This is really funny to me. I remember me being a little bit surprised by the size of the iPad when it was introduced. But more I think about it more sense it makes to me and more these half ass attempts like today’s announcement of Samsung’s 7-Inch Tablet makes me chuckle. Reason is again Apple’s clarity of vision and purpose oriented design. Can you imagine adaptation of 7-inch tablet as a universal text book for schools? No, it’s too small. It needs to have size of the book so letters can be big enough not to strain pupil’s eyes. If you think of it, there are really just two sizes that are needed. It either fits into the pocket or it doesn’t. If it does, it is the iPhone size, if it doesn’t, it goes into the bag. So what do you need the 7 inch size for? Aha, bad design decision.
Another thing is these new devices that dare to call themselves rivals to iPad (iPhone) have another major flaw. True they are shiny and they all try hard to look like Apple devices, but their flaw is they are not part of the larger universe. The introduction of AirPlay is great example of this. With Apple products you will be forwarding files, TV shows, music between home computer, big ass HDTV, iPhone, iPad etc. with swipe of one finger. What will you do with those 7 inch alone in the universe Samsung pads? And why would you buy them if the do not speak well to you phone and to your home computer? It has word Galaxy in it’s name, but only what it seems to mean is that it is alone in the whole galaxy.
rastard 5:01 pm on September 2, 2010 521 days ago Reply
I think the Amazon Kindle, with a 6″ display (and ~3 million plus sold as of January), has already demonstrated that there actually is demand for that size form factor. While 3 million (since inception) is I think less than what the iPad has already sold (in only a couple of months), it’s not chump change (and keep in mind that the Kindle only does one thing so it’s a bit of an Apples to Orangzons comparison to begin with).
Airplay is indeed cool, but it isn’t the only game in town. I can already view content from my home DVR/DVD player on my iPhone (via Slingbox), I can watch Netflix or Youtube content through my Wii, and stream music from my desktop PC or Macbook Pro to my living room stereo pretty much seamlessly. Buying all devices through one manufacturer can definitely make things easier (I have a Sony HDTV, DVR, DVD player, and stereo system precisely because it makes setup and remote control functionality easier), but I’ve found a bunch of disadvantages to having everything with one vendor as well (Sony’s stereo system quality, for example, sucks compared to the Yamaha system I used to have).
Relatedly, a friend just showed me a function that Android has (Chrome-Phone or something) where you can highlight a link (or map address, or phone number) on your laptop/desktop browser, click a little button, and automatically send it to your Android phone — where it then opens up in appropriate context (the Android browser, Google Maps, or the phone dialer). So the Galaxy likely will be able to talk to other devices (and not be, as you say, alone in the universe). Transferring files/content/info between various devices is going to become ubiquitous, and lock-in to vendor-specific implementations IMO is going to result in more Betamax-type failures (where the best technology loses simply because everyone else goes another way). And if Apple does indeed get around to establishing Airplay (and Facetime) as an open standard, people can just use them on their Samsung Galaxy whatever.
caruso2323 5:15 pm on September 2, 2010 521 days ago Reply
There are sizes for anything …
The smallest mac portables were 7″ diagonal… the 2300 model… But it looks like BIGGER is BETTER … All subsequent portables were wider…
So… If the smallest trucks got 7″ … What makes you think that tablets ought to be as small as 7”
In your own opinion, are Dell’s 5″ better or worse ?
I think the smartest accessory in the iPad ecosystem is that jacket that can hold a 9.7″ device …
rastard 5:35 pm on September 2, 2010 521 days ago Reply
@caruso2323
[Assuming that you're talking to me (not Consh)]
“What makes you think that tablets ought to be as small as 7 inches”
I don’t think that. I actually have no intention of buying one. I was simply saying that the Kindle (which I don’t own and likely won’t buy either — I like reading paper books) has a 6″ display and has proven to be *very* popular as an eBook reader, so for me at least, it’s not very far hard to “imagine adaptation of 7-inch tablet as a universal text book for schools” (which was Consh’s question).
“In your own opinion, are Dell‚Äôs 5‚Ä≥ better or worse?”
In my own opinion, worse. No specific reason, but I believe myself even less likely to buy a 5″ Streak (right?) than I would a 7″ Galaxy (or a Kindle).
But that’s just me. However, I’m actually not interested in buying an iPad either. I borrowed a friend’s for a week and found it to be just too dang heavy/bulky for what I’d want to use it for. I’d be far more likely to buy one if it had the thickness and heft of a KindleDX (still 9.7″ display, but *far* thinner), but perhaps slightly heavier with an aluminum (LiquidMetal?) backing.
conshmillo 7:38 pm on September 2, 2010 521 days ago Reply
@rastard
I think Kindle was (questionably) popular because it was an only game in town when they came out with it. Initially Amazon didn’t publish how many they were able to push. Presumably because numbers weren’t that good. This was when they kept advertising it on the Amazon everywhere. If you remember when Apple got to MP3 players market there were many established players. I don’t remember anymore all of their names but iRiver, Creative comes to mind. They had all the same problem as Galaxy and definitely Kindle has. They were one trick ponies that were not part of larger universe.
