{"id":79261,"date":"2016-03-02T20:51:52","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T01:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2021-08-23T17:25:31","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T21:25:31","slug":"tablets-are-doomed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/tablets-are-doomed\/","title":{"rendered":"Tablets are Doomed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tablets<\/a>TechCrunch<\/a><\/em> reports from Mobile World Congress<\/a> in Barcelona that tablets are dead<\/a><\/strong>. Six years after the original iPad<\/a><\/strong> ushered in the post-pc era<\/a>, there were no tablets<\/strong> at the premier mobile showcase. Companies and consumers have moved on<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"iPad\"<\/a>To be fair, TechCrunch<\/em> says that if you looked hard enough, you could find an Android tablet<\/a> or two stashed away in a corner. And Apple<\/a> (AAPL<\/a>),\u00a0the tablet leader<\/a>, doesn\u2019t come to MWC. They conclude that tablets are not the future<\/strong> for Samsung’s<\/a> (005930<\/a>) and LGs<\/a> (LGLD<\/a>) of the consumer electronics world.<\/p>\n

In fact, the author reports that Samsung<\/a>, Sony<\/a> (SNE<\/a>), <\/span><\/span>HTC<\/a> (2498) <\/a>and LG didn\u2019t have any new tablets to announce. They didn\u2019t even mention tablets during their conferences. It\u2019s not just that people don\u2019t care about tablets anymore \u2014 the big electronics companies themselves aren\u2019t even trying to release new products for this market anymore. The article lists a number of reasons why tablets have become so unpopular<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tablets are now a commodity<\/h3>\n

\"tablets<\/p>\n

First, tablets are now a commodity. You can find\u00a0dozens<\/a>\u00a0of perfectly fine tablets for less than $200. And there\u2019s no differentiating factor<\/strong> between Android tablets<\/a>. As a result, companies are not making a profit from them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You already have a tablet<\/h3>\n

Second, chances are you already have a tablet<\/strong> at home and it\u2019s working fine. So the author reports that there\u2019s no reason why you should upgrade it<\/strong> \u2014 it probably runs Netflix<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> (FB<\/a>) and the Kindle app<\/a>. It has a browser and your emails. Long replacement cycles mean you don\u2019t need to pay attention to the new and shiny tablets. The Business Insider<\/em><\/a> also observes<\/a> tablets are more like PCs \u2014 you buy a new one only when the old one is worn out or doesn’t run the software you need<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Phones are getting bigger<\/h3>\n

\"everybody<\/a>Third, phones are getting bigger<\/strong>. The\u00a0LG G5<\/a>\u00a0(5.3-inch display) and\u00a0Samsung Galaxy S7<\/a>\u00a0(5.1-inch display) are the two most interesting flagship phones that were announced at MWC.\u00a0The\u00a0first Samsung Galaxy Note<\/a> had a 5.3-inch display, which could be called a phablet<\/a>.<\/strong> Today, it would be an average phone. According to TechCrunch<\/em>, big phones are the new normal, and everybody uses their phones constantly to interact with other people and do everything they\u2019d do on a tablet.<\/p>\n

BI<\/em> explains the phenomenon of phones replacing tablets includes Apple. Apple started making larger phones, the iPhone 6S<\/a> and 6S Plus, a year ago, which eliminates some of the justification for a bigger touch screen device. Also, consumers upgrade their phones every two or three years<\/strong>, since the carriers subsidize some of that up-front cost (plus, it’s just cool to have a new phone, which you carry with you everywhere in public).<\/p>\n

\"it's<\/a>For those who need a snapshot of the decline of the tablet, Business Insider<\/em> presented a chart from Statista<\/a> based on numbers from IDC<\/a>. In the last four quarters, tablet sales have been down<\/strong> from the previous year’s quarter. Overall, shipments in the first three quarters of 2015 are down 9% from the same time a year ago.<\/p>\n

\"Business<\/a><\/p>\n

TechCruch<\/em> takes a pretty hardcore position on tablets. Tablets had a good run, but won\u2019t be around for much longer. They argue that the iPad is a better tablet than any Android tablet because there aren\u2019t many tablet-optimized apps on the Play Store<\/strong>. This is key to understanding the iPad\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I have covered the issues around tablets since 2011<\/a> including the first signs of a decline<\/a> in Apple’s iPad Teflon armor in 2014<\/a>.\u00a0 TC says tablets can still make a comeback. They need to become something else. But something needs to change and soon. Current tablets prove that you should never bet against the smartphone.<\/em><\/p>\n

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