Whats the point of an Ipad/tablet/etc?

[Drake the Dragonheart]

I personally don't care for them, but my dad has all but sold his sole to apple. I am pretty sure there is a "property of apple" sticker on him. He can't get out of bed without turning on his ipad. It's scary actually.

Every so often I come around to the idea that I should check tablets out, y'know, to get with the times grandad, and all that jazz. But I'll go and look at them, the hideous little things, and I realise that, for me, they would serve literally no purpose. I don't use social networking, I don't use my phone for the internet, I don't watch tv, and I have a netbook (an admittedly old one, which I should upgrade, but hey, look, you cant get netbooks anymore because they've been replaced by these futuristic tablet looking mother fuckers) for the internet, and for writing.

Which is the biggest downfall for me, because "virtual" keyboards don't have nearly the right amount of accuracy or pysical response for me.

As for reading, well, I still use these things called "books". marvellous things they are. They're made out of pulped wood, and contain one story each. Some of the bigger ones can even contain up to 20-25 short stories! Imagine that!

Don't worry, I'll head back to the 90s, where I belong...

My sentiments exactly, except I do watch tv, on my tv. Plus water only slightly ruins a book, as opposed to completely, and anything that will destroy a book would also destroy a tablet. fire, you bet. dropping it from great distances - book just fine tablet done. a book can survive being run over or sat on, while a tablet not so much. My friend had the screen of his laptop ruined when his brother accidentally as he puts it "butt-bombed" it.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

They're for basic internet usage/streaming and portability. If a task has a viable program that works on whatever OS the tablet is running, many people will now choose a tablet over a laptop, even businesses. Manufacturers also push them like crazy now, since they will go obsolete slightly faster than laptops. People will buy a new one and pass the old one down to kids/relatives, meaning the software makers have a broader user base to sell to.

I, on the other hand, would hate using a tablet as my main computer for many reasons. The keyboard stand and cover is built into a laptop. No extras to buy. Touchscreen controls are still finicky to the point I would start eating the thing in fit of rage if I had to use one for more than an hour. Then there's the fingerprints, ugh. Many tablets do not have USB ports or SD slots, and the drivers to run most USB accessories beyond thumb drives just don't exist for ARM based OSes. There definitely is not a feasable way to upgrade the RAM or main flash storage, meaning they are more locked down hardware wise than laptops. Batteries, too, are really hard to replace compared to a typical notebook PC. Also, Ethernet ports. Just Ethernet ports. Wifi is good(ish) when you moving around or in a public place, but at home, in the modern RF nightmare I experience, I prefer a connection that is reliable. (And, going back to the USB thing, tablets can't upgrade their Wifi or Ethernet via a USB dongle.) The one good thing about a tablet with a keyboard case is if you break the KB, it can be replaced without hunting the specific proprietary part down and the basic functionality isn't lost. That's the only expandability advantage a tablet has over a laptop. (Oh, and iOS can go fuck itself in its little closed ecosystem.)

I'll stick with my laptop and desktop. I would get a keyboard case anyway, if I got a tablet, but I don't want to juggle with two separate batteries to charge. I might get a Surface Pro 3, if I won the lotto, though. Those are the perfect balance of the pros and cons of both worlds. (Too bad they cost more than a comparable touchscreen notebook.)

 

[00slash00]

t so....is the appeal of tablets 100% that they look kind of neat, or is there some advantage to having one that I'm missing?

Of course there's something you're missing: that they serve the needs and desires of a group of people that you're apparently not in. Remember that for many people, a computer is just an 'internet box'. If you don't need tremendous power, or complete portability, or a boatload of features, a tablet can be a great compromise. It's all a trade-off between power, size, electricity consumption/battery life, expense, and a whole bunch of other factors. You may not have any use for one; that's okay. It's just another option.

I was kind of baffled by them myself, until something occurred me. Consider: there are people who still- now, in 2015- use the original, unmodified Sholes keyboard layout from 1868. There are people who will vehemently insist they're homo sapien humans, yet willingly use monitors with an aspect ratio of 16:9, which only makes sense if they're actually lizard people, or possibly some kind of fish. The computer revolution attracts all kinds of people; should we complain if it accommodates them too?

