One-third of Americans now own a tablet, Pew finds

[QUOTE=Wenda;2431923]

bej said:

Have your toys, I'll still be doing useful and creative stuff on a machine with the capability to do way more than log into Farcebook or YouTube.

Long after tablets are passe.


Wenda.

here here!!

Yea, the marketing "experts" have me baffled. So tablet ownership is growing. Well duh, it's been popular since around 2005? The PC has been around since the 80's? I don't know anyone who is replacing their PC with their tablet. I have 2 desktops, 1 laptop in our family and I own a tablet. I like it to peruse email while watching t.v. and for taking with me on vacation. However, I would never ever replace my desktop with this device. I have many friends in the same boat. That being said, with today's desktop power, we only upgrade every five years or so for the desktop vs. tablets likely have a 2-3 year lifespan given it's early technology age.

ncgmcpherson said:

Yea, the marketing "experts" have me baffled. So tablet ownership is growing. Well duh, it's been popular since around 2005? The PC has been around since the 80's? I don't know anyone who is replacing their PC with their tablet. I have 2 desktops, 1 laptop in our family and I own a tablet. I like it to peruse email while watching t.v. and for taking with me on vacation. However, I would never ever replace my desktop with this device. I have many friends in the same boat. That being said, with today's desktop power, we only upgrade every five years or so for the desktop vs. tablets likely have a 2-3 year lifespan given it's early technology age.

Figure MS will use these numbers to support the push into the "touch" age, but you said it perfectly. Both my brothers have tablets and use them quite often while watching TV, but one is an engineer who uses CAD programming all the time and the other is a huge gamer in his spare time, where one hand is one the key board and the other on the mouse the entire time. Neither can do their respected job/hobby on a tablet and, thus the desktop is their go to as it is for the other millions of people who's business rely on programs such as: CAD, video/photo editing, gaming or anything that would require extreme memory usage.

Tablets are on the rise, no doubt, but their use and functions are what should be polled, then these numbers would shed some light on the real value in them as opposed to just net total purchased. Cell phones in the 90's were steadily on the rise, now it's not even a forethought to ask if you have one or not. Tablets will be the same, but again, what do the majority use them for and how often do you use tablets for X/Y/Z functions that are normally used on desktops and laptops? Poll that information and then have a discussion as to what and why a DT/LT is still needed in addition to a tablet.

I'm 80% sure that the above was sarcasm, he says what he thinks was the actual message of the above "indipendent" (or maybe not) study.[/QUOTE]

Bob (your post #14) - You're not 80% correct, but 100% correct. One of my "bad" habits is being sarcastic. I'm just glad when someone sees sarcasm as such.

bej said:

Pew certainly isn't "self-funded" so who do you think would pay for this
"research". Just ask yourself what companies would benefit from it.
Also, who is the target market ? You don't want to be left behind, do you?
A lot of your age group has moved to tablets and your still using that dog slow,
ugly, heavy laptop ? Get modern, man.

Hi there
1) Why should Laptops be heavy and dog slow -- there are some EXCELLENT light fast powerful laptops around.

2) Why is "Get Modern" automatically assumed to be superior -- I still like riding a Horse or sailing a Boat even though there are infinitely more "Modern" methods of transport around.

3) Same for music -- most "Get Modern" kids probably have never experienced proper UNCOMPRESSED music played as it should be - especially if they've spent half their lives listening to "Clubby" music on at poor mp3 compression on ridiculously poor quality bud earphones.

4) Going to the Cinema in "Modern Theatres" is a real PAIN now for a lot of folk -- the sound mix is so appalling that you need Earplugs to lower the volume of the Sound effects while the Dialog (when there is actually any worth listening to) is at such a low level as to be almost inaudible --and I have EXCELLENT hearing -- I have a test every year as an Engineer it's part of the deal.

"Modern" for "Modern" sake is not always Progress --there's a big difference between "Modern" and Progress -- sometimes the two converge but often they are different -- and I'm certainly not against progress.

As for tablets --they don't do anything for me -- I NEED a computer for all sorts of things --I certainly couldn't attach Gas Analyzers to these to measure the toxicity or volume of gases emitting from a volcano -- and entering any sort of long text or calculations on a tablet is tedious in the extreme.

Anything I could possibly use a tablet for I use a decent smart phone and for reading books an e-reader beats any sort of tablet --especially in bright sun or daylight.

For some people tablets are fine --just a TOOL like anything else --"Getting Modern" has nothing to do with it.

Cheers
jimbo