Do many of you still see no need for a slate/tablet?

[RhinoBull]

the marketing team came up with the brilliant idea of making a gadget which can't be a proper phone or can't be a proper TV?

Why does it have to be either? It's a completely different class of gadgets. If they were useless we wouldn't see their sale sky rocketing, would we?
You guys (those in denial) need to be more philosophical about it - like I said before these are awesome devices that do have plenty of usage. Don't deny it only because you don't need it.
Very pointless discussion, btw.

[FunkyDexter]

If they were useless we wouldn't see their sale sky rocketing, would we?

Have you heard of anti-wrinkle cream? It doesn't work; it's useless; it sells by the bucket load. Never underestimate human stupidity.

[baja_yu]

Let's not forget the Pet rock, "workout shoes", and the most recent "power" bracelets. I've heard somewhere that the makers of the bracelet will have to pay around $60 million in a class action lawsuit. If you ask me I'd put that money in the budget and write it off to customers as "stupidity tax". Who's to say that tablet market isn't just a fad.

[RhinoBull]

Have you heard of anti-wrinkle cream? It doesn't work; it's useless; it sells by the bucket load. Never underestimate human stupidity.

Very cheap and pointless comment pal.

[baja_yu]

Pointless?! Ah, yes. I see what you mean. Tablets are not useless because they're selling like crazy. And we know people never buy useless things and they never fall for marketing tricks. If the Tabacco industry only knew this when they were sued for marketing to kids, they wouldn't have lost so much money.

[RhinoBull]

Stop comparing apples and oranges - creams [for that matter] are cheap ($20 bucks won't hurt anyone's budget) and also often offered on try-it-before-buy-it basis; tablets are expensive so someone needs to plan for budget, you can return it of course but return ratio is negligible.
Start making a little more sense, c'mon...

[Icyculyr]

Well, nobody doubts the technology you are quoting is superior to today's displays. What my concern is, when that technology is no use to me, why should I be spending money on it, other than as a matter of indulgence?

I have a car which I use to drive to work every day (and back). I could get a Mercedes in my salary (all of it, mind ya!), but the question is does it really matter if it's not a Mercedes? Sure it has no airbags, no climate control, no power mirrors, no tilt-adjustable steering, no cruise control, no sunroof, no retractable roof, no this and no that.

Point is I don't need it.

Same goes for the tablets. Are we seeing a spurt in tablet sales because the iMarketing and others have simply created a hype about the tablets being the next best thing to baked bread? Is it another useless product being shoved down our throats/wallets just because someone in the marketing team came up with the brilliant idea of making a gadget which can't be a proper phone or can't be a proper TV?

.

The fact is, you wouldn't buy it if you don't see any value in it. However, I do have use for a slate for the sake of convenience and not necessarily need. (As do others, and I'm sure some need it for certain things too.)

Ultimately, if I buy a product and it isn't what I thought it was or doesn't actually do anything useful for me, then I will return it. In this economy, I would expect that is true of many and hopefully all.

[honeybee]

Ultimately, if I buy a product and it isn't what I thought it was or doesn't actually do anything useful for me, then I will return it. In this economy, I would expect that is true of many and hopefully all.

Ah, I wish it were true. Is it?

I mean, can I buy an iPad and then try to make it boil eggs for me, and then realize I am a vegetarian and have no use for boiled or unboiled eggs, and then return it to Apple saying it can't fry the eggs?

.

[FunkyDexter]

Stop comparing apples and oranges

I honestly don't think I am. I lived with a girl once who spent a staggerng amount on this kind of stuff. Face creams, fake tan, cleansers to remove the fake tan... She probably bought the equivalent of an ipad about once every two months. The only difference was that she was spending her money incrementally. Any given purchase was small and I guess that could make a psycological difference but really that's just a further manifestation of human stupidity. Overalll I just don't think that the argument that because something sells it has's useful holds water. There are too many examples that disprove it.

Looking back over the ark of this thread I do think there's a point that isn't being made. You guys that are arguing that slates are useful tend to be doing so because they give you pleasure. Does that make it "useful"? Does it represent a "need"? I think that's actuallly quite an important question. I think we in the nay camp are saying no but you guys are saying yes and perhaps you're right. After all, I spent quite alot of money on my TV and the only thing it really does is give me pleasure. I use my PC for development but I've got to admit I could run a much cheaper one if I didn't want to use it for gaming too.

If we take the position that make us feel good is a use then the argmument for a slate is pretty much won, as long as it makes you feel good. And whether that feeling good comes from some concrete benefit (which I personally still struggle to identify) it fulfils or whether it's just about owning a gadget is largely irrellevant. I'm not sure that stuff really represents a "need" but does that really matter?

[Shaggy Hiker]

Yeah. Most of our purchases come down to desires rather than needs. A couple years back I just stopped buying as much stuff, and shaved about $7000 off of annual spending without seeing any change in my lifestyle. I still buy things that I could do without. I sometimes wonder what my actual needs are, since they certainly aren't what I am currently spending money on.

In any case, tablets fall into the same category as TV, for me. It's something that just isn't worth the money considering the way I want to live my life. But the way I live my life changes, and my view of the tablet may change, as well. I did have a use for a PDA, though only a marginal and contrived use. The same could be done with a smart phone or tablet, but the use was too contrived to justify going after it.