I feel like you're accusing me of saying anyone who likes tablets is wrong, and that's not the case. I'm saying I got a free tablet that's been collecting dust because I don't really see a use for it, since I have a laptop and a smart phone with a large screen. I was just trying to figure out the advantages of using one

 

[Armadox]

I have a tablet that I take with me when I go to conventions to use as a mobile storefront for my table. A tablet and a square reader is all you need to be able to accept most forms of card transfers (which has greatly effected the amount of profit my table sees) without the space devouring bulk of a laptop. Lets face it, a six foot table sounds big, until you set up displays, your pricing standee, and leave yourself an area to draw sketch cards and take questions in.

It's a sacrifice of power at the enjoyment of a size that allows you versatility.

 

[kasperbbs]

I use mine for reading manga in bed and as an extra alarm clock, not much else. Well it's handy for reading emails and shit, but more often than not i just reach out for my phone when i get one, simply because it's closer.

 

[CrystalShadow]

meh. I use mine in bed. web surfing, videos... Keeping notes. (galaxy note really helps out there. XD)

And, you know. I kind of find I cwn never have enough screens/computers.
No matter what I do, I always seem to think I could do with an extra screen...

Went through a period where I'd have my desktop with 2 monitors going, laptop turned on next to it, tablet on the desk, oh, and a dedicated ebook reader for good measure... XD

yeah, what can I say, really? XD

other uses for a tablet: trivially show someone else in the house something without dragging them to a computer.
Monitor my pc remotely. (remote desktop connection), something to do while my computer is occupied running some really demanding task. (3d rendering. video processing, etc)

oh, and the gps is very helpful at least once you get an app with proper offline maps...

Useful in general when out and about...

Of course, I can't be bothered with smartphones. Then again a smartphone with the kind of performance of my tablet is in the 800+ price range. (and sure. contract. But I pretty much don't use my mobile, and a decent phone is on something stupid like a 50 to 100 a month plan... Which would cover the cost of my tablet amazingly fast)

The phone I do have is cheap, not overly capable, and far, far more awkward to use for anything.
So... You know. I guess contracts mask it, but do you know how eye-wateringly expensive decent smartphones actually are? I could buy a fairly decent gaming pc for the actual cost of something like a galaxy s5 or the latest iphone...

Contracts are very misleading there...

 

[DSK-]

I have no idea OP, I wouldn't want or need one. It's bad enough using my smartphone for stuff. I'd much rather use my laptop or PC than a tablet or ipad.

 

[sky14kemea]

I mean I dunno about you OP but I love my iPad mini.

I play solitaire, and do sudokus, and.... play that 2048 game on it.

Uh.

Yeah I dunno. It was a Christmas gift.

It's nice for travelling with when I don't want to risk my laptop. But without wifi it's kinda a useless gameboy with only whatever games you decided to download ahead of time.

 

[Recusant]

I have a tablet that I take with me when I go to conventions to use as a mobile storefront for my table. A tablet and a square reader is all you need to be able to accept most forms of card transfers (which has greatly effected the amount of profit my table sees) without the space devouring bulk of a laptop. Lets face it, a six foot table sounds big, until you set up displays, your pricing standee, and leave yourself an area to draw sketch cards and take questions in.

It's a sacrifice of power at the enjoyment of a size that allows you versatility.

t so....is the appeal of tablets 100% that they look kind of neat, or is there some advantage to having one that I'm missing?

Of course there's something you're missing: that they serve the needs and desires of a group of people that you're apparently not in. Remember that for many people, a computer is just an 'internet box'. If you don't need tremendous power, or complete portability, or a boatload of features, a tablet can be a great compromise. It's all a trade-off between power, size, electricity consumption/battery life, expense, and a whole bunch of other factors. You may not have any use for one; that's okay. It's just another option.

I was kind of baffled by them myself, until something occurred me. Consider: there are people who still- now, in 2015- use the original, unmodified Sholes keyboard layout from 1868. There are people who will vehemently insist they're homo sapien humans, yet willingly use monitors with an aspect ratio of 16:9, which only makes sense if they're actually lizard people, or possibly some kind of fish. The computer revolution attracts all kinds of people; should we complain if it accommodates them too?

