Switched On: Mined the gap
By Ross Rubin 
posted February 6th 2010 11:55AM
posted February 6th 2010 11:55AM
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
At the introduction of the iPad, Steve Jobs showed a simple slide illustrating one of the burning questions in the industry for many years. On the left was a smartphone. On the right was a laptop. And in the middle was a gap. Apple, like many companies in the PC industry, was seeking to create a product that filled this gap. Indeed, the iPad itself reflects elements of the Apple devices that flank it. Its enclosure resembles the silver metallic enclosure of a MacBook Pro, but inside, it has the ARM processor architecture and operating system of the iPhone.
But the iPad is but the latest in a long line of products and would-be general-purpose devices that seeks to fill this gap, most of them short-lived. Some of the more recent ones include the aborted Palm Foleo, the Sony Mylo, Nokia Internet Tablets, UMPCs, and MIDs. Why are so many companies convinced there is opportunity in these products?
Let's turn back the clock to 2002, the year Handspring launched its first smartphone, the monochrome 160 x 160-pixel Treo 180. It was the year that Verizon Wireless launched the first 3G network in the U.S. and the year MobileStar declared bankruptcy after deploying public Wi-Fi throughout many Starbucks locations in 2001. In 2002, PC World awarded its World Class Award for ultralight notebooks to the Fujitsu LifeBook P-2000. It was less than three pounds and had a 10.6-inch screen, but was 1.6-inches thick and had a starting price of $1,499. And it couldn't access Facebook, Hulu, YouTube or Engadget -- because they didn't exist.
Although the larger problems back then stemmed from slower, more limited wireless networks and less compelling web content, it was pretty clear that there was a significant gap between the smartphone and the laptop in terms of price and capabilities.
But the past three years have seen two fundamental changes across the smartphone-laptop continuum. First, the iPhone introduced a Web browser that could faithfully render most Web pages -- or, at least those that don't depend on Flash. The WebKit rendering engine for mobile Safari is also used by Android and Palm devices, while Microsoft and RIM have also taken steps to improving their mobile browsing experiences. Second, while the Asus Eee PC may have been closer to a computing appliance or companion than a PC, the deluge of netbooks from large PC companies such as HP, Acer and Dell that have followed have overwhelmingly run Windows and have been embraced by consumers as small and cheap, if underpowered, laptops.
As a result of smartphones getting smarter, ultraportables getting more portable, and both becoming more affordable, many aspects of the traditional gap between smartphones and laptops have simply disappeared. In terms of size, few devices that can fit in a pocket offer a more capable, elegant experience than the leading smartphones,. And there are few carrying cases larger than a pocket -- including backpacks, briefcases and even some larger handbags -- into which a netbook won't fit. Tablets offer little over netbooks in terms of enhanced portability.
iPad advocates will argue that it isn't so much what the device does but the "intimate" way in which consumers use it that matters. While smartphones are designed to be used on-the-go and netbooks need to be set down on a surface, tablets fall somewhere in between. They can be used while standing, but are less likely to be carried everywhere because of their size. Interaction sessions on these devices will likely also be longer than they are for smartphones, meaning that in practice they will most likely be used while somewhat immersed and seated. However, their freedom from a large base may make them a better fit for use in settings such as cars, buses, trains and beds -- really anywhere where there's no stabilizing surface. E-reader usage is certainly ideal for these settings.
What emerges then, is a picture of not a broad functional gap, but of fragmented and perhaps even niche opportunities primarily for media consumption. Anyone who has gone for a ride on London's Underground is familiar with the trademark warning to "mind the gap." But in the case of filling a gap between smartphone and laptop that has been largely bridged, the train may have already left the station.
Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.
But the iPad is but the latest in a long line of products and would-be general-purpose devices that seeks to fill this gap, most of them short-lived. Some of the more recent ones include the aborted Palm Foleo, the Sony Mylo, Nokia Internet Tablets, UMPCs, and MIDs. Why are so many companies convinced there is opportunity in these products?
Let's turn back the clock to 2002, the year Handspring launched its first smartphone, the monochrome 160 x 160-pixel Treo 180. It was the year that Verizon Wireless launched the first 3G network in the U.S. and the year MobileStar declared bankruptcy after deploying public Wi-Fi throughout many Starbucks locations in 2001. In 2002, PC World awarded its World Class Award for ultralight notebooks to the Fujitsu LifeBook P-2000. It was less than three pounds and had a 10.6-inch screen, but was 1.6-inches thick and had a starting price of $1,499. And it couldn't access Facebook, Hulu, YouTube or Engadget -- because they didn't exist.
