iPad has the attention of manufacturers, but is it the catalyst for consumers?

By on Apr 12, 2010 at 11:37 AM
mobile April 12, 2010

HP_Slate

The NYT has an interesting article up about the iPad — no, it is not about how great it is. The iPad may prove to be the catalyst for what was previously a struggling market… the tablet. The tablet PC never really excited consumers the way manufacturers had hoped. Flimsy hinges, sub-par software, and a lack of device sex appeal were largely to blame for the floundering sales figures. What will the new tablet look like? First, scratch the name. Tablets were so 2002; the new set of devices are called slates, or even *shudder* pads. They no longer have awkward hinges, they probably won’t have a physical keyboard, and they definitely won’t have a standard desktop operating system shoe-horned onto them. They will be, like it or not, more iPad-like. Sleeker, sexier, cheaper, and more well received than before.

Nokia, Microsoft, Google, and H.P. have all committed to making a slate-like device within the next year. While Microsoft and H.P. do have experience with the aforementioned tablet-type devices, Google is seemingly in the best position to benefit from companies pushing newer slate devices into the marketplace. The company’s Android OS can be easily scaled to a larger screen, there is already a thriving application ecosystem and content delivery method, and a loyal, sometimes rabid, fan base. H.P.’s slate offering due out next year, nicknamed “the half-pint,” will be running Google’s transformative mobile OS, while Microsoft and Nokia have not yet publicly announced what type of OS their slate devices will run — we think it is safe to assume that Microsoft may go with some version of Windows… just a hunch. There are even rumors that Google has plans to make its own slate hardware — it is unclear whether that is in-house of via a third-party, like the Nexus One. You can love or hate the iPad… either way, it could prove to be the spark for the increased production of more interesting electronic devices that blur the line between your laptop, your e-reader, and your mobile phone.

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  • http://thebusride.com Zack

    I’m really hoping the competitors can put together a device to rival the iPad. If Apple locks down this market, I don’t think we’ll be seeing much innovation any longer. But if Google or MS can somehow get some traction and at least keep Apple honest, I think we’ll see a faster pace of innovation on par with what we’ve witnessed in the smartphone market.

    I’ve put together a “route” of the most promising competitors.
    http://thebusride.com/ride/ipad-alternatives-pics-reviews-

    • Rob

      ‘I don’t think we’ll be seeing much innovation any longer.’
      Bah!’I guess you just completely missed the past 3 years where every other phone manufacturer is designing their phones in the same hardware form factor, and software environment as Apple has with the iPhone… but you probably shut your eyes too often for that…

      • San Francisco

        Uh… excuse me, but Apple was not all that innovative with the iPhone.

        All they did was issue a redesign (ripped off) of the 2002 touch screen only phones.

        Way back in 2002 to 2003 I was using those touchscreen only phones (back then called “PDA phones”), where the dial pad was on screen and the PDA functions were all touchscreen commands too.

        One was the Toshiba 2032 (Audiovox)

        http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=146

        And in 2003 I was using a Samsung i330.

        THAT’S RIGHT, YEARS BEFORE YOUR PRECIOUS iPHONE I HAD A TOUCHSCREEN BASED SMARTPHONE, IRONICALLY WITH AN “i” IN THE NAME!

        http://www.mobiledia.com/phones/samsung/sph-i330.html

        Apple only gambled with its version of the touchscreen only iPhone, it was not Apple’s idea.

        Apple is guilty of copying others’ ideas more than others mimic Apple’s concepts.

      • NotFail

        Pocket PC and PalmOS? Please. The iPhone’s innovations are in software more than anything.

        That’s not to say the hardware isn’t innovative either. Those two phones, while older, are ugly kludges with huge cases, small screens, and stylus input. I can’t even count the number of post-iPhone devices with full touch screens and black and silver bezels. Remember the Samsung Instinct? who’s copying who here?

    • San Francisco

      The iPad will go the way of the iPhone: it will sell to Apple fanboys who buy anything that Apple makes.

      For the rest of us there will be competitor’s devices that will:

      Come with an external keyboard, included in the price.