I feel like you're accusing me of saying anyone who likes tablets is wrong, and that's not the case. I'm saying I got a free tablet that's been collecting dust because I don't really see a use for it, since I have a laptop and a smart phone with a large screen. I was just trying to figure out the advantages of using one

My apologies; that was not my intention. Looking back, I see that I certainly could've phrased it better. What I was trying to say was that many of the functions you use other forms of computers for, others prefer to use tablets to do. They don't have any secret functions that you can't do elsewhere; it's a matter of taste and opinion.

 

[Armadox]

I have a tablet that I take with me when I go to conventions to use as a mobile storefront for my table. A tablet and a square reader is all you need to be able to accept most forms of card transfers (which has greatly effected the amount of profit my table sees) without the space devouring bulk of a laptop. Lets face it, a six foot table sounds big, until you set up displays, your pricing standee, and leave yourself an area to draw sketch cards and take questions in.

It's a sacrifice of power at the enjoyment of a size that allows you versatility.

t so....is the appeal of tablets 100% that they look kind of neat, or is there some advantage to having one that I'm missing?

Of course there's something you're missing: that they serve the needs and desires of a group of people that you're apparently not in. Remember that for many people, a computer is just an 'internet box'. If you don't need tremendous power, or complete portability, or a boatload of features, a tablet can be a great compromise. It's all a trade-off between power, size, electricity consumption/battery life, expense, and a whole bunch of other factors. You may not have any use for one; that's okay. It's just another option.

I was kind of baffled by them myself, until something occurred me. Consider: there are people who still- now, in 2015- use the original, unmodified Sholes keyboard layout from 1868. There are people who will vehemently insist they're homo sapien humans, yet willingly use monitors with an aspect ratio of 16:9, which only makes sense if they're actually lizard people, or possibly some kind of fish. The computer revolution attracts all kinds of people; should we complain if it accommodates them too?

I feel like you're accusing me of saying anyone who likes tablets is wrong, and that's not the case. I'm saying I got a free tablet that's been collecting dust because I don't really see a use for it, since I have a laptop and a smart phone with a large screen. I was just trying to figure out the advantages of using one

My apologies; that was not my intention. Looking back, I see that I certainly could've phrased it better. What I was trying to say was that many of the functions you use other forms of computers for, others prefer to use tablets to do. They don't have any secret functions that you can't do elsewhere; it's a matter of taste and opinion.

A smart phone that would allow me to run my business would cost me $50+ a month in phone bills. A tablet that can get onto the wifi service and allow me to do the exact same thing only cost me the price of the tablet. One takes money, one makes money. There's honestly things a tablet is fitted for that you just don't get from a phone, no matter how shiny.

 

[duwenbasden]

I use my tablet/laptop (Venue 11 Pro) for:
- Reading: much larger screen than my Note 3.
- Browsing: desktop Chrome > mobile Chrome.
- Gaming: Steam > anything mobile.
- cost: 3G on my tablet costs $35; my phone's costs $50 for 2/5 the allowance.

I might be a special case though, because it is an x86 tablet therefore full Windows.

 

[DementedSheep]

I have a Surface RT and it's very useful for university. It's light, the battery last for a ages if I'm not playing shitty games, it comes with Microsoft office and Onenote and you can get apps for organisation and study. Everything is automatically uploaded to cloud so I have backups of all my projects. It can't run many games but that is probably a plus because it's less temptation to slack off.
I use to have a laptop before it craped out. Basically my Tablet is like a laptop but lighter with a detachable keyboard, less prone to overheating and I don't have to worry about the battery running out because it lasts all day. My laptop could run more but I don't care because I only need it for a few things.
Outside of university the only thing I use it for is as a kindle or web browsing in bed.

 

[Caiphus]

I find that it just gives you that slightly classier widescreen feel if you want to watch porn in the bathroom.

It also makes it much easier for multiple people to watch if you have mates around. That's efficiency right there.

[sub]I don't own a tablet[/sub]

 

[faefrost]

I almost never bother to use my laptop anymore. Pretty much only when traveling. I love my tablet for content consumption. Web browsing. E-mail response, reading news sites over lunch. And I use my multi screen workstation for content creation. My smart phone is great for keeping tabs on incoming e-mail and messaging, but I hate using it as a device to write or respond on.