Conventional wisdom is that the familiar desktop/laptop market is getting seriously eroded by the popularity of tablets: first the iPad, and now a bevy of Android and Windows devices.
Mine isn't getting used as much as it used to -- and for some very good reasons. I also am noticing the same thing with the people around me: family, friends, co-workers.
While tablet form-factor computing is now an indelible part of the landscape, have we lost some of our enthusiasm over the last few years?
Tales Of An Early Adopter
I was completely smitten the first time I picked up an iPad. I bought one for myself. And then -- over time -- for my family members -- wife, kids, my mother, etc.
I thought -- wow, this is a big deal. It was a completely novel experience, unlike any sort of end-user computing I had been exposed to.
I took my iPad with me everywhere. I got a bunch of accessories. I spent a fair amount of time trying out different applications: productivity, games, etc.
And then -- something changed.
It mostly stays in my travel bag these days, and doesn't get that much use. I still think it's a great product -- I just haven't found myself using it as much.
I look around at meetings. It used to be de rigueur for everyone to be tapping away on tablets -- but there seems to be less of it than before. Some people have moved to phablets -- fat phones -- others are using traditional laptops, their smartphone or -- perish the thought! -- old-fashioned pen and paper.
What might be going on?
Still A Necessary Tool?
When I travel, nothing is better. When I'm stuck in an airport, or some other location without wifi, crack open the iPad and -- voila! -- the web is yours thanks to 3G. It's nice to use on airplanes, and to read during hotel meals, catch up on quick emails, etc.. Battery life is great, etc.
The other use case for me (albeit a niche) is when I'm playing music -- it's great to flip between set lists, charts, click on a link to hear a tune, etc. But I create that content on my laptop, and send it to my iPad.
When I'm not traveling (and have access to wifi), it's always my laptop I go to first: more visual real estate, a real keyboard, a file system, a non-smeary screen, etc. I did get a small keyboard for my iPad, but it doesn't get much use these days either. I found myself abandoning most of the tablet apps as too simplistic for what I needed: games were too simple, note takers not fully featured, etc.
I thought I was sort of alone on this, and then I noticed my family's iPads weren't getting much use, either. My wife prefers her 11" Macbook Air when there's wifi, and is happy with getting Facebook updates and email on her phone when she's on-the-go. She's also taking some on-line courses, and that's a painful experience unless designed specifically for the tablet, and even then ...
My son is a gamer and a college student -- he has no use for a tablet in his world. My oldest daughter is a young professional now, anything serious requires a laptop or a smartphone. And my youngest daughter is an aspiring artist -- she needs a big screen and a drawing pad to do anything at all.
The exception is my youngest niece -- she's seven -- and she adores her iPad. It's probably her most valued possession. The good thing is that now I've got a bunch more for her when she wants them.
Did Apple Seduce Me?
We all know the seductive power of new Apple products -- are they to blame?
No, I'm a responsible adult, and I'm fully responsible for my purchase decisions. And the tablets wouldn't be the first bit of tech gear I've enthusiastically purchased that didn't quite work out as expected.
I think many of us were attracted to the novelty and simplicity of the experience: everything visual, no commands or pointers (other than your finger), everything intuitive, the transportability and packaging, etc.
But novelty can quickly wear off, especially when it comes to tech gadgets. Although I'm dangerously close to getting seduced again :)
Deeper Experiences Require More Horsepower
But I think there's something else going on here as well.
Sure, I casually browse the web like we all do, but much of the time I want to interact more deeply: see everything on the screen, enter some text, open multiple windows, save links, cut-and-paste, send something I've found to someone, etc.
I can do that sort of stuff -- after a fashion -- on a tablet. It just seems to be a lot more cumbersome. If I get into one of those situations while on the iPad (which is frequent), I find myself putting it down, and starting over again on my laptop.
But I rarely put my laptop down to switch to my iPad :)
How About You?
Did you get hooked when iPads and follow-on products hit the market? Did you find yourself using it a lot at the beginning, but less so over time? Or are you still convinced that tablets are now indispensable tools at home and in the workplace?
Certainly, a tablet experience is far more approachable for folks who don't want to deal with a modern Mac or Windows 8 experience -- I can appreciate that. Those dollars are now going to simpler devices like tablets and smartphones, which they weren't before. And if I spent a majority of my workday perpetually on-the-go, I'd probably feel differently.
Maybe Apple sees the same thing -- there's an awful lot of emphasis on their laptop and desktop lines these days, less so it seems on the iPad.
Has the tablet wave crested already?
I still use my iPad quite a bit, though slightly less than when I first got it. I will say that it has been invaluable for me to take notes in meetings at customer sites, when I travel it is my go to device. All that being said, I still have my laptop in reserve because there are some workloads that the iPad just won't do. When I travel with just the iPad I even leave my laptop up and powered on back at the house just in case there is something that I have to remote into it to do.
That being said, I still use my iPad daily (am using it right now actually), I actually find myself using my phone less than I used to in favor of the screen real estate of the iPad. You see, I refuse to carry around the massively huge sub-tablet phones, they are just too big. I'm fine with using my smaller screen smartphone to do things on the go, but those tasks typically graduate to the tablet when I'm near it.
Posted by: John Welsh | June 17, 2013 at 05:17 PM
I'm not an Apple fan so never bought an iPad. But I used Tablet PCs for years. Of course they were heavy and battery life wasn't great, but it was great for note taking and drawing. Plus using a stylus instead of a mouse was nice in some situations.
