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I don't get it: Why would anyone buy a tablet, and not a laptop?

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Tablets are cheaper (obviously not including old crappy laptops or netbooks), they offer better battery life, they are easier to take on the go, and they are more comfortable to use.
 
It's not about the functionality, but the form factor. A tablet is a convenient way to read books, browse the web, watch some movies - the stuff people typically do - without lugging around a laptop. If you want productivity capabilities, then obviously a laptop is a better choice. However, even being a tech enthusiast, I spend a lot more time consuming content than producing it, which is what tablets are good for.
 
After using both for a while I'd say the main advantage with tablets is being able to use a comparatively small screened low res display in portrait orientation. This is good for ebooks and browsing.

A decent netbook kicks the crap out of it if you need to type anything at length though.
 
I own the following mobile devices.

Dell XPS laptop. High powered laptop that can do almost anything my desktop can. It's listed in my signature with specs. It's fast, fairly portable, and great for gaming when I'm on the road for work and stuck in a hotel. I also use it as a media HTPC as well. It has no problems hooking up to my 55" LCD TV and playing games or streaming HD netflix or other medias. Quiet operation as well allows me to hear what I want without hearing my computer. Wtih the built in Blu-Ray player and software I don't have a need for a stand alone blu-ray player anymore either and was able to give that to another family member.

Acer Aspire One netbook. AMD c-60 dual core netbook that absolutely rocks. Way faster than any previous generation netbook and for $200 was a hard price to beat. Use it for netflix or when I need some windows apps with power but don't feel like bringing my better and bigger Dell laptop.

HP Touchpad 32GB. Fun little toy and for the price I paid it was just barely worth it. Wish there were more useable apps for it, but for a few games, surfing the internet at a bar, and impressing people (status icon) it does do those things well. All it needs is a true native streaming setup for netflix where I don't have to leave my computer on at home to use.

Nook Color. I bought this bad boy awhile ago as a refurb for $150 through overstock with a coupon about 9 months ago. Well before current prices brought it down to $150. Anyhow, I love this thing. I use it daily because I love to read. With the case I have it's about the size of a book which I am used to carrying all the time. I don't get eye strain from reading from a back lit device at all either. I can do sme fun things with it as wel since I have a nice 32GB micro SD card I can dual boot from to CM7. So many free ebooks out there I can read on the nook that is just not available to the kindle though. Many times I'll go out with this to read while my GF uses my Touchpad to play something like Angry Birds or to mess around with Animate Pro. The nook colro web browser works but could use some work. Some sites don't display well at all on it and it can be a bit more cumbersome to use.

All-in-all, I love all my mobile devices for different reasons. Some days I use one more than I use the others, but they all see use by me and have been worth the money. It helps I find absolute steals for my devices though. Like I only paid $680 for the Dell, $200 for the Acer, $150 for the Touchpad, and $150 for the Nook Color.
 
HumblePie said:
I own the following mobile devices.

Dell XPS laptop. High powered laptop that can do almost anything my desktop can. It's listed in my signature with specs. It's fast, fairly portable, and great for gaming when I'm on the road for work and stuck in a hotel. I also use it as a media HTPC as well. It has no problems hooking up to my 55" LCD TV and playing games or streaming HD netflix or other medias. Quiet operation as well allows me to hear what I want without hearing my computer. Wtih the built in Blu-Ray player and software I don't have a need for a stand alone blu-ray player anymore either and was able to give that to another family member.

Acer Aspire One netbook. AMD c-60 dual core netbook that absolutely rocks. Way faster than any previous generation netbook and for $200 was a hard price to beat. Use it for netflix or when I need some windows apps with power but don't feel like bringing my better and bigger Dell laptop.

HP Touchpad 32GB. Fun little toy and for the price I paid it was just barely worth it. Wish there were more useable apps for it, but for a few games, surfing the internet at a bar, and impressing people (status icon) it does do those things well. All it needs is a true native streaming setup for netflix where I don't have to leave my computer on at home to use.

Nook Color. I bought this bad boy awhile ago as a refurb for $150 through overstock with a coupon about 9 months ago. Well before current prices brought it down to $150. Anyhow, I love this thing. I use it daily because I love to read. With the case I have it's about the size of a book which I am used to carrying all the time. I don't get eye strain from reading from a back lit device at all either. I can do sme fun things with it as wel since I have a nice 32GB micro SD card I can dual boot from to CM7. So many free ebooks out there I can read on the nook that is just not available to the kindle though. Many times I'll go out with this to read while my GF uses my Touchpad to play something like Angry Birds or to mess around with Animate Pro. The nook colro web browser works but could use some work. Some sites don't display well at all on it and it can be a bit more cumbersome to use.

All-in-all, I love all my mobile devices for different reasons. Some days I use one more than I use the others, but they all see use by me and have been worth the money. It helps I find absolute steals for my devices though. Like I only paid $680 for the Dell, $200 for the Acer, $150 for the Touchpad, and $150 for the Nook Color.
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tech overload to me. TBH, maintaining tons of different gadgets is a pain and takes alot of time away from actually using and enjoying said gadgets. I have a desktop, a laptop that i do most of my crap on and my smartphone. I don't see the need for a netbook and a laptop, especially laptop nowadays that are just as thin and light as netbooks( see lenovo x220)
 
JS80 said:
ipad doesn't burn my lap while using in bed. Also takes much less space, instant on, etc...
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Umm a similar sized laptop/notbook/subcompact/whateverTFtheyarecallednow isnt going to burn your lap, take up any more space or take any longer to resume from sleep.

