What Do We Want a Tablet To Do?
Monday, August 17, 2009 at 8:39AM 
A tablet from Apple. It's been one of the longest running rumors in Apple history, right up there with the iPhone. I have to say though, the iPhone rumors were far more exciting. Why? We all knew Apple would take something we use everyday, and transform it into something far more sophisticated/useful/powerful. Who was thrilled with their cell phone circa 2004-2007?
The tablet rumors though, have always lacked a bit of the same enthusiasm. Yes, many of us are excited to see what Apple will bring to the product space, but very few people are using tablets now, and so the anticipation of a product that will transform the product category isn't nearly as great.
While the iPod was introduced at a time when mp3 players weren't yet popular, people were already building collections of mp3's, and clearly the idea of having all your music with you is appealing to the masses.
Which brings us back to the tablet. The last time Apple introduced a product in a category very few people were dabbling in, we got Apple TV, which Jobs famously referred to as a "hobby" once it became clear this wasn't an out-of-park hit like the iPod or iPhone.
One of the problems with a tablet is it's hard to get a handle on exactly what we as consumers want it to do. Do we want it to be a device for watching/streaming media? Wouldn't be easier/cheaper/and more convenient to stream to a large TV instead? Do we want it to be a kindle competitor? If e-reader is the main function of the tablet, again it looks like Apple is dipping into a market that may not actually be there. What about rumors of it being pressure sensitive to be used as a graphics tablet? While that would be nirvana for some, it seems those people would constitute a tiny percentage of all computer users. The same goes for rumors of the ability to use the tablet as a second screen with your Mac. Wouldn't a larger/bigger second screen be a better buy?
Again, there are small groups who would inevitably want the device for these reasons, but for the masses these are mostly tacked on features that would not alone make the device compelling enough to buy. The modern Apple philosophy involves selling tons of widgets to the masses (why do you think we never saw that "Asteroid" audio interface box?) rather than obscure products aimed at small groups.
When you can do so much on the iPhone now, and the idea of carrying a second, bigger device with you outside the house seems unlikely in 2009, (remember Palm's nixed Folio?) and with laptops getting thinner,lighter, more powerful, the question becomes what will the tablet do? What will be the show-stopping feature/use that makes millions of people wonder how they ever lived without this device? Well, we don't know. The computer industry has matured so much in the last five years, thanks in large part to Apple, but also to netbook developers, that it isn't clear beyond design and dozens of niche-specific uses, just what will be the missing piece of the puzzle that will be filled by a tablet?
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Reader Comments (1)
If I was a betting person I would bet on an Ereader that has multimedia capabilities. Maybe a partnership with one or several magazine, books and newspaper publishers. All connected to iTunes for the other medias If that happens the Fanboys and Nerd Herd will be very unhappy and blog and bitch.