Tablet demand weak - might drop another 20 percent
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tsunami231
Redemption80
The fact larger phones are now more acceptable has alot to do with it, it has zero to do with PC's as that is a different market.
Now, i don't as many people really want one except for watching stuff while travelling.
Price plays a big part as well, here in the UK very few people will pay for a phone upfront, not always that simple with a tablet.
Megabiv
scipio
Tablets are great for small children, they're toys.
vidra
I use my tablet every single day and I've had it for nearly 2 years. I find it extremely useful both for work and for gaming. At 10" the screen doesn't strain my eyesight like a phone does and it's light and much more portable than a netbook.
Redemption80
I switch back and forward between an Nvidia Shield and my phone, all depends on which one has the best battery at the time.
They have pretty much replaced around 50% of things that i used to do on desktops, while my wifes laptop has been completely phased out by her iPad.
sykozis
They're claiming that larger smartphones are the reason for tablet sales declining, but they neglect to mention that convertible notebooks have also impacted tablet sales. You can get a 10-11 inch convertible notebook for the same price as most tablets without having to make the sacrifices. A convertible notebook offers a "free" keyboard, a "free" trackpad and touchscreen functionality. If you buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab, you're going to spend at least $250....then add another $50+ for a keyboard, and another $30+ for a bluetooth compatible mouse.....and you're still missing competent productivity software and file format compatibility. Most people have figured out that tablets aren't as great as Apple and Samsung have made them out to be. You sacrifice functionality and compatibility for portability.
Tablets are niche products for a niche market. Most of the people I know who own tablets, bought them either for watching movies on the go or to use as e-readers.
I have an 8" Windows tablet that cost me $200 and does everything I need it to do. I bought it to replace a $300+ Android tablet that couldn't do even 1/2 of what I wanted, much less anything that I actually needed it to do. Android tablets are near useless for productivity, unless you have custom apps to use. Most of what's available on the Google Play store is utter garbage.
My Toshiba Encore 2 runs Win8.1 with no issues what so ever and Windows Phone 8.1 is actually more stable than Android.
Windows Phone does lack some features that Android has, such as a truly customizable UI. However, Windows for Mobile 10, will have docking capability where a Lumia 950 or 950XL can be connected to a keyboard, mouse and monitor and essentially become a micro desktop PC. The only other mobile platform with the same docking capability as Windows for Mobile 10, is Ubuntu Touch (which those of us in the US will probably never see officially launched because nobody wants to take the risk).
If MS would make mobile Windows customizable, I wouldn't own an Android phone.
Clouseau
Alexraptor
Tablets can be extremely useful... BUT!
Most apps that we run on tablets are very light, and once we have a good quality one, chances are we won't buy another one until it breaks.
Tablet gaming is a very niche market, and very few people actually play high end tablet games that would require them to buy a new tablet on a regular basis.
I pretty much mainly use my iPad to browse the web and read books. How much power do you actually need for that?
lucidus
How many tablets do they think people are going to buy? Smartphones and tablets are going to end up like desktops - more than enough processing power to last a while. My ipad 3 and iphone 5s still work great and I have no incentive to replace them. My ipad is a 9.7" Safari & youtube machine anyway, I don't think I will even replace it lol.
ScoobyDooby
I have a Huawei P8 5" Phone, My home PC, and an MSI Ghost Laptop @ work.
WTF do I need a tablet for? Not surprised that demand is dwindling. The only reason I could see using one would be to lay in bed with something portable, but honestly a phone is good enough for that.
Barry J
I have gone back to a laptop IOS9 on my iPad Air not allowing google maps was the final straw for me my son can use it for Minecraft.
I find the iPad ok for general surfing but don't trust apple enough to use it for anything that is important. My laptop starts faster does more and the screen is bigger oh and I can play real games using my steam account.
Singleton99
I foolishly spent over 700 UK pounds a on a samsung smart PC pro 700t tablet with windows 8.1 , i5 and a ssd hard drive.
And the last time i used it was to put the windows 10 upgrade on and before that was on holiday 2014.
Maybe i should sell it before its worth nothing which won't be far away .
I've never had a ipad so i may get one 🙂:):)
Mannerheim
my Sony Xperia tablet Z is for candy saga and boat chart plotter =)
I really like it and no need for new one..
waltc3
Tablets were new & a novelty at first but the fad has already worn off as people see that the Emperor has no clothes (tablets cost more deliver less), and smart phones have become complete commodities with all the limitations of tablets. PCs through it all still make the most sense economically and practically (you can build/upgrade/service your PC.) I do everything on my PC(s) that needs doing, and my cell-phone is as dumb as a rock...;) I use it exclusively to ...make telephone calls...*gasp* how novel is that?...;) The money I save is considerable and much better spent somewhere else.
HonoredShadow
Strange that as I get a lot of use out of my tablet as I am right now. I do online shopping, I use audible for listening to audio book, reading magazines and reading books from kindle, Amazon, watch YouTube videos and much more. Do food shopping and buy PC parts from it too.
Some decent games on there too. Use it as a communication tool with Skype, steam and Facebook to keep in touch with friends. A tablet is great to have at the side of your bed when it's bed time. Relaxing. Lastly I use pocket app on PC and tablet. So anything I want to read or watch later I just press one button and its in my pocket so I can see on tablet later.
So you see just because you guys don't get a use out of it does not mean others won't.
vidra
HonoredShadow
I forgot to mention that I use Kody as well on a pc behind tv and I can control it via Kody app. I use YouTube on tablet I find a video on my tablet press 1 button and it goes over to my Bravia Sony TV or Xbox. So handy!
I also like to watch twitch on Xbox and I can have twitch on the tablet and see the chat only on the tablet and the video only on the Xbox.
Edit. Thought of more uses. You know when you hear something on TV or a reference to someone and i dont know who or what i just shout ok google and i instantly find out without pause. For instance being British I don't know people mentioned in American sitcoms like family guy and Simpsons etc... I can find out and 'get it' more.
Or discussing something you can just look something up instantly. I hate using a phone for web. Too small.
Some indie games that are on steam and tablet are better on tablet because you can chill watching TV or at bed time instead of sitting at desk. For example pen and paper, kingdom rush, the banner saga and final fantasy to name a few. The controls are great for these sort of games.
ManofGod
I have a Surface Pro tablet with a keyboard / battery. I do not have a laptop anymore nor do I personally see a use for one with my usage purposes. I like the fact that I can use it as a tablet and laptop when I need to. It is also very fast which is one thing I like about it.
On the other hand, my HP Stream 7 gets very little usage which is a surprise to me. Laptops have their place in many instances but so does a tablet like a Surface Pro line.
vidra
The thing is that many of those thinking that tablets are merely shiny baubles do have a point. They have a high novelty appeal and many make impulse purchases based on this only to leave their tablet unused after the initial excitement has worn off.
This is not to mean, however, that they are useless. Quite the contrary. I got mine because I needed one and it exceeded my expectations. And it's not only good for casual gaming either. I've played K.O.T.O.R. and Legend of Grimrock on mine, and I also have both Baldur's Gates just waiting to be played once I have some more free time. They're not new games, but they're all complex, immersive and require dedication.