Lifespan of a tablet?

[TrueBlueLS]

I've been eyeing buying a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for the past couple of days. There are only two things that have been holding me back from pursuing this purchase, 1) WiFi only (curious to see how Verizon's data share program will work this summer and if it would be worth getting a 3G/4G tablet) and 2) how long will something like this be a worthwhile functional unit. I've rooted my Droid Incredible so I'm not opposed to having to do that either upon purchase or down the road to bring new updates. What say you AT?

 

[Bateluer]

What do you intend to do with the Tab 2 7"? If your habits don't change, the device will probably last for a while, couple years. It'll be able to play videos, stream music, and run most Android apps for a long time. But the odds of it getting JellyBean are probably slim, at least, from Samsung.

Remember, apps grow to accommodate more powerful hardware as well, if all the tablets in the next 6 months are sporting quad cores, thats what devs are going to code for. Not much for tablets in the nostalgia department, and no upgrade capability to speak up. Expandable storage being the only exception.

I have a Tab 2 7in, and its a nice device, but its a lower end tablet to be sure.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Probably the same amount of time as a regular computer?

 

[lothar]

About a few weeks.

Tablets are toys for the most part.
Their novelty wears off after a few weeks/months.

 

[dagamer34]

Probably the same amount of time as a regular computer?

They will last about as long as they get software updates, so maybe 2-3 years at most if you are adventurous and want to play around with ROMs. Problem is that tech advances so quickly in the mobile space that keeping a tablet for that long will seem rather silly. It's like owning an iPhone 2G today. Unless you are using it like a feature phone, it runs too slow to be a feast experience today.

 

[Kanalua]

The problem is when your tablet becomes the slowest device you use, you will want an upgrade. When I got my B&N Nook Color it was great. Now it is one of the slowest devices I have. Want an upgrade.

 

[gsaldivar]

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is a fantastic entry-level tablet. At $250 it's quite cheap. ICS is still rather new, and this device should be usable with mainstream apps for at least a couple of years. I'm not sure why anyone would lose sleep over the lack of lifetime upgradability of any phone/device, especially one at this low price point... At the end of the day, all electronics are disposable devices - especially phones and tablets.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

I had my original Galaxy Tab for 13 months now. It still rocks for my everyday use (surfing 'net, reading books, playing games, videos and music)... I haven't come across any instances when I felt it's too slow, or too underpowered for y needs... do you plan to do any coding on yours, or what?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

They will last with however long you want them to last.

its alot like PCs.

 

[Super56K]

About a few weeks.

Tablets are toys for the most part.
Their novelty wears off after a few weeks/months.

Some people, myself included, get a ton of mileage out of tablets. There isn't a novelty factor involved when a person determines what their needs are, and how a tablet can meet them, prior to making a purchase.

 

[Sheep]

The problem is when your tablet becomes the slowest device you use, you will want an upgrade. When I got my B&N Nook Color it was great. Now it is one of the slowest devices I have. Want an upgrade.

This. I still use my NC as an e-reader and in brief spurts to browse the web and check email but it feels REALLY dated now doing anything except the most basic of tasks. You'll likely get more mileage out of a true tablet but the argument holds.

Compare that to my HTPC which is going on 5 years old and still running as well, if not better, than when I first built it thanks to Windows 7. I don't game on PC so all I need is a CPU/GPU combo that can render and convert HD video and gigantic HDDs. It didn't hurt that I used a (then) top-of-the-line quad core CPU in that build either.

 

[Ns1]

I have the tab 2.0 and I'm on the fence about it.

Might trade for a transformer or a note.

the whole experience has been "eh" so far.

About a few weeks.

Tablets are toys for the most part.
Their novelty wears off after a few weeks/months.

gf does 90% of her computing on an iPad.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

About a few weeks.

Tablets are toys for the most part.
Their novelty wears off after a few weeks/months.

Might be novel for you. But people do have a use for them.

 

[cheezy321]

About a few weeks.

Tablets are toys for the most part.
Their novelty wears off after a few weeks/months.

I use mine all the time. For work and for play. I bought the iPad 1 and found no use for it. Sold it after a couple months. Now I use my new iPad all the time. I think it took a while for the market to take it seriously, but now almost all websites I visit have a tablet friendly version.

 

[dagamer34]

I use mine all the time. For work and for play. I bought the iPad 1 and found no use for it. Sold it after a couple months. Now I use my new iPad all the time. I think it took a while for the market to take it seriously, but now almost all websites I visit have a tablet friendly version.