One of the reasons Toyota became so successful was one practice they have common with Apple. They were able to streamline their product line, to eliminate just so-so categories of products and use their resources on smaller more focused product line. While GM was having multiple overlapped product categories often times developed by their different flagship brand names, Toyota focused on smaller line up developing just one type of car for each category.
I think Kindle is fad, as it has only one use. Only what will work for Apple competition is if they unite around Android and start using that as their universe. But I don’t think it is sustainable model either. Problem is they need to compete among themselves as well, so what they will start to do is to create their little own variations of Android that will be not 100% compatible with other Androids. They will do this because they will be looking for ways to keep their customers within their own brand and stop migration to competition that is running also on Android. This will cause fragmentation and will eventually kill Android universe. Look at Linux today. It supposed to conquer Microsoft 10 years ago. Apple on other hand doesn’t have to compete with anyone within their universe. It’s all theirs as they don’t license iOS. It’s one brand, one OS.
GotWake 7:52 pm on September 2, 2010 521 days ago Reply
@conshmillo
“Problem is they need to compete among themselves as well, so what they will start to do is to create their little own variations of Android that will be not 100% compatible with other Androids.”
consh, I never have thought about it like that, but you are right. When everyone is basically running the same hardware, they have to find a way to set themselves apart from the crowd. Different skins, screen sizes, widgets…… it all adds up to more fragmentation.
rastard 4:36 am on September 3, 2010 521 days ago Reply
@conshmillo
“I think Kindle was (questionably) popular because it was an only game in town when they came out with it.”
The Sony Reader was actually out more than a year before Amazon released the Kindle, and there were a bunch of other [no-name brand] eBook readers out even before then. I recall the Sony Reader actually being considered kind of a big deal at the time (because it was the first from a name-brand manufacturer), but very few people bought them. The Kindle made eBook readers “popular” in the exact same way that iPods made MP3 players popular — they provided a far better user experience than the existing devices in its class that preceded it. There are now numerous other manufacturers in the market, but the Kindle is clearly still the eBook reader standard.
“One of the reasons Toyota became so successful was one practice they have common with Apple. They were able to streamline their product line, to eliminate just so-so categories of products and use their resources on smaller more focused product line.”
That characteristic describes pretty much every automotive manufacturer *except* GM.
Yet most of them aren’t anywhere near as successful as Toyota (and GM is actually more successful than than many of them) — so that characteristic must not be a primary reason.
“This will cause fragmentation and will eventually kill Android universe.”
I don’t get this whole “fragmentation” meme. The people I know who have Android phones all seem to love them, and when asked, don’t care in the least about “fragmentation”. They don’t care that their monstrosity DroidX doesn’t look or work exactly the same as their friend’s old G1. The concern seems to be one entirely made up by Google haters and/or Apple fanboys.
Seems like pretty much every dominant technology in history has eventually become fragmented, and yet that’s never stopped that fragmented technology from remaining wildly successful. Cars are fragmented (numerous manufacturers have different styles and features and completely incompatible parts). A more on-point example — PCs running the Windows OS are fragmented (100′s of different manufacturers all trying to differentiate their own hardware), yet that universe hasn’t imploded.
“Look at Linux today. It supposed to conquer Microsoft 10 years ago.”
Linux did conquer Microsoft: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Market-Share-Smackdown-Linux-85-4-vs-Windows-1-89071.shtml
(well, in the HPC market at least). But it’s also big in the web server market (something like 75% of web servers run on Linux OS systems). Yes, Linux is still a trivial player in the consumer PC market, but that doesn’t have anything to do with fragmentation — it’s because none of the Linux distros have ever gotten around to developing a UI that is even in the same league as that of the Windows and Mac OSes (don’t believe me? Quick – without looking it up, name one Linux desktop environment that you find useable).
GotWake 9:46 am on September 3, 2010 521 days ago
@rastard
Sorry, but fragmentation is real. 35% of Android users are still using 1.x.
http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html
“Engadget’s tour of CTIA last week resulted in conversations with Android followers who report that Google has a two-pronged strategy for dealing with the spate of Android handsets running as many as four different versions of the operating system.”
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20001368-265.html
Fragmentation isn’t something Apple fanboys just made up. Android 2.2 is going to worsen the issue. Apps designed to work on Froyo aren’t going to perform well on 6 month old devices with an older versions.
I do think that some fragmentation is normal. Some iPhone apps aren’t going to work on a 2007 gen 1 iPhone. But, we are talking about a 3 year old phone. Google has been extremely aggressive trying to catch up with the iPhone. i don’t really think they had a choice, but they need to slow down after Froyo. Having 6 month old devices that can’t keep up is a problem.
One thing that I have noticed about my buddies with Android phones. They seem to be more into the customization of the phones. Very few of them boast about what apps they have on their phones. One of my buddies didn’t even install an app until 2 months later. iPhone users seem to be more about the apps.
