't be getting a lot of word of mouth from average users, you'll get geek speak from early adopters and fan-boys.
HP/Palm - similar issue. GREAT website material, great packaging, great first user experience, HORRIBLE commercials, poor first release of hardware creating a mixed word of mouth message, leaving no cohesive end-to-end user experience.
Rinse and repeat for any number of other devices out there that use almost the same marketing tactics. They have learned ZILCH from Apple's past few years of dominance.
It's really a stupid simple formula - "simple trumps complex"
1. Have simple commercials (see Apple, Progressive - Flo, Sony PS3's latest commercials as examples)
2. Have simple product displays, signage and in store material
3. Have the simplest UI ever or barring that a hands-on quick-start guide or demo on the retail unit to show off the capability
4. Train the sales staff (or alternately the product booth/display becomes the staff's training tool with repeat exposure 8 hours a day)
5. Hit a price point that is high but not unreasonable for a casual non-aficionado (at the lower end of PC/Laptop pricing, but above Netbooks)
6. Have simple packaging with zero or next to no manual or marketing fluff
7. Align every aspect of the company to the user experience
"Do not be swept up in the momentum of mediocrity." - anon
Definitely the Barnes & Noble Nook Color.
A major appeal of Apple's products is their track record with customers. Most people have used PC's at work, which did help PC's be a first choice for home usage when that became appealing; but in all that time those people have been burned by PC's at one time or another. Most people's first introduction to Apple products on the other hand was either comparatively simple products like the iPod, or iMacs for casual home use when the price of entry level Apple computers was not large enough to be a major drawback. It's pretty hard to crash an iPod, and it's pretty hard to crash iMac doing little more with it than email and internet usage.
So I don't think the "cult" like follow Apple gets is based so much on the love for their products, but on the absence of really bad experiences on them. Which isn't terribly surprising considering that people are far more motivated by fear than by love.
But it's Apple's game to lose now. With more customers, more products, and more ambition - the odds getting associated with poor experiences in the public's mind grows ever greater. The most important thing Apple has done for its brand wasn't the creation of the iPad - but the way it handled the poor reception on its iPhone by successfully pining the blame for that on AT&T.
Thanks for the thrice daily dose of Apple propaganda. Stop being Apple's shill. They do not do news worthy things everyday.
... it might be the worst device on the market in terms of features and specifications, but why I have an iPad over a Xoom, Galaxy, etc is simple. It's the software. I bought an iPhone when it was first launched and was amazed at how well the experience was. When Apple allowed third-party applications, that just heightened the experience ten-fold. When I heard about the iPad, I knew that was the tablet for me, not because it was by Apple, simply because the apps I bought for my iPhone would work on the iPad and I wouldn't have to purchase them again. This is the same reason I'm not jumping to get an Android phone/tablet. It would mean I would have to re-purchase my applications again and that will cost more money than saving $100 or so on buying the same device from a different manufacturer. If I knew the apps I bought on my iPhone/iPad would carry across onto a Xoom then get out of my way, I'm going shopping!
You'll note that nothing like what you're describing has occurred with iPods, even after many years of their market domination.
There are other factors in play.
The main one is the echo system. They have iTunes. They sell iPods on a profit, but iPods are mainly the gateway to their iTunes selling system.
There are few alternatives, and none is as developed as iTunes, nor have the openness of Android.
Alternative are the Play-for-Sure scam from microsoft, and the proprietary Sony shop.
The microsoft thing isn't that interesting for manufacturers, beside adding another bullet point onto the list of feature (hey we have an online-shop too !) no giving any free and open software suite (so not the advantages of Android) (not that in principle a media player is such a complicated thing, but it could surely help in the field where ipods are mainly competing).
Sony is proprietary with slightly smaller choice. They are just like latecoming copycat of Apple. Too late, too little.
Allofmp3 missed being a good alternative, due to the complicated legal issue.
The first real contenders are mainly Google and its upcoming cloud based storage (and you immediately see that they are going to leverage Android, and also feature the missing "controling the music collection directly from the device without needing a computer" capability that ipods lack), and perhaps Amazon's (don't know how they are going to have a market penetration.
I think iPads will continue to dominate the pad market for many years, especially if Apple loosens the reins a bit with something like an adult-only app store.
Not likely. They have an image of cool and clean that they have to maintain.
It's Nintendo vs. Sega all over again. (Family firendly image vs. subversive image).
I continue to think that, the advantage of being able to hit lots of different sweet spots, by being used by multiple hardware manufacturer will prevail on the long term.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Once the public gets used to it [= the concept of tablets], the advantages of an open model will slowly become stronger."
Not to be mean, but /. has been saying this for how many years? I think there were articles on here back around year 2K saying how Linux was going to take over both the corporate and home markets.
I personally never though that. The war over the desktop was fought one generation earlier.
The "openness" which prevailed was the openness of hardware.
Before the arrival of the PC, micro computer have mainly been proprietary. Each manufacturer making its own platform, OS, and only specific software could be run on it.
After the arrival of the PC, it gave birth to the PC-clone market and it explosive growth. The openness of the platform (where lots of different manufacturer where allowed to out-compete each other) prevailed.