Although the larger problems back then stemmed from slower, more limited wireless networks and less compelling web content, it was pretty clear that there was a significant gap between the smartphone and the laptop in terms of price and capabilities.
But the past three years have seen two fundamental changes across the smartphone-laptop continuum. First, the iPhone introduced a Web browser that could faithfully render most Web pages -- or, at least those that don't depend on Flash. The WebKit rendering engine for mobile Safari is also used by Android and Palm devices, while Microsoft and RIM have also taken steps to improving their mobile browsing experiences. Second, while the Asus Eee PC may have been closer to a computing appliance or companion than a PC, the deluge of netbooks from large PC companies such as HP, Acer and Dell that have followed have overwhelmingly run Windows and have been embraced by consumers as small and cheap, if underpowered, laptops.
As a result of smartphones getting smarter, ultraportables getting more portable, and both becoming more affordable, many aspects of the traditional gap between smartphones and laptops have simply disappeared. |
As a result of smartphones getting smarter, ultraportables getting more portable, and both becoming more affordable, many aspects of the traditional gap between smartphones and laptops have simply disappeared. In terms of size, few devices that can fit in a pocket offer a more capable, elegant experience than the leading smartphones,. And there are few carrying cases larger than a pocket -- including backpacks, briefcases and even some larger handbags -- into which a netbook won't fit. Tablets offer little over netbooks in terms of enhanced portability.
iPad advocates will argue that it isn't so much what the device does but the "intimate" way in which consumers use it that matters. While smartphones are designed to be used on-the-go and netbooks need to be set down on a surface, tablets fall somewhere in between. They can be used while standing, but are less likely to be carried everywhere because of their size. Interaction sessions on these devices will likely also be longer than they are for smartphones, meaning that in practice they will most likely be used while somewhat immersed and seated. However, their freedom from a large base may make them a better fit for use in settings such as cars, buses, trains and beds -- really anywhere where there's no stabilizing surface. E-reader usage is certainly ideal for these settings.
What emerges then, is a picture of not a broad functional gap, but of fragmented and perhaps even niche opportunities primarily for media consumption. Anyone who has gone for a ride on London's Underground is familiar with the trademark warning to "mind the gap." But in the case of filling a gap between smartphone and laptop that has been largely bridged, the train may have already left the station.
Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.
I love this device. I think it's initially getting a bad rap because: 1. It's an Apple product, people ALWAYS tend to bash them right out of the gate, and 2. A lot of people are trying to make this something it's not. Great product, good price.
@SaggyBalls
1000x agree but, it does have some features that need to be added like the camera and flash (however bad it may be).
@SaggyBalls I think it's rather that it could be a success because it's an Apple device. If any other manufacturer tried to launch something as stripped down as that, it would be destined to fail, but Apple has the mind-share and eco-system to make it work.
@SaggyBalls
its a perfect form-factor but people are up in arms about it because it fails to deliver the features that many people came to want and expect out of such a product. apple has always been known as an 'innovator' so most of us expected them to innovate. i was seriously excited about the idea of the iPad but i was seriously let down after hearing that it would be running the iPhone OS rather than a stripped down, touch-friendly OS X. i think that's where it failed and that's what it needs to be to 'fill the gap' and i think a lot of people would agree with me. it honestly has nothing to do with apple as a company. they simply failed to deliver the goods this time.
@owdee
I agree. I did want this, but between the fact that it doesn't have the flash support I would need for some classroom applications and the fact that its not even out yet and its driven e-books up makes me rethink my position.
@SaggyBalls
it's the right price point, but it doesn't have nearly the functionality it needs. it's ipod touch but more awkward. it offers nothing on the ipod touch.
@owdee iPhone OS *IS* a stripped down, touch friendly OS X. I think that's where people are missing the point. maybe they wanted more features out of the desktop OS X, but i think for what this device offers in terms of usability and power, I think it was probably best to sit closer to iPhone OS than desktop OS X. I think the vast majority of people already have a desktop computer, but maybe want something a little more portable and couch/bed/living room floor friendly for browsing the web, itunes, watching tv shows, etc. I think once people have an opportunity to see what the iPad is like to use, they'll be swayed. That is to say, not the anti-apple google-coddling geeks that swarm the engadget comments. :)
@SaggyBalls I agree with you as many do as well. Clearly apple envision the future as people holding application consoles rather than computers to do very specific tasks, depending on an application store. This product will be very successful, and it's genius that there's already all the iphone applications to be run in it. That will give them enough leverage.
