the tablet war is heating up

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have one myself.

Currently, Dad uses an iPad2 in his medical practice, but he misses the portability of his ole Palm. I tried to point out to him that the iPod Touch had a biger screen than the Palms, and was full of features- including a zoom- but I think the bigger screen of the iPad2 seduced him. It will be easier for him to read his journals and books on it, after all.

Still, a smaller iPad may just fit into the sweet spot of size & function for him.

 

[Banshee16]

As I understand it, Steve Jobs wasn't a supporter of the idea of a smaller tablet. How long his wishes control the direction of product development, who knows?

One thing I've learned since looking at Apple again is that, due to their secrecy, there are always tonnes of rumours regarding what they are, or are not working on.

Is the iPad or is it not going to be like a big iPod Touch?

Are they or are they not releasing an iPhone 5 in fall 2011?

Will or will not the new iPhone still be built of glass?

Is or is not the iPhone made of gorilla glass?

Will they or won't they have a retina display on the new iPad?

Are they or are they not making a version (or the next) Macbook Air to be a dockable keyboard and tablet, inspired by the ASUS Transformer?

And it goes back way further than that....that's just since I started paying attention.

I guess we'll see. They may come out with a smaller tablet to fight the Kindle Fire and Nook and other Android tablets....but then, their sales of the 10" iPad 2 are pretty darned good already....they may not feel they have to.

Banshee

 

[falcarrion]

I read a rumor that Samsung and LG have produced 65 million retina displays for the Ipad 3.
I also read that Apple has sold 55 million Ipads within the last 7 quarters.

I guess on March 7 we will see if the Ipad3 is real or not.

And will there stocks skyrocket more than they have already?

 

[IronWolf]

I guess we'll see. They may come out with a smaller tablet to fight the Kindle Fire and Nook and other Android tablets....but then, their sales of the 10" iPad 2 are pretty darned good already....they may not feel they have to.

I'm not convinced it is screen size that has driven sales of the Fire and Nook, but that it is the price of the Fire and Nook that drive sales.

For a long time I said I would buy a tablet in a minute if it was functional and in the $250 to $300 price range. I suspect the Fire and the Nook captured a lot of the folks that were more in tune with that price than they were excited about a smaller screen size.

Hard to say I guess. I have just never found myself saying, I wish my iPad screen was smaller.

 

[Fast Learner]

I predict -- and will actually bet money if anyone's interested -- that there will in fact be a new iPad introduced on March 7, it will feature a quadruple resolution display and quad-core processor, and that there will not be a smaller iPad of any kind in 2012.

I also predict (but will not bet money) that at that same March 7th announcement we'll see a new AppleTV (a small box mostly like the current one, not a television set) and that there will be an iPhone 5 next Fall but not before.

 

[John Crichton]

I'm not convinced it is screen size that has driven sales of the Fire and Nook, but that it is the price of the Fire and Nook that drive sales.

For a long time I said I would buy a tablet in a minute if it was functional and in the $250 to $300 price range. I suspect the Fire and the Nook captured a lot of the folks that were more in tune with that price than they were excited about a smaller screen size.

Hard to say I guess. I have just never found myself saying, I wish my iPad screen was smaller.

Exactly. The primary reason people are buying the Fire is the price point. Screen size, if it's even a factor is down the list.

 

[Janx]

I predict -- and will actually bet money if anyone's interested -- that there will in fact be a new iPad introduced on March 7, it will feature a quadruple resolution display and quad-core processor, and that there will not be a smaller iPad of any kind in 2012.

I also predict (but will not bet money) that at that same March 7th announcement we'll see a new AppleTV (a small box mostly like the current one, not a television set) and that there will be an iPhone 5 next Fall but not before.

I suspect your prediction is right.

Apple does new +1/2 iPhone iterations annually. The 4s came out in the fall, instead of the usual July because of the Japanese tsunami. At this point, they will probably just keep it to the fall launch day.

Apple seemed to have followed the same pattern with iPad. No reason they would deviate. They have good sales and do NOT need to fragment their product line with variant models.

AppleTV seems like a better idea as a cheap add-on box that everybody can use, rather than a full TV that can only target people in the market for a new television. The cycle may have shifted, but most americans expect a TV to last a long time. My last one saw use from 1988 to 2007. The current ones are HD and have been serving since 2007 and I have no desire to replace them anytime soon.

 

[Splurch]

Guys, I'm about to get a tablet and wasn't sure which one to get, I figured I'd ask you all since you are in the know. I will mainly use it for entertainment (surfing net, reading books, some games) also I would use it to put pdf's of my rpg books on it so I don't have to carry them all to my games (rpg apps would be a big plus too). I'm looking at anything from a Kindle Fire/Nook Tablet to an IPAD or Asus Transformer.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Mel

 

[falcarrion]

My best advice is try one out before buying. If you have a Best Buy store or simular try out the Ipad and the Asus. Also check out the other android units like the Samsung. This will give you a better idea of which operating system you like.
I have been an Ipad owner since it came out. And I have never been happier.
There are some great rpg apps.
But others here have andriod units that they love also. We try are best to give you the best info in real life use of various tablets.
When you do get one. Come back and let us know what you like or don't like about it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I love my iPad2, but it doesn't support Flash. Nice big screen, long battery life.

Some of those Androids are pretty sweet, too.

When faced with choosing between the Nook and the Kindle Fire to be given as a door prize, I went with the Nook. The KF at the time was experiencing an uptick in negative user reviews.