Today I use a 17.3" laptop and a Surface tablet. Laptop for almost everything and the Surface for mostly consumption or in the airport. Having Office and remote desktop on the Surface is nice in certain situations.
Posted by: Ryan Kucera | June 17, 2013 at 06:18 PM
I hardly use my iPad, mostly because the experience on my Android phone (Motorola Razor M) is good enough that I don't have to. And I can pull out a Windows laptop when I need a bigger screen/better experience. I would rather have a web experience than load another app.The iPad is mostly relegated to the kids watching Myth busters on Netflix.
Posted by: Dmchyla | June 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM
I have actually experienced quite the opposite. I have been using it more and more as it becomes constantly useful and as the applications available become more sophisticated. The iPad has become an indispensable business assistant, productivity and social tool. There are many advantages it has over my laptop and phone when in meetings, on the road, on site or just relaxing with a coffee during work or on weekends. I have found that my laptop (MacBook Pro) has sadly not had much use at all. Obviously there needs to be a use for any tech tool, if not then of course it will sit on a shelf little used.
Posted by: Gg47 | June 18, 2013 at 12:52 AM
I resisted the temptation to buy one. Partly, I am not an Apple fan, I actively dislike them due to Steve Jobs claims to have invented so many things that clearly they did not. That however is an argument for a different forum.
Even when Android devices started appearing, even at low prices that could be easily impulse bought by most professionals, I still resisted. Simply because I had a feeling that this is exactly what would happen. In reality, the 8-11" form factor fills gap that does not really exist. It's too big to be truly portable (will not fit in my back pocket).
If I just want to consume info, then my phone is more than sufficient. If I need to interact a bit then that is fine too (tweets for example). Any more than that and I need a proper screen and keyboard. That does not leave a lot of space for an tablet really. It has been shoved to the side because it is not significantly more useful than a phone, but cannot 100% replace it due to its size.
Posted by: Chriscowleyunix | June 18, 2013 at 05:32 AM
I'm with you, Chuck. My ipad stays mainly in the kitchen, as I love using it to stream audio to my bluetooth speakers while cooking dinner or, in the morning, while getting ready for the day. I also like it best for my games, Words with Friends and Pop Words (addictive, if you've not tried it). Were I more of a film and video watcher, I'd probably defer to it for that as well.
Like you, I find the ipad clunky and kind of unstable for writing, editing, and a lot of other content creation/consumption activities. I like the more solid feel and sense of control I have when using my laptop.
And like another guest said, my Android smart phone fills in all my mobile and social gaps quite nicely.
So interesting, this evolving anthropology and sociology of computing devices. Thanks for a thoughtful post.
Posted by: Bonnie | June 18, 2013 at 05:32 PM
I'm also in the camp that waited. Laptops were getting so light that I figured for me it would marginalize my utility of an tablet. Look at the new ultrabook convertibles coming out presented at computex and the like. It solves both use cases. Haswell is absolutely going to impact the tablet space with laptops running in the 10 hour arena at a 2 pound carry weight. I'm just surprised Apple has not turned the Air into one. Of course they are notorious of releasing technology incrementally so they could be waiting for iris to be vetted and give retina, touch, and a convertible design to the Air later.
Thank you for the article and posts. It's been a fun read!
Posted by: Gnuub | June 19, 2013 at 10:40 AM
I have noticed the same amount of lowered interest in tablet use. My wife's tablet hasn't been charged in 6 months. I use mine daily, but I have swapped back in the laptop for many tasks that I was trying to accomplish with just the tablet.
One of my biggest complaints about the tablet is the content providers themselves. A modern tablet is capable of producing as rich an experience as a laptop screen when browsing. Unfortunately, many content providers detect Android or iOS and start playing to the lowest common denominator. For example text becomes huge, menus disappear, and floating advertisements cover the text when I stop scrolling. It is that "feature" that has most turned me back to the laptop so that I can actually read and use the sites that I routinely visit.
Posted by: PC | June 19, 2013 at 12:17 PM
I have to admit I am hooked. I have the new iPad, and I often prefer to read mail on it than in Outlook. And since EMC does not allow me to access gmail from my MacBook Air (yes, I have been converted - I think I am rational, though that may be fanboi denial), I find that I can better share my other messages (blog related, personal, etc.) with the iPad mail interface. And I do not have EMC guiding me on which web sites I can access (including annoying things like warnings on the twitter feeds on pages). Maybe this is more about EMC IT rules than about the tablet....
But I like other things better. The WebEx app for me is better than the desktop version (I can zoom and such). Of course, I can also have WebEx up on my iPad (in full view) while I work on other things on my MacBook...
And I carry all my books on my iPad. I read them there. I use it for most of my media consumption. I did try an iPad mini, and while the screen is not as nice (nor as large), getting things done in half the weight has some real advantages. So my next version may be a mini. Every now and then, I find myself without my iPad and trying to do some of the same things on my phone. And every time it reminds me why I have the iPad.
Posted by: Vince Westin | June 24, 2013 at 05:34 PM
I still think ipads and tablets are amazing and still so handy to use
Posted by: sophie | August 06, 2013 at 08:32 AM
Since I don't have a smartphone (don't want to pay the monthly fee), I tend to use my Galaxy Tab 7" tablet when traveling or even just around the house for light tasks.
Like most people, I do other heavy tasks on my 15.6" laptop, which I used to carry it around, but now the laptop stays stationary, which might be a good thing.
Posted by: Bob | September 02, 2013 at 09:41 AM