Microsoft and others never succeeded in the tablet realm because they just invented the device with no added value behind it, no app store, no publishers backing them...Steve Jobs did a great job and he may salvage the print industry for some publishers.
@cntyglghtl
"Steve Jobs did a great job and he may salvage the print industry for some publishers"
Yep, and now you've got a lot of pissed off kindle users out there. Not the best way to try to win them over to the iPad.
I agree with many here that I would love to love this. I don't care about the lack of a camera personally (though the fact that the internals seem to be designed around adding one later bothers me), but I'd need it to run some kind of an open operating system; in other words, a touch-enhanced OSX. For me to be able to use something like this for school, I need to be able to actually write programs on it (and something tells me there isn't an app for Eclipse). It would need to have better multi-tasking, it would need to be able to act as a fully-featured USB host; in short, it would need to not be a large PMP.
I'm not a hater; I am currently using a Windows 7 laptop, but my last machine was a G4 12" powerbook (which still works if you don't need more than five minutes of battery life). I know what Apple wants this machine to be, but I don't need what they want it to be. Well, technically I don't NEED what I want it to be, either, but I'd be much more likely to buy that.
@SaggyBalls
"I love this device. I think it's initially getting a bad rap because: 1. It's an Apple product, people ALWAYS tend to bash them right out of the gate, and 2. A lot of people are trying to make this something it's not. Great product, good price."
To say that is to just stick your fingers in your ears and not take peoples conclusions of this product seriously.
This device lacks so many "duh" things, that it boggles the mind as to what gap its supposed to fill.
Can I print from it wirelessly? No.
Can I install what I want? No.
Can I type on it effectively from any posture? No.
Barring that, does it have handwriting recognition? No.
Nor does it have a simple USB port.
Apple hasnt really even defined this device as doing anything that people might actually need. Yes, it's an Apple-branded device, and that draws in a core group of users sight-unseen. But it's folly to assume that it carries a magical ability to convince people that it can do what they need.
With the iPhone and iPod, they were able to convince you that those products brought a tangible enhancement to your daily routine. iPod = 10000 songs in your pocket, iPhone = Swiss army knife in your pocket.
iPad? Too big for your pocket, and more expensive, but you can read books and magazines. You can also do that "normal" computing stuff with hundreds of dollars of proprietary accessories.
Simply put, there is no "hook".
@cntyglghtl
"I agree with you as many do as well. Clearly apple envision the future as people holding application consoles rather than computers to do very specific tasks, depending on an application store. This product will be very successful, and it's genius that there's already all the iphone applications to be run in it. That will give them enough leverage."
Again here is the question. Do you want a computer with unlimited possibilities or an "internet appliance" tied to a company store?
"Microsoft and others never succeeded in the tablet realm because they just invented the device with no added value behind it, no app store, no publishers backing them"
Tablet PC dont need an app store. You can install whatever you want.
As far as publishers backing them? What would be the point? Tablet PC aren't closed-boxes. They are full computers not containers from digital content purchases.
If you can buy an e-book off of Amazon and read it on your desktop/laptop, then you can easily read it on a tablet PC. Microsoft never needed "content providers". We can already get content anywhere.
".Steve Jobs did a great job and he may salvage the print industry for some publishers."
Not when you can get the same thing off of the internet in the form of web pages.
@PBB that's not really a problem. we're talking about steve jobs helping publishers which are dying.
@LAY you're really missing the point i think. steve jobs is doing something great because he's creating a device that uses all of the leverage from the app store and all of these applications can run out of the box. his tablet has all of this. plus this idea of his helps publishers.
did previous tablets ever do any of this? or are they just dead devices, like a computer with a blank hard drive?
@owdee "i was seriously let down after hearing that it would be running the iPhone OS rather than a stripped down, touch-friendly OS X."
Everyone seems to forget the iPhone OS _IS THE_ stripped-down, touch-friendly version of the Mac OS. It is designed and optimized for touch-screen devices. What exactly did you think a touch version of Mac OS would look like?