      Have a removable battery.

      Have net access via WiFi or a network port.

      Have 32GB internal storage and an SDHC slot that can hold up to a 64GB chip. Some retailers will include a “free” 32GB SD chip to get one started.

      Will partner with Netflix, Borders, and EA and have those apps installed.

      Multi-task.

      Efficiently run full versions of any OS and browser.

      And be an ALTERNATIVE to a netbook or notebook, not an in-between device, between the smartphone and netbook.

      Sell for $500 or less.

      In other words, anything a competitor comes out with will be far better than the iPad. The devices will not be limited nor mimic Apple’s planned obsolescence practices.

      • FunkyG

        You’re a bit clueless really, aren’t you?

        Tablet PCs have been around for quite a while now, running full OS’s and being touted as a replacement to notebooks yet they have all failed to make any kind of significant impact on the market.

        The mass market do not want gimped notebooks without a keyboard, they already have notebooks for that.

        It’s funny how you say “the iPad will go the way of the iPhone” and say it as a negative. How is that a bad thing given that the iPhone is currently one of the most successful handsets of all time and is currently used as the benchmark for all other handsets?

        Any competitor devices to the iPad need to be running an OS that’s designed for a touchscreen device, such as Android.

        Already people are referring to the iPad as the tablet standard for others to compete with, and it’s not even been two weeks since its release in the US.

        It seems you coin the term ‘better’ as a reference to a devices hardware spec sheet, yet the better device in most consumers’ eyes is device specific content and useability, and content is directly related to the popularity of the device.

      • NotFail

        This is all stupid nerd shit.

        “Come with an external keyboard, included in the price.”

        Enjoy your stupid swivel screen. If you mean an actual separate unit, yeah that’s exactly what you want hanging off your TABLET.

        “Have a removable battery.”

        Have a loose battery door that creaks, rattles, and inevitably breaks.

        “Have net access via WiFi or a network port.”

        Because I’m just dying to plug my ultra portable device into the wall to use it.

        “Have 32GB internal storage and an SDHC slot that can hold up to a 64GB chip. Some retailers will include a “free” 32GB SD chip to get one started.”

        You mean an SDHC slot that you can’t run apps from. Or you could buy a 64 GB iPad and forget about it.

        “Will partner with Netflix, Borders, and EA and have those apps installed.”

        Will they now?

        “Multi-task.”

        Oh, this old thing again?

        “Efficiently run full versions of any OS and browser.”

        Now where did I put my stylus?

        “The devices will not be limited nor mimic Apple’s planned obsolescence practices.”

        Yeah because MS didn’t just do that with WinMo 6.5 – 7.

  • MobileGuru

    Apple fanboys are funny. Pretending to be tech savey but perfer using an apple product over much better ones. Anyway all the individuals who bought a crapple ipack will be kicking themselves after seeing what other tablets come out with. A locked down OS that someone needs to “jailbreak” in order to do a simple thing? Apple is good for encourging the competition and brainwashing. So lets at least thank apple for the competition or we wouldnt have products such as the Slate.

  • Jay

    what’s with all the hate. you guys know why the ipad is a success (i say success because of the hundreds of thousands sold in the first day). It’s because apple KEPT IT SIMPLE. so what if they use the same OS as iphone or itouch. it works, it’s easy to use, and they’ve brought it to another medium that allows users who want to read/watch content on a larger screen in a sexy form factor.

    Everyone on here seems to be looking for the end all be all magical device, and a lot of you sound bitter that the ipad isn’t it.

  • patrick

    @rebel without an iPad,
    I was mistaken anyway. I went to the website and it was more like 700000. which is good but still seems like it is not a knockout sucsess. still bibwill wait for more options.

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

    • rebel without an iPad

      @patrick..fair enough kind sir, I commend you on your amendment..not very much of that goes on around here ;) I myself will wait to see what transpires in the coming months

  • spring

    it is a vast market.iPad will also be a milestone for apple ,like iphone.
    -http://www.electronicswholesaledistributor.com

    • paul

      scam

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