One thing I dislike about the new iPad is that because text is super sharp, images look absolutely horrible. Apps hide this fact pretty well, as the New York Times app is far superior to the website. There isn't any clear HTML5 standard for serving high resolution images because ideally you want the browser to decide whether to use the high or low-res image, not the website itself.

 

[bearxor]

gf does 90% of her computing on an iPad.

Shit, I do 90% of my computing on a iPad. Thinking of asking my wife to let me get rid of her 17" behemoth laptop. Not turned on in months.

How long a tablet will last you depends on your usage really. Are you buying it because you're curious but you're very entrenched in a "sit at the desk" lifestyle? Probablyt not going to work out for you.

Someone like me, that switched to all laptops in 2003 and did most of my computing on that and some on WinMo, then got an iPhone and more and more of my work shifted that way because of the better web browser, then an iPad basically replaced a computer in my workflow except for a few very specific things.

 

[BladeVenom]

Battery life will probably start going down after two years, and won't be worth replacing.

 

[lothar]

Might be novel for you. But people do have a use for them.

A lot of people mention as a benefit that they can use it on their bed or whatever.
And of course someone will post that image of Steve Jobs sitting casually with his legs crossed and holding a tablet with one hand or whatever claiming you can't do this with a MacBook Air or an Ultrabook.

I consider both of those things to be novel features. So is checking news/email because you can do that on any device connected to the internet nowadays.

 

[lothar]

I use mine all the time. For work and for play. I bought the iPad 1 and found no use for it. Sold it after a couple months. Now I use my new iPad all the time. I think it took a while for the market to take it seriously, but now almost all websites I visit have a tablet friendly version.

The problem for me with all tablets today right now is that they're the jack of all trades, master of none.
Will Windows on ARM and X86 tablets change that? Maybe, maybe not. We shall see. Tablets today are still too vastly underpowered IMO, and the lack of a keyboard/mouse without paying $150 out the arse for a dock or not having the option at all on some tablets reduces productivity.

Right now, if I want mobility and will only check emails or read news, I use my phone. If I want to get "actual" work done, I use my Windows laptop or desktop which an i7 860 quad core that gives me all the power that I need.

 

[lothar]

the whole experience has been "eh" so far.
...
gf does 90% of her computing on an iPad.

Ironically, that has also been my whole experience with tablets so far. Either "Eh" or "Meh"
...
Define "computing". It is subjective and everyone has their own definitions of it and what they do.
Surfing the web? Checking emails? Reading news? Watching YouTube? Playing a few casual games on the App store? Typing an Office document or letter? Sure. Doing any of those things listed above while shitting on the can? Sure.

Using Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint and other software company supplied and company proprietary software that only run on Windows/Linux and not on Android or iOS?

 

[Ns1]

Re^^

That is why I said 90% of my GF's computing needs.

I need a full blown laptop for all of those reasons you specified. An Asus transformer would be a decent replacement IMHO and I might sell my tab for one.

 

[wirednuts]

tablets really are toys. especially the 10" ones. but they are also excellent tools for specific uses. limited by the tunnel visioned apps they currently hold.... thats the only real problem.

i really think i should learn how to write apps for android. my holy grail idea would be a smart home network built off tablets. each room at the wall switch would have a tablet built into the wall. it could serve as video intercom, network media selection, room lighting control, hvac control, event reminders for the day.... really, limitless ideas here. and all it would take is mounting a $200 tablet in each room. it would be an incredibly low cost and high powered smart home solution. the ONLY problem right now is software!

 

[Geekbabe]

Around here the life span of a tablet is around six months but I'm a bit of a freak

 

[Mopetar]

Battery life will probably start going down after two years, and won't be worth replacing.

I can't speak for all tablets, but my original iPad's battery was about as good tow years after I bought it as when it was new. I didn't do any formal tests, but it I wasn't noticing a drastic falloff. Apple's website claims that they retain 80% of their capacity after 1000 full charge/discharge cycles, so it should last longer than 2 years if you take good care of it.

Also, although I upgraded to the iPad 3, I probably could have just kept using my old one. The higher resolution display is great for reading, but not completely necessary. If you don't always need the latest, greatest, flashiest new toy, there's no reason why a tablet couldn't last longer than two years. The only major issue that I can see would be software support. Apple has been pretty good at supporting older models and with Android tablets you can usually find a custom ROM for them even if the manufacturer stops releasing updates.

 

[Druidx]

I or someone in my family still uses our original Ipad daily.
Kids play games or watch videos, Wife uses it for recipes when cooking and I use it for netflix when I'm on the treadmill. Everyone has their own computer in my house but the ipad is sometimes more convenient. I'm sure I'll get another Ipad or android tab when it dies.