Viewsonic: Horribly Buggy Tablet Isn't Our Fault

[vansau]

Viewsonic: Horribly Buggy Tablet Isn't Our Fault

According to Viewsonic, there's nothing wrong with its G Tablet; you're just having a "user experience issue."

People have been wary of the Viewsonic G Tablet ever since this weekend, when Staples announced that it wasn't selling the device any longer because of a manufacturing defect. Viewsonic, naturally, isn't happy about this, so the company has announced that there is no defect with the G Tablet; instead, people are unhappy with it because of a "user experience issue."

Viewsonic has issued an official response to G Tablet's poor reception (an alarming number of customers have been returning it), and it sounds like the company is trying to just spin a bad situation. Adam Hanin, Viewsonic's VP of Marketing, told Engadget that "We believe it is the user experience that caused all the returns, and we are taking important steps forward with the G Tablet."

The device, which is preloaded with Tap Android, is apparently pretty sluggish and is experiencing even more problems thanks to a buggy and slow Flash player. While a "manufacturing defect" makes it sound like the Tablet is irreparably inoperable due to hardware problems, this "user experience" label makes it sound like the problem is on the users' end.

While spin is a normal part of the marketing process, this seems pretty ridiculous. This is, honestly, a problem on the manufacturers' end. If the product was bug-ridden enough to prompt all of these returns and <a href=http://www.amazon.com/Viewsonic-G-Tablet-Multi-Touch-Screen-Android/product-reviews/B004EPV7TK/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1>lackluster reviews, then Viewsonic has no right to lay the blame at anyone else's feet.

Source: Geek

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[Worgen]

I think manufacturing defect sounds better since if its a user experience problem that means youve just made a piece of shit that no one can figure out, but if there is a defect it can be fixed

 

[DaxStrife]

Ah, they're taking the Sony route for customer service: "Nothing is wrong with the device, you are just stupid!"

 

[Citrus]

"The problem isn't that our tablet is defective. The problem is that our users aren't having a good experience with our defective tablet."

 

[Baresark]

LoL, it can't be the hardware, it's because of all the users and their limited experience? Good luck getting that one past the consumer. I'm waiting for some comments to say Viewsonic is correct. I wouldn't mind hearing what some users have to say about it.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

And I thought Apple's "You're Holding It Wrong" [http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/apple-responds-over-iphone-4-reception-issues-youre-holding-th/] excuse was terrible. What next? Are they going to tell us about "defective users"? "Our product is fine; the issue is that all of our customers are disgusting meat sacks instead of clean, perfect machines."

 

[enzilewulf]

Well thats what they get for trying to jump on the Ipad band wagon.

 

[fix-the-spade]

The problem is not that the tablet is defective or poorly designed. The problem is that you are all too stupid work it

Way to stay classy Viewsonic. Although, could they be trying to say that it is the software/user interface that is the problem and not the hardware in of itself? That sounds more reasonable.

 

[Tim Latshaw]

"The problem isn't that our tablet is defective. The problem is that our users aren't having a good experience with our defective tablet."

Great way of putting it.

"The problem isn't that the Hindenburg exploded. The problem is that the riders didn't have a good experience falling while surrounded in flames."

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Snip

What are they saying is the "consumers fault" after only twp days, that they are using the tablets for catapult ammo against sharks?

 

[Forktongue]

I'm not positive, as this is the first I've read about this product, but I think the phrase "user experience issue" may be misinterpreted here.

A User Experience Designer (or UX Designer) is in charge of not only the UI design, but the flows and process in which a user interacts with the program. They figure out how many steps it takes to complete an action and how the interface reacts to the user (hovers, clicks, text fields, etc). It sounds to me like they are saying it's an issue with the way the software was designed to be interacted with, not an issue with how people are interacting with the software.

 

[wrightguy0]

the average consumer isn't going to know that, to them it will sound like another company saying "we've done nothing wrong, you're just to stupid to understand our products and point of view"

consumers don't like it when the feel belittled and they tend to vote with their wallets when that happens

 

[nolongerhere]

This tablet stands out from the crowd by offering a counter-culture experience that moves away from the more traditional workings of tablet computers, by operating on a different, more complex level. We understand that some users may not grasp this, and may in fact perceive our product to be fucked up beyond all recognition, but we argue that they are not putting in the required effort, and as such, are missing out on a wonderful, glorious, enlightening, fantasticulating experience.

 

[ilspooner]

Of course the tablet is not buggy! It is perfect! You are just too simple to figure out the design!

 

[lacktheknack]

I think manufacturing defect sounds better since if its a user experience problem that means youve just made a piece of shit that no one can figure out, but if there is a defect it can be fixed

True.

At least they're being honest then, right?

 

[StriderShinryu]

Wow, I'd hate to be playing Epic Mickey on that thing. There'd probably be enough "user fault" going on there to destroy the space time continuum.

 

[Daveman88]

I have been a Viewsonic customer for years & I can tell all of you that they build quality products. I also dabble with Linux on high perf. workstations and lowly netbooks. I've also compiled Android to load onto a netbook that runs both Linux & Windows XP perfectly. Android ran crappy on that machine. Android runs crappy on my HTC Eris. Flash runs crappy in Linux so I can only imagine it runs crappy in Android. All that said, these OS's are barely ready for the masses but I still support them & want them to succeed so that Microsoft and Apple will have some open source competition. As for the gTablet, I just bought one because other reviewers have said its faster than the iPad. So I'll post back here after Christmas and let this thread know.

 

[Valagetti]

Well no shit there crap. Cramming all that software in something that small and also its a new medium, so its going to be buggy. I really don't see the appeal in it. Laptops are not redundant. Wait another 5 years until there running more smoother.