Are you saying you wanted something that would install full Mac OS third-party apps? This would cause a tablet to run painfully slow, similar to Windows netbooks, due to lack of RAM and processor power. Love it or hate it, the AppStore (or Cydia) offers most programs you would want that are designed for the specific hardware.
Universal app file access? AppleInsider did a good write-up about how they are going to allow iPad to be open for different programs to access its necessary files and how those can be transferred to a desktop computer. (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/01/29/apple_reinventing_file_access_wireless_sharing_for_ipad.html)
Multitasking? Well, this does seem silly to not have it included, not gonna lie... I bet it will be added to the iPad and iPhone when they release 4.0 this summer. Here's hoping.
Flash plugin? Please. For those of you who don't know, Flash on the full Mac OS is awful (ironically, it about as bad of a resource hog and crash-prone as iTunes for Windows is). If it can be cleaned-up and stabilized, I'd be all for it... Not until.
@SaggyBalls The thing that sucks about Apple fanatics is that they think criticism equals bashing. As a long time Apple customer, I am most disappointed in how Apple has become a control freak company. From having to approve all apps for the iPhone and now this iPad to Steve Jobs deciding that Flash sucks and won't be on this device. I can understand why consumers tolerated and rewarded that approach with the iPhone (even if I dislike the approach). I genuinely hope Apple is not rewarded for making a locked-down crippled device in this space. Even for novice users, restricting things creates more problems than it solves.
@Old fogie late bloomer "but I'd need it to run some kind of an open operating system; in other words, a touch-enhanced OSX"
Your kidding right? Calling OSX an "open operating system" is just plain insane.
@cntyglghtl: I thought Amazon was doing that with the Kindle, and the rise of ebooks. iBooks is just a way for Apple to get a piece of that action, not some altruistic "I want to save books" attitude.
@Alan Strangis yes, you're right. we'll have to see who does the better job. i predict apple will be more successful than amazon, but who knows what may happen? :)
@SaggyBalls it's not people trying to make this something it's not. it's the fact that ipad is less than the minimum someone could expect. i mean, it's almost noting, just a giant ipod touch.
@Sarig I have to say, when I saw the launch I was convinced it was a failure. I loath its handicaps. But as I started to really think about it, I see what I'm able to do around the house with my iPhones and iPods.
I can control my Bluray players, I can control the DVR, search the DTV guide and set it to record programs....
Its the right form factor despite it limitations. I doubt I'll be an early adopter, but as the iPhones improved with age and the price point fell, I can see myself owning one probably around the second year of its existence.
@owdee I never understand why people expected apple to have a hybrid OS X for the iPad therefore having 3 separate operating system and alienating it from taking advantage of the apps for Iphone that is just plain dumb.
@BigFatDuck I agree 100% with you. People tend to miss this point that iPhone OS has been such a success because it is a "stripped down" OS X. I can see why some see this as a let down but how could Apple of lived up to half of the hype this last year built up by the internet. I think it will be a success. Me, personally I am going to wait and see what the cost of college text books are going to be priced at. I think Apple may have a big success if they can tap into this market. They had to use the 120k plus apps in the app store as well as not cannibalize their successful MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iMac lines.
The point that Apple really missed that I think there is not an excuse for is multitasking. You have got to be kidding me you know they have the power in this new chip but come on. People will need this capability if this is going to be successful.
@cntyglghtl I have no idea why your comment was "down ranked into oblivion." I thought you made a great point and this is where this whole commenting has gotten out of hand. I thought this was the reason why engadget made an "Apple Free Engadget" but I guess this is why we will always have this problem. I come here to see what people have to say and I can't without clicking a button because anti-apple people want to downgrade any opinion/comment that is "for" the iPad. Give me a break let the people that are excited about something read an article and get the comments from others that feel the same way. Yes the iPad has it's shortcomings but I am getting a little sick of all this Anti-Apple and Anti-anything and anyone that supports it. I don't go on the Android articles and down rank everything into oblivion because I don't feel the same. I say you had a great point and keep it up!
@BigFatDuck No it's not. It cannot run applications developed for OSX.
Want to run Illustrator or Photoshop? Not going to happen.
Just because it is built on a stripped down BSD kernal doesn't mean it is OSX.
If it can't run OSX applications, it is NOT OSX. It runs iphone/pod apps. It's an oversized ipod running the same gimmick OS designed for a 3" screen.
