Posted on 05/12/2014 12:58:10 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
As recently as a couple of quarters ago, analysts were convinced that tablet growth rates would be stratospheric forever, or at least until a few billion people had one.
Apple, it was said, was no longer going to be "the iPhone company." It was going to be "the iPad company." And analysts were frantically calculating how much money Apple was going to coin once it was selling more iPads than iPhones.
Well, those forecasts aren't looking so promising anymore.
Tablet growth has slowed sharply over the past few quarters. And tablet growth at Apple has hit a wall.
BII
Business Insider
Analysts have several theories for why growth in this recently ballistic market has suddenly tanked. They cite "increased penetration rates," "high price points," and "lack of innovation," for example.
And all those factors are indeed likely contributing.
But here's what I think is the real reason tablet growth has cratered:
Tablets do not yet solve a pressing need that is not already solved by a laptop or smartphone.
Put differently, there's no clear reason yet to own two or three expensive personal-computing devices. You can accomplish just about everything by owning one or two. Some people can get by with only a smartphone, especially now that smartphone screens are much larger than they used to be. (And if people have to own only one device, that's what they're going to own—a smartphone.) Others need two devices. For some people, the best two-gadget combination will be a smartphone and tablet. For others, a smartphone and laptop or desktop.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Saturation is the enemy of any market. Who needs a faster and faster tablet when the one they have surfs the net just fine?
Huh? What’s good about it?
It is a bulky camera, a lousy computer, and can not take the place of a phone.
Other than that it is a hybrid looking for a problem. A smart phone can do almost everything a tablet can and is more portable. A laptop can do tons more and is only a bit more bulky and a desk top can have a screen of limitless size and storage.
It is great to watch TV and video when you don’t have a TV or computer.
I’m still using an iPad-1 and have felt no need to upgrade. I still consider my desktop PC to be my “real” computer, and use it for heavy duty use (music editing, movie editing, transferring files to the iPad via iTunes, etc.). I use the iPad to surf the web when I’m outside on the deck smoking a cigar, or when I travel. I use it for Kindle/iBooks when I travel, read comic books on it, etc. Still don’t need to upgrade it.
One potential reason might be that one can get a laptop for the price of a tablet.
Thanks, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that!
Right on, guys. Discretionary spending is dropping, forcing all kinds of retailers to close stores or go out of business entirely. Who needs an iPad when you can barely make rent or fill your gas tank?
I still don’t have either one.
G
I've looked at the newer versions, but the one I have is still great for my needs, so I don't see a reason to buy another one just yet.
Maybe the "analysts" incorrectly figured that tablet users would be like iPhone users... compelled to upgrade every single time there's a new version.
I have a kindle on which I read books, play games and surf FR. I do prefer the desk top computer for FR when I am home. I am, however, burned out on electronics. I have a cell phone, but limit it’s usage to texting ahd phone calls. But, it’s almost summer and nothing beats actually being outdoors in nature. A tablet, can’t allow one to commune with nature, you just have to put it down and walk outside to do that.
Tablets are toys. They don’t really have much practical use at all. The few businesses I have seen with them (mainly restaurants), it takes forever for the waiter to type in or select the order, when they could write it down easier and quicker. Some guys I work with use them, mainly audio guys who can control the board as they walk around the room. Not very professional/practical, more just a cool toy to use with everything.
They aren’t big enough to do many tasks, so you need a laptop or bigger. They are useless for gaming, except for phone games like tetris or fruit ninja. They are too big to take the place of your phone, and aren’t nearly as portable.
The tablet does exactly what he needs it to do, and relieves us of having to take two computers on the road. But I don't envision us replacing it unless something really fabulous hits the market.
Excellent point. I just got a new Acer with Windows 7 and a 750 gig hard drive for $375.
Here’s my own theory:
1. Everybody that was going to buy one has now bought one.
2. For the casual user, they can be more difficult to operat than a PC, and then they find out that tablets are basically toys.
3. For power users, tablets have always been nearly useless.
In other words, tablets were just another form-factor fad, following in the footsteps of “netbooks”, only less useful.
I always get a kick out of my friends bringing over their shiny new tablets to show off, except they’re always “still learning how to use them”, or never actually manage to show me something “cool” they can do, like answer an email or even do a quick google search, or if they do, it’s like watching Wade Messer on “Justifed” dial 911 on a cell phone, mouthing the numbers out loud while in deep concentration with his tongue poked out of one corner of his mouth as he laboriously pokes out “911”.
I was offered a free Samsung Tablet at Verizon this weekend as part of a Mother’s Day promotion (and I’m a male.) My only cost would have been 10.00 a month to add it to my account and I didn’t even want one.
If a government wanted to adopt a set of policies deliberately designed to pauperize the American people it's hard to see how anyone could do better than the current policies of unfair "free" trade combined with high corporate taxes, regulations and restrictions on resource extraction.
No, no, no. It’s Global Warming that’s affecting tablet sales. See, people are worried about their tablets breaking from increasing temperatures. Many people have accepted the fact that their tablets will break from rising temperatures and have decided to hold on to theirs until it overheats. Their hope is that new replacement models will be more heat-resistant.
/AP
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