Where Do Tablet PCs Fit in the Market?
by Wyatt WalterThe web is abuzz with all kinds of bloggers and other writers talking of how 2010 will be ‘the year of the tablet pc‘. I have to admit, these devices look really cool, but where do they fit in? I’m getting a bit confused about what these tablets are supposed to replace and what exact function they would serve in my life.
A conversation by the BBC with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said it all for me. During the interview, Ballmer was talking about why the tablet would take off this year after years of trying. Ballmer did raise some good points about technology evolving, however, he raised a big question for me. During the interview he stated that, “These things are not replacement [devices] in every sense.” Meaning, one won’t replace their laptop or smartphone with a tablet. My problem is, where does that leave the tablet, then?
For me personally, I’m sick of having more gadgets. I’ve got a BlackBerry, an iPod, a MacBook, a Wii, a DVR, and a desktop computer. I’ve like the idea of having a Kindle and maybe a GPS device, but I’ve been turned off about the idea of having yet another device to throw into my backpack or pocket. If a tablet PC can’t replace one of my gadgets (hopefully a gadget that’s larger than the tablet), then it definitely has no place in my home. In addition to that, I’m not sure what economy these people are living in that we can afford all these devices plus purchase another one that doesn’t let us not purchase either a phone or a laptop.
The closest thing that I’ve heard of a tablet replacing is a netbook. That may be the case, only time will tell. The problem with that logic in my mind, however, is that the tablet PCs will likely be significantly higher-priced than netbooks have been so far which might make them cost-prohibitive as replacements for netbooks.
Of course, only time will tell, but I’m not yet convinced that these tablet PCs will see nearly the market share that we’re being led to believe. If Ballmer is right (I believe he is here) and these devices are just add-ons and not replacements for traditional laptops or smartphones, the tablet is doomed to be a niche product forever.
Related Posts- What the Print Industry Can Learn from the Open Source Model The conflict between traditional print media companies and Google has...
- Once Again, Social Engineering Proves Much Easier Than Real Engineering Whatever Twittercut was or wasn't, it does seem to have...
- Lose The Driver Disk, Install Linux! I find it absolutely amazing how far Linux distros have...
- Windows 7: Does It Really Matter How Good It Is? There's been a lot of talk about how critical the...
- Microsoft and HP show off 'slate' PC at CES 2010 [/caption] Microsoft and HP have teamed up to introduce a...
- Screen Door Repairs You may be surprised to learn that the repairs for...
- Save Money and Time with a Bathtub Remodel You've heard of a bathroom remodel, but what about a...
- Apple Tablet Coming in January? [/caption] After months of rumors, we still know very little...
Tags: microsoft, netbooks, steve ballmer
Filed under Tech Trends :
Comments (0) :
Jan 11th, 2010
Follow whatan00b on Twitter
