The future of tablets

**TykeMerc** · 24 April 2011, 21:57

At the moment with the price and limited functionality of tablet machines I feel they're a bit of a fad, that view won't change until they offer the same level of functionality as reasonably priced business laptops.

Tablet machines have been around for years (long before the iPad) and while they've always had niche uses they've always been too limited to be of serious long term use.

**AtW** · 24 April 2011, 21:59

Originally posted by Cliphead View Post

think that a Win OS based device will be the flavour of choice.

Tell your client that AtW said that it won't be so ...

**realityhack** · 24 April 2011, 22:06

Don't know anything about clientco's target market - but if they're aiming at the sorts of people who use a computer as a household appliance, they might have a point. Tablets are tipped by some futurologists to make headway into this market, and they're already seeing quite a takeup.

For anyone else, however... those that need to type a lot of data, those that use a computer as a professional tool to code/edit/create... unlikely. I wouldn't see tablets replacing the many 000's of ThinkPads across the corporate world - except those execs who do little else but present and skim. Neither can I see them carving into the budget market for a long while. And as for Windows?

Let's see them release a viable touchscreen tablet OS first... their last 2 takes on it are pitiful. If they harness some of the good thinking behind their latest mobile OS... maybe.

**Cliphead** · 24 April 2011, 22:06

Originally posted by AtW View Post

Tell your client that AtW said that it won't be so ...

Then we're in agreement

I'll pass on your comments of course...

**gingerjedi** · 24 April 2011, 22:08

IMO tablets will overtake PC/laptops for the casual user as a new generation grows up with the technology, I'll stick to the traditional PC/laptop because I'm getting old and I don't like change.

**Cliphead** · 24 April 2011, 22:12

Originally posted by realityhack View Post

Don't know anything about clientco's target market - but if they're aiming at the sorts of people who use a computer as a household appliance, they might have a point. Tablets are tipped by some futurologists to make headway into this market, and they're already seeing quite a takeup.

For anyone else, however... those that need to type a lot of data, those that use a computer as a professional tool to code/edit/create... unlikely. I wouldn't see tablets replacing the many 000's of ThinkPads across the corporate world - except those execs who do little else but present and skim. Neither can I see them carving into the budget market for a long while. And as for Windows?

Let's see them release a viable touchscreen tablet OS first... their last 2 takes on it are pitiful. If they harness some of the good thinking behind their latest mobile OS... maybe.

Interesting points. They just see the numbers being sold as an indicator of future markets. Target market - audio / sampling world which encompasses sequencing and notation packages. I really can't see Sonar, Cubase, Sibelius etc on a 10" device with a host of VST plugins but not getting the message across.

I just invoice anyway I suppose but a ClientCo going in the wrong direction means possible bench time in the future.

**realityhack** · 24 April 2011, 22:24

Originally posted by Cliphead View Post

Interesting points. They just see the numbers being sold as an indicator of future markets. Target market - audio / sampling world which encompasses sequencing and notation packages. I really can't see Sonar, Cubase, Sibelius etc on a 10" device with a host of VST plugins but not getting the message across.

I just invoice anyway I suppose but a ClientCo going in the wrong direction means possible bench time in the future.

Hmm...

Re. numbers being sold - point them in the direction of the Gartner adoption curve (example below). This one is over a year old, and tablets are beginning to plateau at the moment. It's a volatile market to hedge your bets on a platform like this for anything other than a sure thing.

Re your demographic... I'd fall into that classification being a long-time Audition user. I'm not mad keen on the idea of using a touch-screen to do something mission-critical, where you're recording live audio with no room to re-take/record. All you want in these instances is something that's bloody reliable and doesn't go into some sort of hibernate mode while you're capturing a track.

What I'd recommend is a low-fi prototype of the software you market - trialled with a representative (carefully chosen) sample user group, to record their candid feedback in their normal working environments while trying out the concept. Three rounds of such (often quite cheap) research would give them all the feedback they need before launching into a costly development process that might bite them in the arse.

Myco happens to be the UK's No. 1 software design agency in this regard,
and would gladly take on a small research project with this, fun, demographic.

**Cliphead** · 24 April 2011, 22:35

Originally posted by realityhack View Post

Myco happens to be the UK's No. 1 software design agency in this regard,
and would gladly take on a small research project with this, fun, demographic.

You never know

**realityhack** · 24 April 2011, 22:43

Originally posted by Cliphead View Post

You never know

Heh.

Gut feel is - they're missing the point. Their users are power users (typically) and would prefer their studio setups. If they need to see evidence of that - then that's what initial user research is for. However - the same process could unearth some hitherto unknown portable reqs that might make for a tasty niche tablet project. But frankly, if you ever did want me to commission that research you'd have to schedule the upside-down-fly-under-a-power-line-fireball-of-doom stunt for afterwards, and I'm quite keen to try that as soon as possible.

The future of tablets