Your etc's may be good points though. ()🙂
 
Some really good answers here. Personally, I would not buy a tablet as an alternative to a good notebook. My Thinkpad is a workhorse - a tablet would be strictly for consuming. I like to produce more than I consume, but I can't deny anyone the right to be entertained. I just prefer to produce useful work - it pays better! 🙂
 
WelshBloke said:
Umm a similar sized laptop/notbook/subcompact/whateverTFtheyarecallednow isnt going to burn your lap, take up any more space or take any longer to resume from sleep.
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you know, most of us actually had laptops before tablets so we can directly compare the experience.


IMHO at the end of the day a person has 3 devices: a production device, a portable device, and a smartphone.

Many of us went from Desktop/Laptop/Smartphone -> Desktop/Tablet/Smartphone

With desktop/laptop/smartphonethere is A LOT of overlap between the laptop and the desktop. With a desktop/tablet/smartphone setup, there is significantly less overlap.

When you say a laptop is way more "productive" than a tablet, BFD? A desktop is way more productive than a laptop.
 
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Ns1 said:
things I learned this weekend: youporn is html5 compliant
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excellent_the_post_of_reposts-s438x438-231285.jpg
 
Ns1 said:
you know, most of us actually had laptops before tablets so we can directly compare the experience.
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Yeah me too. Your point?

When you say a laptop is way more "productive" than a tablet, BFD? A desktop is way more productive than a laptop.
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Are you reading the same thread as me?
 
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I love my iPad2 because:
- it's dead silent - no moving parts = win. I hate noise, especially in the mornings or evenings.
- it's so easy to use - I just keep it next to my bed and read before sleep or when I wake up - pick it up, press button, launch Flipboard = news in 3 seconds.
- I need to charge it like once a week
- it's smooth and fast - compared to a netbook I had before, this thing is sci-fi land
- I take it with me whenever I have to kill time somewhere - it's small, I take it out, unlock and away I go with reading or playing (this will probably change a bit once I get the 4S)
- games look so much better then on a netbook... have a look at Galaxy on Fire 2 HD for example
- 3G model = I got internet everywhere I go
- surfing the web is fun again - I guess due to the touch screen
- everything is so smooth and fluid - honestly, the kinetic scrolling is so amazing, I can't use anything else. However, on a mouse I still prefer the normal scrolling
 
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WelshBloke said:
Are you reading the same thread as me?
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Common theme of all tablet v laptop/netbook threads = my laptop/netbook can do so much more than your tablet

To which my reply is BFD my desktop can do so much more than your laptop.
 
Qbah said:
I love my iPad2 because:
- it's dead silent - no moving parts = win
- it's so easy to use - I just keep it next to my bed and read before sleep or when I wake up - pick it up, press button, launch Flipboard = news in 3 seconds.
- I need to charge it like once a week
- it's smooth and fast - compared to a netbook I had before, this thing is sci-fi land
- I take it with me whenever I have to kill time somewhere - it's small, I take it out, unlock and away I go with reading or playing
- games look so much better then on a netbook... have a look at Galaxy on Fire 2 HD for example
- 3G model = I got internet everywhere I go
- surfing the web is fun again - I guess due to the touch screen
- everything is so smooth and fluid - honestly, the kinetic scrolling is so amazing, I can't use anything else. However, on a mouse I still prefer the normal scrolling
Click to expand...

Some of those are valid pros of tablets, some of them just show up your poor choice of laptop before. 😛

The Op's choice was laptop or tablet. If you were going to just have one then I'd say the laptop is the obvious choice. Until they start putting fully featured operating systems on tablets and have the performance to run them then the loss of functionality in a tablet makes it a poor choice as a single device.
 
Ns1 said:
Common theme of all tablet v laptop/netbook threads = my laptop/netbook can do so much more than your tablet

To which my reply is BFD my desktop can do so much more than your laptop.
Click to expand...

OK, but if your going to say that I said something it might be polite to check that I actually did say that.

Also how often do you use your desktop on the couch or the train? Do you take it to work with you?

No?

Yeah your point was pretty stupid wasn't it?
 
WelshBloke said:
Some of those are valid pros of tablets, some of them just show up your poor choice of laptop before. 😛

The Op's choice was laptop or tablet. If you were going to just have one then I'd say the laptop is the obvious choice. Until they start putting fully featured operating systems on tablets and have the performance to run them then the loss of functionality in a tablet makes it a poor choice as a single device.
Click to expand...

A tablet is not a laptop replacement if you do work on your laptop. However everything I was doing on mine, I can do on the iPad2 with much more enjoyment. Read the web, read books, play games - the iPad2 is very light, doesn't get hot, makes no sounds, lasts for what feels like an eternity and is always ready (unlock, launch, use - that's 3 seconds flat)... There's no comparison for my usage scenarios.

Plus good luck trying to get a semi-decent laptop for under 1k$ (or 1k€ in EU). I paid ~600€ for my iPad2.
 
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