GotWake 5:26 pm on September 2, 2010 521 days ago Reply
At least Samsung has taken a page from Apple’s marketing. It has always amazed me how completely useless some of the Palm and Android campaigns have been.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPfCZC4VHnE&feature=player_embedded
I think that I will have to disagree a little on the 7″ size. I wouldn’t buy it for me and I agree it’s too large to easily carry around. But, I would buy 2 of them (iPad 7s) for my kids in a second. It would be a perfect size for kids: More screen than a touch, but easier to handle than a regular sized iPad.
It is funny how the competition takes the shotgun approach. There will be tablets from 5 inches to 20 inches over the next year. I mean come on, if someone will build a friggin 5 inch phone, you know some idiotic company will build a huge tablet……. wait, some one did….. Microsoft’s big ass table
rastard 6:55 pm on September 3, 2010 520 days ago Reply
@gotwake
I’m not saying fragmentation isn’t “real”. Clearly there are a lot of devices running several different releases of Android. The part that seems to be “made up” is the suggestion that fragmentation is actually a major concern/problem to consumers/users. Android users don’t actually seem to care about fragmentation — the only people who repeatedly bring it up are people scratching for reasons to bash Android. It’s the same as the iPhone death-grip meme; comparatively few people who actually owned iPhones seemed to actually have a problem — it was just the Apple bashers who kept spinning it.
No doubt there are people that have Froyo envy (sitting waiting to see if/when their Droid-whatever is ever going to get the latest), but they all seem to be perfectly happy with what they have.
“Apps designed to work on Froyo aren‚Äôt going to perform well on 6 month old devices with an older versions”
Surfing through the Android Market (now if you want something legitimate to bash Google about, here you have a story. Their market is amateur-hour), most apps designed to work on Froyo are actually written either backwards compatible to older Android versions, or already had an existing version of the same app that was written specifically for Croissant or Donuts or whatever the older versions were. It’s generally not users’ devices having an older version of Android that’s the problem here — it’s that their 6 month old device doesn’t have sufficient processor speed (or some hardware feature) needed to run the latest/greatest Froyo apps (and that’s an exaggeration too — since the Nexus One,¬†released in December(?) — runs the most current of everything Android).
“Some iPhone apps aren‚Äôt going to work on a 2007 gen 1 iPhone”
How about some iPhone apps aren’t going to work on a 2010 iPhone 3GS? Take Facetime. Oooh – fragmentation! The iPhone universe is certainly going to come crashing down.
conshmillo 9:50 pm on September 3, 2010 520 days ago Reply
@rastard
I think you misunderstood me. Fragmentation is not problem because of the consumers/users. It is not issue of whether Android users are capable installing upgrades and keeping up. Your view of the matter is the geek’s view. I assure you most of the planet are not geeks. Fragmentation is problem because it will cause many different manufacturers to go in many different directions. This is what will kill the platform. Same as it made Linux unsuccessful in desktop area (and you know I meant desktops when I was mentioning Linux above). I explained reasons for this above.
One last note. Only winner in Windows domination is Microsoft itself. No PC hardware manufacturer benefited as much as Apple benefited from being both it’s own OS and hardware maker. So saying “look how Apple lost in OS wars to Microsoft” depends on angle you take. If you look at Apple as a hardware manufacturer they won all the pebbles.
GotWake 12:22 am on September 4, 2010 520 days ago Reply
@rastard
LOL, You got me
There definitely isn’t a perfect platform. My point (and I think consh’s) is the breakneck upgrade rate is going to hurt Google in the long run. Gingerbread is suppose to be released this year. Motorola is talking about a 2 GHz Snapdragon this year. Developers are going to have a hard time developing apps that run great on both a 2 GHz/Gingerbread handset and the Droid X which was just released last month.
RattyUK 9:47 am on September 4, 2010 520 days ago Reply
@gotwake
Also those two “updates” have to combine. IF Motorola get the 2 GHz chip out AND if Google ship the update WILL hardware manufacturers have time to build an actual product this year?Or are they hoping everything will work out of the box? I suspect that this is the platform that will be powering the demos at CES 2011 and not shipping products in 2010.
So come CES2011 there will be talk of all the iPad killers and the next generation of iPhone killers and then Apple comes out with new products a few days later. And so it continues.
GotWake 11:48 am on September 4, 2010 520 days ago Reply
@rattyuk
and really Honeycomb is the version that is suppose to be optimized for tablets. Which will not be out until sometime next year. So, I’m sure we will see a lot of “iPad killer” talk. Unfortunately for the competition, Apple doesn’t stand still.
rastard 3:03 pm on September 4, 2010 519 days ago Reply
@gotwake
“My point (and I think consh‚Äôs) is the breakneck upgrade rate is going to hurt Google in the long run.”
Old article, but it appears that the Google guys agree with you:
http://www.androidcentral.com/androids-andy-rubin-says-updates-may-slow-more-manageable-once-year