The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet [LWN.net]

The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Aug 1, 2012 16:26 UTC (Wed) by cmccabe (guest, #60281)
In reply to: The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet by khim
Parent article: The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

People have a real tendency to hyperventilate about computer devices converging. Years ago I was reading about the glorious future when TVs would have converged with gaming consoles, laptops, desktop computers, and DVD players. Ten years later, and we still have separate boxes for all those things. Why? Because CPUs are cheap, and each of those devices appeals to a different market.

Nowadays, the iPad is the thing which everything "obviously" has to converge with. However, the reality is, people like their separate boxes. Tablets don't have a one-month battery life. They aren't as easy to read as eInk displays. A software update will not fix these issues.

Someday, some physicist will invent a screen that looks as good as eInk, but can play movies. At that point, eInk readers will die, and the tablets will take over. Until then, talk about convergence is just more hot air in an industry that already has several hot air balloon's worth.

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The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Aug 2, 2012 20:34 UTC (Thu) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

Years ago I was reading about the glorious future when TVs would have converged with gaming consoles, laptops, desktop computers, and DVD players. Ten years later, and we still have separate boxes for all those things. Why? Because CPUs are cheap, and each of those devices appeals to a different market.

You forgot the important detail: space near the TV is quite cheap. Space in your pocket is not. Note that this convergence with TV is still happening—albeit not as fast as a lot of guys are expecting.

But WRT devices in your pocket. Most popular camera today? iPhone (and Androids are more popular then most dedicated devices). Most popular camcoder? iPhone, again (the same not about Android). Dictating machines, pagers, etc—they all are replaced by mobile (which is used today as camera more often then it's used as phone!). But some things can not be stuffed in the mobile because it must fit in your pocket. For these there are tablet - and I don't think there are space in your backpack for two such devices (well, some people carry around Kindle and iPad, but most prefer one or another and increasingly it's not Kindle).

Nowadays, the iPad is the thing which everything "obviously" has to converge with. However, the reality is, people like their separate boxes.

In their pockets and backpacks? No, they don't. Not how failed convergence attempts mostly come from stationary devices while mobile devices exhibit totally different pattern.

And I'm not saying everything will be sucked unto iPad: backpacks are larger then pockets, there are space for couple of devices (or may be even more). But to have separate eInk reader and color movie capable general purpose tablet? No, most people will choose just one—and it'll not be Kindle.

The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Aug 5, 2012 11:22 UTC (Sun) by fb (subscriber, #53265) [Link]

> And I'm not saying everything will be sucked unto iPad: backpacks are larger then pockets, there are space for couple of devices (or may be even more). But to have separate eInk reader and color movie capable general purpose tablet? No, most people will choose just one—and it'll not be Kindle.

(I can only speak for myself and for the folks in my immediate social circle.) From my perspective people take books and e-readers with them when on vacation, not video players or video games. I guess it all depends on the demographics.

My take is that most people (the non computer enthusiast type) will just ditch the laptop and get a tablet. People that read lots will continue to buy whatever suits them best, and right now that seems to be the Kindle e-ink. (I do reckon that the geek toy enthusiasts who bought Kindles due to hype will migrate to the ipad).