Today Marks the 11th Anniversary of Steve Jobs Unveiling the iPad

[mi7chy]

Traditional tablet is going the way of stand alone GPS, MP3 player, etc. and being integrated into detachable or 2-in-1 laptops. Its existence as a cheaper PC alternative with compromises and stripped down web browser experience has been obsoleted by devices that offer full web browser experience in the same form factor and price range.

 

[WhateverIDontCare]

When the iPad was announced, I remember thinking it was the *stupidest* thing I had ever heard of. I remember telling a friend of mine "it's a solution looking for a problem".

I'm now on my 6th iPad (Air4), and it's the one device I would take with me to an island, over my phone/laptops/desktops/etc.

tl;dr: I was dumb.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

Traditional tablet is going the way of stand alone GPS, MP3 player, etc. and being integrated into detachable or 2-in-1 laptops. Its existence as a cheaper PC alternative with compromises and stripped down web browser experience has been obsoleted by devices that offer full web browser experience in the same form factor and price range.

Alternatively, iPad Air with magic keyboard fulfils most people's casual computing needs without the compromises of a 2-in-1, in much better hardware and usable software for the majority.

 

[mi7chy]

Alternatively, iPad Air with magic keyboard fulfils most people's casual computing needs without the compromises of a 2-in-1, in much better hardware and usable software for the majority.

My iPad collects dust since it doesn't have a full desktop browser with extension support and replaced by Macbook Air M1 that isn't as light weight nor versatile as the Surface Pro X that transforms from a 1.7# touch tablet with pen input to 2.3# with tablet cover. Magic keyboard is inflexible since it can't be flipped back in tablet mode and too heavy. M1 isn't prime until it adopts the detachable or convertible form factor. Apple realizes this like need for phablet sized phones so don't know why they're dragging their feet.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

My iPad collects dust since it doesn't have a full desktop browser with extension support and replaced by Macbook Air M1 that isn't as light weight nor versatile as the Surface Pro X that transforms from a 1.7# touch tablet with pen input to 2.3# with tablet cover. Magic keyboard is inflexible since it can't be flipped back in tablet mode and too heavy. M1 isn't prime until it adopts the detachable or convertible form factor. Apple realizes this like need for phablet sized phones so don't know why they're dragging their feet.

Yeah, the kind of people who post on this forum, including you, are not a good sample of how the general population uses devices like an iPad. My dad hasn't owned a computer in years, he's got an iPad Air 2 and it's fine for his needs. The iPad Air 4, with a keyboard, is a fantastic computer for most people. Most people don't give a crap about full desktop browsers or extension support.

If your iPad collects dust, why do you still have it?

 

[mi7chy]

Yeah, the kind of people who post on this forum, including you, are not a good sample of how the general population uses devices like an iPad. My dad hasn't owned a computer in years, he's got an iPad Air 2 and it's fine for his needs. The iPad Air 4, with a keyboard, is a fantastic computer for most people. Most people don't give a crap about full desktop browsers or extension support.

That's imaginary and not realistic. My parents use iPads for basic consumption but go on PC to do productivity and access web sites that require full desktop browser. Guess that answers why Apple wants to sell two devices since it's more profitable than one that does everything.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

That's imaginary and not realistic. My parents use iPads for basic consumption but go on PC to do productivity and access web sites that require full desktop browser. Guess that answers why Apple wants to sell two devices since it's more profitable than one that does everything.

Dunno what you're on about imaginary; my dad is real. My point is that most people don't "do productivity" at all. For most people, being able to access emails and the internet and watch videos is all they really need from a consumption device like an iPad.

Tablets are not going to become obsolete and be replaced by 2-in-1s, because 2-in-1 devices involve too many compromises and are less efficient for most people's basic computing needs. Apple is really unlikely to launch a 2-in-1 – the closest it'll get for the time being is the iPad Air/Pro with the keyboard.

If you're trying to make a point that I haven't addressed, then I dunno what it is.

 

[mi7chy]

Dunno what you're on about imaginary...

The iPad Air 4, with a keyboard, is a fantastic computer for most people. Most people don't give a crap about full desktop browsers or extension support.

That's like proclaiming a golf cart is fantastic transportation. Most people don't give a crap about having a car.

Imaginary and unrealistic except for niche cases like retired and living in a retirement community but even then you'll need a car to get groceries unless bedridden then someone does it for you.

 

[grantew1]

At first, I made fun of the name, now it just works.
Facebook memories revealed this.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

That's like proclaiming a golf cart is fantastic transportation. Most people don't give a crap about having a car.

Imaginary and unrealistic except for niche cases like retired and living in a retirement community but even then you'll need a car to get groceries unless bedridden then someone does it for you.

so to clarify, are you really saying that you think most people, who don’t require productivity apps, are better off buying a 2-in-1 than an iPad?

 

[Killerbob]

So when you take your family to the zoo, you have to throw an iPad in your pocket to take pictures?

I hardly ever leave home with a backpack, and so it would work fine for using the iPad as a phone, and as a professional photographer I never rely on my iPhone for photography.

 

[coachgq]

I hardly ever leave home with a backpack, and so it would work fine for using the iPad as a phone, and as a professional photographer I never rely on my iPhone for photography.

Ok, so you carry a bunch of stuff with you when you go everywhere. I would bet $ there are more people who depend on their phone vs all other equipment combined for their photography. Probably not the case for # of people who take a backpack with them everywhere. Especially with the pounds of weight a professional camera might be. So you are part of the exception not the rule. As with the idea of using an iPad to make regular calls.

 

[RickTaylor]

I didn't see the point of the iPad when it first came out. It seemed to me to large to be comfortably portable, yet lacked the keyboard and mouse of a laptop. Then one day I saw the iPad mini 1 on a shelf, and I fell in love.

P.S. Then the 12.9 ipad Pro came out, and I found a tool I've used ever since then for work.

 

[TechFann]

That's imaginary and not realistic. My parents use iPads for basic consumption but go on PC to do productivity and access web sites that require full desktop browser. Guess that answers why Apple wants to sell two devices since it's more profitable than one that does everything.

I used my iPad all the time in College. It was perfect for taking notes in Word or OneNote, and viewing and editing Professors' Powerpoints, viewing my digital textbooks, etc. It was much easier to carry around and took up less space on the small desks/ table space that we had to work with. Now I use my iPad for PDF viewing and editing, I use the notes app to scan documents and upload to my Onedrive. I use the picture and picture to watch TV while I browse the web or read the News app, etc. The iPad does about everything that I would usually do with my laptop. And I, like I feel like most people do, do to a dedicated laptop or desktop or 2 in 1s to get major work done. Because most 2 in 1s that I have used still didn't have a big enough screen or processing power to get things done and I needed to use a laptop.