Have you noticed that it’s not even Halloween and the stores are already setting up their Christmas sections? Seems to happen earlier and earlier every year. It’s no coincidence that Apple and Microsoft timed their latest product launches in time to ride that wave.
Since tablets and smartphones have been ID’d as an application for 3D ICs (albeit not in the current generations – although I haven’t seen a teardown report of the Surface yet) I’ve been paying a lot of attention to those markets lately. I’m most intrigued by the frequency of product introductions, and wonder if the market is really there – or will we see some of these fading quickly?
I saw a couple of commercials this week on TV for the Surface. I have to say, the commercials don’t excite me, and nothing I’ve read about the Surface really does either. That’s not to say it’s going to be some people’s nirvana. Here’s an interesting product review complete with videos, written by CNET’s Jay Greene Microsoft Surface: Not really a Tablet or a Laptop . Jay’s call – IF the Surface makes it big, it will be creating a new category of device.
The question is, will the market bear another hybrid device? But perhaps I’m not the best judge because I’m pretty much deviced-out these days with my smartphone, tablet, e-reader and laptop. Keeping them all charged and deciding which ones are absolute MUST HAVES when I travel is difficult enough without adding other options.
What are your thoughts? Indulge me here. Take the reader survey at the right. The results will form the content of a future blog post.
One last musing – whatever happened to the Notebook device? They seem to have gone the way of the 8 track tape player. Just saying….
There are usage modes for each device that are fairly exclusive of each other.
a) Waiting in line to get on the plane or waiting in a doctor’s office – most likely device – smartphone
b) Heavy duty – power point/spreadsheet work – laptop.
c) I now have one more usage one, I am almost embarassed to admit. I cannot sleep without the iPad. If I am awake at 4:00am, a smartphone is too small to read and you cannot lie down and use your laptop. BUT I can while laying in bed use the iPad and catch up on WSJ, IBD and overnight emails and if I fall asleep, great. AND I dont have to get out of bed. My wife says I should start calling my iPad the ladyPad. 🙂
I think the important thing here is people will figure out, which device works best for them under which circumstances. So I do think the market for these devices will expand as people figure out how to, as it were, plug these devices into their lives.
My 2 bits.
Regarding #1
Rajiv -I think you just might be an information junkie! Certainly all these options do make it so that you never have to be unplugged, and if you are devoted to the Mac operationg system, they all can be synced with each other. My favorite is when i get an appointment reminder three times in succession – laptop, followed by iPad followed by smartphone (which is not a apple and is 3G, so always slightly behind the other two.
That said, I instituted a personal rule a few years ago – no electronics in bed! It’s bad for you sleep cycle.
Thanks for playing!