Various people I work with (including myself) have occacionally suggested moving some of our data acquisition onto devices like that. I have to remind them (including myself) that doing so would be a totally irrational idea, since the conditions are so harsh that electronic devices would have to be hardened to survive, which means that they would cost VASTLY more than the write-in-the-rain paper that we currently use. There would be some advantages, though, in that some transcription errors would be removed by removing one of the data entry steps.

[RobDog888]

I honestly don't think I am. I lived with a girl once who spent a staggerng amount on this kind of stuff. Face creams, fake tan, cleansers to remove the fake tan... She probably bought the equivalent of an ipad about once every two months. The only difference was that she was spending her money incrementally. Any given purchase was small and I guess that could make a psycological difference but really that's just a further manifestation of human stupidity. Overalll I just don't think that the argument that because something sells it has's useful holds water. There are too many examples that disprove it.

Looking back over the ark of this thread I do think there's a point that isn't being made. You guys that are arguing that slates are useful tend to be doing so because they give you pleasure. Does that make it "useful"? Does it represent a "need"? I think that's actuallly quite an important question. I think we in the nay camp are saying no but you guys are saying yes and perhaps you're right. After all, I spent quite alot of money on my TV and the only thing it really does is give me pleasure. I use my PC for development but I've got to admit I could run a much cheaper one if I didn't want to use it for gaming too.

If we take the position that make us feel good is a use then the argmument for a slate is pretty much won, as long as it makes you feel good. And whether that feeling good comes from some concrete benefit (which I personally still struggle to identify) it fulfils or whether it's just about owning a gadget is largely irrellevant. I'm not sure that stuff really represents a "need" but does that really matter?

Yeah. Most of our purchases come down to desires rather than needs. A couple years back I just stopped buying as much stuff, and shaved about $7000 off of annual spending without seeing any change in my lifestyle. I still buy things that I could do without. I sometimes wonder what my actual needs are, since they certainly aren't what I am currently spending money on.

In any case, tablets fall into the same category as TV, for me. It's something that just isn't worth the money considering the way I want to live my life. But the way I live my life changes, and my view of the tablet may change, as well. I did have a use for a PDA, though only a marginal and contrived use. The same could be done with a smart phone or tablet, but the use was too contrived to justify going after it.

Various people I work with (including myself) have occacionally suggested moving some of our data acquisition onto devices like that. I have to remind them (including myself) that doing so would be a totally irrational idea, since the conditions are so harsh that electronic devices would have to be hardened to survive, which means that they would cost VASTLY more than the write-in-the-rain paper that we currently use. There would be some advantages, though, in that some transcription errors would be removed by removing one of the data entry steps.

IMO these two last posts sum up this thread very nicely and make clear valid points.

Why did I have to read the entire thread when you guys could have posted these two posts as reply #1 and #2

[Icyculyr]

Ah, I wish it were true. Is it?

I mean, can I buy an iPad and then try to make it boil eggs for me, and then realize I am a vegetarian and have no use for boiled or unboiled eggs, and then return it to Apple saying it can't fry the eggs?

.

You can turn any undamaged Apple device up to 14 days later regardless of reason. For all they care, you could say it didn't give you force powers like Yoda. Else, you could sell it for a small loss.

[Jacob Roman]

Icyculyr I think it's time you whip up an avatar. Every time I see you post I keep thinking you're a new comer

[honeybee]

You can turn any undamaged Apple device up to 14 days later regardless of reason. For all they care, you could say it didn't give you force powers like Yoda. Else, you could sell it for a small loss.

If I returned it back to Apple, would they refund the whole amount? What do they do with such a device?

If I were to buy an iPad, how do I know it wasn't bought and then returned by another moron like me?

.

[baja_yu]

If I returned it back to Apple, would they refund the whole amount? What do they do with such a device?

.

They repackage it and sell it as new in poorer countries.

[honeybee]

What if the buyer from the poorest of the poor countries returned it? Who do they sell it to?

What if the piece this buyer bought was used for two weeks each by customers in some of the more developed countries? Does this buyer get a piece that's been used for a whole year, but returned every 14 days because it cannot haul the cattle back in the evening?

.

[Icyculyr]

Icyculyr I think it's time you whip up an avatar. Every time I see you post I keep thinking you're a new comer

You make a good point. Done

If I returned it back to Apple, would they refund the whole amount? What do they do with such a device?

If I were to buy an iPad, how do I know it wasn't bought and then returned by another moron like me?

.

You get your money back, all of it. They would either repackage it as new, or more likely in my opinion, sell it as refurbished.

What if the buyer from the poorest of the poor countries returned it? Who do they sell it to?

What if the piece this buyer bought was used for two weeks each by customers in some of the more developed countries? Does this buyer get a piece that's been used for a whole year, but returned every 14 days because it cannot haul the cattle back in the evening?

.

That kind of thing doesn't happen lol. But nonetheless, I think they sell it as refurbished like I said above. Not too many iPads get returned

[FunkyDexter]

Why did I have to read the entire thread when you guys could have posted these two posts as reply #1 and #2

Because we were fulfilling a need to waste our time by posting in CC.