@Bosco I see your point and I agree to a certain degree but every company is doing that look at Google they are just doing it a different way. They want your personal info so they can feed you advertisments so they can get your click (or tap on phones) I love all gadgets and I love this sight. I don't think of myself as a fan boi, but I do like and appreciate Apple for the way they have brought many gadgets and competition into our world. Do you really think we would have the Android or WebOS? We would just have Blackberrys and I think they are great they just dont do much for me as a student. (I am sure that will change when I get out of college.) As much as people like to hate on Apple they have changed the game.
@Sarig iPad is not a game-changer for now.. Although it might be a budding device made for a non-existential market. Like the article said, "it can bridge that gap". Just think, what it could replace in the future? (Your Coby, PMP device, Your LCD in your Car, Those vtech for the kids, etc)
I believe, this year won't be an iPad year. But believe me, after 3 years.. I think we will look back and remember this day, why we disdain iPad so much, because it turns out on that day.
iPad is a part of your home already. Details: http://bit.ly/apple-ipad-scrutinized-details
This will be the next Apple TV. It will sell a few million, but ultimately will not catch on because it doesn't do anything that can't be done with another device. Everything this does can be done by a netbook alone, minus the app store, and if you really want the app store you could always buy an iPod touch for under 2/5's the price. I would actually consider buying a wi-fi model just to fool around with if it ran OSX.
@owdee
Apple did innovate. Instead of making a full OS-X tablet that is just a Macbook and would be of no value to anyone they instead built a new class of device that already has an installed application base from which to grow.
You can be sure, Apple's 1-2 product refreshes a year will continue to tweak the device but for a consumer the iPad is a far superior product than a tablet PC.
@LAY You not understanding what the iPad is for. Just to point out it does have printing capabilities.
If it were a scaled down version of OSX then it would eat into their laptop sales, which it what they are trying to avoid. It also would not run the iphone Apps. It would be dedicated to the nerds that want to load their own programs and the rest of the buying public which is the other 99% wouldnt have a use for it.
Staying with the iphone OS gives a familiarity and the ability to run Apps from store.
For those that keep saying they want OSX on it, why? What is the point when you can do the same thing on a laptop with a real keyboard and mouse. The only way for this to be profitable was to do it the way they did.
@beheybirder
"Apple did innovate."
Umm... no. Apple didn't innovate. Table PCs and eBook readers existed long before the iPad. The only innovative thing that Apple has done is use marketing to create a mass public recognition of a niche that existed already. The ironic thing is this same marketing is now helping people to look to PC based tablets that have been lingering in the backgound. People are now looking around at alternatives that aren't locked down content consumption devices: tablets like the HP TM2 or the Dell XT2; slatePCs like the HP SlatePC or the Pegatron Slate; or hybrid devices like the Lenovo U1.
"Instead of making a full OS-X tablet that is just a Macbook and would be of no value to anyone they instead built a new class of device that already has an installed application base from which to grow."
I'm not sure what you mean by this. If the iPad had been released with OSX, it too would have an installed application base from which to grow. If anything, the iPhoneOS installed application base is far smaller than the installed OSX installed application base. How is that an advantage?
post-ban, It's quite amusing to see everyone walking around on eggshells. but a week hasn't changed anything: some of you will buy this thing even if it ships without a screen (how about a giant ipod shuffle, anyone? hm?), and the rest of you want to set it on fire.
@beheybirder In what way? My X70 does everything ipad does, and everything it doesn't. Cost about the same for a comparably equipped ipad, and I've had it for 3 months.
@owdee Mate, the iPhone OS is just that - a stripped-down, touch-friendly version of OS X. Why have tablets never taken off well before? Think about the OS's behind them; XP Tablet PC edition (absolute crap), Vista (still not touch-optimized) and Windows 7 (getting there but still isn't touch-friendly.
@angermeans The no multitasking decision comes down to a) battery life, b) performance and c) not having found just the right way to manage it without making it a complex mess like it is in Windows. To sum up, it's about user experience. Nobody's going to use an iPad to render 3D animation, they're going to use it for one thing at a time. If an app is designed properly, then it will return you back where you were when you left it, and Apple's decision means you can switch back and forth between apps, 'faux' multitasking very very quickly. Real multitasking would slow this down unnecessarily because on this type of device, multitasking wouldn't really be used in most cases, people would just have half a dozen apps open to switch back and forth between them without them actually doing anything in the background in most cases. So fake multitasking is just as good and has the benefits of not draining your battery, not slowing down the device and not introducing instability. For some 'net connected apps that really need multitasking for notifications such as Facebook and IM apps, Apple has a great workaround, which is push notifications. They give you all the benefits of multitasking without the above negatives of actual multitasking.
