I’ve been reading a few interesting articles lately using this awesome RSS reader called Pulse, for the android. Two of them struck me as interesting: tech bloggers who are naysaying about the latest, greatest gadget fad: tablets. Essentially, a lot of the talk revolves around the idea ‘ what can a tablet actually do better than anything else?’
Over at Ars Technica, there is a rant I found pretty amusing called Why I Don’t Care About Tablets Anymore. Jon Stokes opines:
“the tablet isn’t really the best gadget that I have for any of the [things I commonly do on it]—at least in terms of the overall experience (cost and convenience aside). For watching video, my TV wins. I prefer to read books and papers on either the Kindle or as dead-tree color printouts and books. Surfing the Web is easier on a computer, especially if you leave a lot of tabs open. I’ve yet to have a tablet gaming experience that really surpasses a good console or PC game. And so on.”
He makes a cuttingly perceptive observation toward the end as well: “Some of the really savvy new media efforts like Flipboard are exciting, but after the initial “wow” factor wears off, these apps mainly serve to remind me that there’s already too much good stuff to read out there, and that my life is slipping away from me in an infinite stream of interesting bits about smart animals, dumb criminals, outrageous celebs, shiny objects, funny memes, scientific discoveries, economic developments, etc.. I invariably end up closing the app in a fit of guilt, and picking up one of the truly fantastic dead tree or Kindle books that I’m working my way through at the moment, so that I can actually exercise my brain (as opposed to simply wearing it out).”
Hmph! Indeed. That last sentence is going to stick with me for a long time.
Article two is “I Hate My iPad” over at Slate, with a few quotable gems on the iPad:
“There’s no question that it makes browsing the Web while sitting on the couch easier. Though I have a relatively svelte laptop, it’s kind of a pain to tote around the apartment. But am I the kind of person who pays $600 to save the effort of detaching some USB cables from time to time? I don’t want to be that kind of person.”
“I think it’s amazing that Apple has convinced so many people to pay $600 for what seem like such marginal improvements in their lifestyles—$600 to be able to check my e-mail in bed in a slightly more comfortable fashion than I can on my laptop seems sort of crazy when I stop and think about it.” His friend replies, “That’s your problem–stopping to think about it.”
Incidentally, it also spawned this discussion, with this humorously sarcastic quote:
“I like to sit on my couch and watch Netflix on it even though there’s a 46″ LCD right in front of me. I like to use the word processing software even though it takes ten times longer than using a real keyboard because my desktop computer is all the way in the next room. I like to use the shiny back as mirror to check myself out. I like to look at the pretty colors on the screen. It also makes a really futuristic looking paperweight. It’s so cute and shiny.”
Nerrrd RAAAAAAAGEE!!!
Tags: amusement, gadgets, general nerdery, my soapbox, smartphones, tablets, technology
I love tablets and ipads, they are great for taking pictures. Because you always end up in other people’s pictures, the people behind you trying to take the same picture.
I dont know, I think tablets are used more to multi-task, all the things you listed are yes things you can do with a bunch of other devices, the cool thing about the tablet is you don’t have to go to your desktop then to your bookshelf then to your tv room, instead just sit on your couch and do it all. (lazy yes, stupid no.)
hahahahhaha