Worldwide tablet sales drop 35.7% after the holidays

[Wrend]

I think it's more likely that tablets and smart phones will replace game consoles though. My Nexus 5 has comparable graphics at higher resolutions and refresh rates than a PS3

What the heck kind of games are you playing?

If they are indie games, then yes no shocker there. If they are mindless puzzle games, then again no surprise. But there is no way a uncharted or tomb raider will end up on your phone like that and look anywhere close to the ps3.

Hi, andrew129260.

I'm not sure that you're aware how fast mobile hardware technology is (or at least has been) progressing. For example, my 2013 Nexus 5 ("phone") is well over 5 times as powerful as my 2012 Nexus 7 ("tablet") in terms of raw crunching and graphics rendering potential (tested using the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited benchmark).

I know clock rate is only half of one of the main stories (the other being architecture), but to help with some comparisons, my Nexus 5 uses a 2.3GHz quad core CPU, which in and of itself is kind of remarkable to think about.

If you have the opportunity to test out a modern higher-end "phone," such as a Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, LG G2, or Nexus 5, try running the Epic Citadel game engine demo on it. You may be pleasantly surprised by the potential of these devices. Though even this doesn't really push the limits of my Nexus 5, as the Nexus 5 uses a 60 FPS frame rate limiter when rendering things live on screen.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.epicgames.EpicCitadel

But yes, many of the games designed for mobile devices currently aren't able to take advantage of these potentials, in part due to them having to work on a wide range of devices, and not being well optimized for any one of them.

Current gen. mobile devices might not be quite at the same level as current gen. gaming consoles, but I imagine they're uncomfortably close for some, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if gaming consoles (not to be confused with high-end PCs) are effectively rendered obsolete by mobile devices in the not too distant future. (Maybe even within the next few years.) But hey, I still like loading up cartridges in my top-loader NES every once in a while.

 

[lehnerus2000]

That's because "post-PC"devices seemingly ignore all previously established norms & standards.

I'm studying Mobile Web Development at TAFE and it is a soul destroying nightmare.

 

[mjf]

I think interpreting market trends can be difficult. I would doubt that the tablet market is saturated. The life cycle of a product will go through phases. The early adopters will be in there initially paying premium prices. It always amuses me when they show queues of people camping out in lines waiting for the latest release of i-something. When prices drop and applications mature you get another growth phase.
I think Tablets have great utility for certain things. For many purposes a Tablet can't even replace a bog standard PC with a keyboard and mouse. But then it surprises me that many people have laptops/notebooks when they don't really need portability.

 

[Wrend]

That's because "post-PC"devices seemingly ignore all previously established norms & standards.

I'm studying Mobile Web Development at TAFE and it is a soul destroying nightmare.

That being said, it's kind of ironic that on the vast majority of sites I visit on my phone or tablet I prefer the non-mobile version of the site over the mobile one. It's just easier viewing and navigating a "real" website than a limited and scaled down version of one. Though I do view them in landscape orientation so that text isn't too small to read.

Not a huge fan of mobile browsers either for basically the same reasons, now that I think of it.

Go figure. :huh:

 

[lehnerus2000]

I suspect that the thinking is, the only "important content" for mobile devices is advertising.
Anything else is just an unexpected bonus for the user. :shock:

 

[bawldiggle]

Our tablet was purchased exclusively to run Sonos speakers.
But tap-swipe-poke-hit ... slam ... kick ... does not always work. Mostly not.
(Food on the screen is a cockroach attractant)
So it is back to the laptop which works every time (but of course with the added wifi keyboard and mouse)
Cannot tolerate the pad-thingy that poses as a mouse
born-again-ludite (thanks to this thread)

-----
EDIT
-----
Our tablet is used to stop the phone book cover from curling up.
Phone book:= massive pile of paper from the "olden days" for finding phone numbers.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

With Screen Mirroring and Smart TV's who NEEDS a tablet any more

I did think of perhaps for DISPLAYING presentations etc at work a tablet could be of some use - but with Screen Mirroring this works flawlessly from a Samsung S5 (probably other models too) to a Smart TV in a meeting / conference room using Wifi or even a "dongle" - now increasingly unnecessary. Even the projectors are unnecessary - the S5 outputs HD video in full 1080p - perfectly good enough even for a VERY large TV in the conferencve room.

So my main reason for even THINKING about getting a tablet is now GONE.

The only time I might consider such a device if one can use EASILY a stylus on it - but my experiences with electronic "Handwriting" type of tools including wacom tablets has been generally overwhelmingly negative.

Cheers

jimbo

 

[bawldiggle]

The easiest device to drive a smart TV is a wifi keyboard + mouse
Beats tablet virtual keyboard hands down, and keyboard/mouse batteries last for weeks/months.

My 2 cents worth

 

[Britton30]

I wouldn't go so far as to say tablets will never, not ever replace tablets

:sarc:

I think that was a post error...

True, the second tablets should have been PCs. I had to stare at that several times before I finally "saw" it. I'm old with ADHD, mild dyslexia, etc.; cut me some slack.

Sliced slack on the way. I saw nothing wrong when I first read it.

 

[jimbo45]

The easiest device to drive a smart TV is a wifi keyboard + mouse
Beats tablet virtual keyboard hands down, and keyboard/mouse batteries last for weeks/months.

My 2 cents worth

Hi there

@Greyghost -- Keyboard and Mouse is fine -- BUT I need to get the CONTENT from my REMOTE device to the TV. In a work environment companies aren't normally very sympathetic to connecting outside private devices to their networks - a company laptop is usually as far as they go. However it's so convenient taking your phone with the documents stored on the micro sdHC card rather than a laptop with all the paraphanalia (power supply etc etc) and then project it wirelessly to the TV. -- I'm thinking more of a pure presentation rather than any type of DEMO which requires computer input such as "demoing" Computer Software or corporate applications. For those types of demos a tablet is also 100% unsuitable. !!

Cheers
jimbo

 

[bawldiggle]

Hi jimbo,
I do have a 1tb external HD USB connected to the smart tv.
Not the flashest setup but it works.
I am still working up the courage to splurge on NAS.