Battery life and performance of the iPad is going to be a couple of it's biggest selling points that no netbook in the world will be able to touch running multitasking desktop OSes for anywhere near the iPad's price point. For any device to be a serious eBook reader, it's got to be free of distractions and single purpose when acting as a book reader. Getting Twitter updates, having security software start a scheduled scan or getting a popup notification of OS updates are a distraction people trying to curl up with a good book or game can do without thank you very much.
@engadgetcomexcludeengadget
Everyday I am blown away by comments that say things like "this is just a large Touch" or "I can do everything on my iPhone this can do".
Really? Can you run the new iWork apps on your iPhone? Can you run the newly optimized core apps?
The biggest flaw in this kind of thinking is that people assume that all the current apps available are all there ever will be. That developers won't make anything new that will be optimized for the larger iPad and it's better hardware.
Just wait until the developers get their hands on this thing and produce some impressive apps. Then you'll start to really see the differentiation. The iWork and optimized core apps are just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done. That is where the iPad (as well as other tablets) will shine and differentiate from the netbook and smartphone.
Just because you can't imagine it doesn't mean it can't be done.
@SaggyBalls I completely disagree with you, but I can't help but LULz at your name. Thanks buddy.
I believe iPad will be a big breakthrough in the coming years. It is true that we, geeks, would like to have more power, more fancy things and more possibilities to customize the device but honestly, while I cannot imagine my father properly using a laptop or handling a smartphone, I really can imagine him using an iPad!
That's the main goal... I can perfectly imagine my parents sitting on the couch and reading an electronic journal instead of a its paper-version but never in front of a PC or on a smartphone.
The iPad has all the ingredient to be on one side extremely simple for those person not familiar with technology and moderately complicated for those who are familiar with technology.
I guess that everybody knows that the mass market can be described with a gaussian function and now Apple is trying to fill the gap between the two tails of the gaussian... There there are a lot of people/money... Just trusting on the name of the brand that Apple built in the recent years with iPod and iPhone, I expect the iPad to be a revolutionary object. Clearly, I don't mean necessarily revolutionary from the point of view of technical specs but from the point of view regarding the impact in the market.
I believe that many neglected these aspects when judging the iPad the day of the presentation. You look at the specs, at Apple they look at money. It's better buying some Apple shares...
Apple it's not necessarily giving the best devices but surely it puts down cornerstones that will be followed by other industries in the market. Like it or not, that's reality...
Not 'Twined the Gap'?
@Sarig For some reason, your comment made me think that the iPad is basically the taint of the computing market. 'taint a phone, and 'taint a laptop. Just something in between.
looks like the | ? | is still there until Ziggy comes out...
@Sarig
Was there ever actually a gap?
smartphone
laptop
?
profit
@MarkAnderson
There "was" definitely a gap. But it has long sinced narrowed (and for some even closed completely) in the past 5-7 years. Many smartphones are just as capable if not more capable than the current gen iPad, while every single laptop, netbook or other tablet is more powerful than the iPad. I know the iPad will sell well, but that's only because loyalists and bandwagoners will buy it. Its the truth; IT folks at my job simply do not see a need for this device in the business sector, so it will be a casual device that is supposedly competing with the Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Amazon Kindle and many other niche devices.
I would rather have a DS and a Kindle than one device that does neither of those tasks particularly well.
until the ipad does flash it wont fill the gap.
@danhawk911
until it does flash, has a dongle-less usb, has a dongle-less display port, has stylus input (+handwriting recognition/digitizer), runs one-note, and can multitask... I won't be getting one.
O wait, windows based tablets already do all that. Nvm, I'll just get one of those.
@danhawk911
no, not until flash fixes their crappy software. i for one am glad apple doesn't use it.
@chewbacha all of the previous tablets had these features you're mentioning...a stylus, windows, viruses, etc...maybe you like devices that aren't successful?
@(Unverified) nice excuse, brah.
@cntyglghtl
I don't make purchases based on the success of the device. I make purchases based on what is best for what I need it to do. And what I need it to do I already listed. Anyone remotely computer savvy can avoid viruses.
I do give Apple credit for one thing. They definitely made me realize that I want a tablet pc, just not an iPad. The functionality gap is just to great.