The OS is a completely different story. Sadly, by 2000, Windows was just inevitable due to huge legacy and to massive lock-in, and Linux lacked a comparably vast library of software (this being slowly improved) coupled to the fact that lots of users like *their* apps.
Also for a desktop manufacturer, customisability isn't interesting. The users are completely used to and dependant on the same "windows" look and feel, they are only interested in the library of software provided with it.
So they compete in term of hardware cobbled together and just slap the same bland windows on everything.
Note that this only concerns desktop, due to the huge legacy. Where this legacy isn't that important, Linux has indeed prevailed. It has good market share for servers (it is free and scales well). And it has a quasi monopoly in the embed world. Nobody needs to run MS-Office on a router, so Windows has no advantages. On the other hand, the customisability of opensource make it the first choice of OS inside routers/wireless access points/firewalls, harddisk-enclosure file servers, harddisk-enclosure media player, lots of phones, etc.
Probably most of the modern household have a couple of linux running around. The only detail : they most likely run on ARM and MIPS processors and the owner doen't even know about them.
With the phones and tablets, the OS war has not been won already. The amount of applications in online stores plays a big role, the ability to run MS-Office doesn't.
the public can barely drive cars without killing each other, much less understand what "open source" is.
I never expected them to understand it. I except them to understand the *concept of tablets*. They will only want "shiny". Their own peculiar type of shiny. And apps. Enough of them.
I except that the manufacturer will understand the concept of open and the advantage that android gives them :
it's free so they can slap it onto their devices, it's open so they can custom-tailor it to their devices, and it comes with the Android Market so the device has access to lots of applications.
I except that this will lead of lots of manufacturer trying to out-compete each other in lots of different market segments, all the way from sub 100$ cheap stuff up to over 800$ feature packed monsters.
So in the end the openness will bring advantages : lots of choice to pick up from and find one's sweat spot.
Also, that will also mean that targeting Android instead of iOS for a developper means much more potential targets. At the beginning that also means a lot of disparate targets and thus lots of headache. But I expect the things to slowly regulate themselves. After all, the PalmOS ecosystem managed to reach stability, despite the crazy wide range of devices.
So although they don't understand the content of Android's license, users will see a bigger choice of devices some of which are more likely to be exactly the perfect machines at perfect prices, with lots of carriers to choose from, and all these devices having lots of available applications. This advantages are due to the openness of android, even if the users don't really know what "open" means.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
its also possible that apple is actually making a very well targeted product, and that an important aspect which is recognised by the customer is the entire platform, particularly the operating system and large existing software base.
i am not an apple nut, the only products ive owned were a 1st gen itouch, which admittedly was a fantastic product, and a 1st gen nano which was also beautifully simple, ive never seen such an effective yet simple interface, this is humane computing.
dont under estimate the importance of having software to run on your admittedly luxury item. the large number of ebooks and journal papers in pdf form im having to deal with is making me seriously consider a tablet myself, and when i spend hundreds i think the software base is a very important consideration.
Funny, that was the exact reason given for the demise of Gateway 2000. All the pundits said that maintaining their own retail outlets was too expensive.
I no longer find it surprising that supposed tech journalists continue to dote over just about everything Apple does, calling all Apple's actions genius when they have been preceded and/or superseded by others at almost every turn over the last few years. There are two things that Apple is better at than others: style and attracting the upscale market. By building machines that do less, look pretty, and are marketed to the wealthy, Apple thereby attracts all the other people who want to pretend they are wealthy too. Sure, iOS may have more apps than Android but that isn't necessarily because it is a better platform. I believe it is merely because the developers are chasing all that disposable income available to the types of people who fall for Apple's marketing. I seriously doubt that any Android device owners would have purchased the "I Am Rich" app.
I'm more inclined to believe that the iPad is just a really, REALLY good product in its niche, priced competitively and expertly marketed.
Yes, if you define 'niche' as pretty much every other person who is not a 'techie', your mum, dad, grandma, kids, the 95% of the population who reads a couple of email, updates their facebook status and looks at a few photos! A sub $500 device, long battery life, can sit in your lap while you are watching tv, no reboot, patching, virus software updates makes a LOT more sense than any laptop/netbook/desktop. WE ARE THE NICHE! We are the ones who need laptop/netbook/desktop, for most people it is complicated, expensive overkill.
I am not sure the Xoom is a clear winner here. Yes, some of the technology is nice, but the iPad 2 has its share of advantages:
* it is on sale (at least in theory), whereas the Xoom is not yet here.
* it has a larger (and better?) display
* it is much slimmer
* it looks better
But most of all we all know that Motorola support sucks. Apple will provide 2 or 3 years of updates for the Ipad, whereas with Motorola you would be quite lucky if you ever got an update (and even then it probably does not fix any of the annoying bugs). For this reason alone I would never ever by another item from Motorola. Been there, done that, not worth it.
What about availability of the product worldwide? I have been writing to several Android tablet incumbents -- Motorola, Notion Ink (ADAM) to name two. They have no immediate plans to sell their tablets in Australia. The only one available is IPad.
I am sure most of the posters are from the US but there is also a market outside US, which can be tapped (no pun intended). Sadly (at least IMO), here Apple has a head-start.
The only "secret weapon" Apple has is the koolaid they make with the dust of sparkly vampires and unicorn tears.
in Mail, in iBooks, in the Dropbox app...