News & Analysis
Mobile gadgets: Three's a crowd
Mike Feibus
2/22/2010 12:01 AM EST
Some time ago, I sat on a panel to discuss the growing proliferation of mobile devices. I said that the path we were on was unsustainable. In the long run, there was only room enough for two devices: one in the pocket, and one in the bag.
Feibus 1, Future 0.
Sort of. Yes, I predict the future like a forecaster. But I also keep score like I'm in marketing.
See, most of us on that panel were carrying cell phones, notebooks and PDAs. And as I expected (thank you), the PDA gradually folded itself into the phone.
Even as I made that prediction, though, I was already carrying a fourth device: an MP3 player that held more than a dozen of my favorite songs. I was ahead of the pack, as Steve Jobs hadn't yet unveiled the iPod or taught us the proper way to manage and transport our digital musical collections.
Flash forward to today, about a decade later. New mobile devices of all shapes, sizes and capabilities are proliferating. There are netbooks, e-readers, tablets and a flurry of targeted gadgets to boot.
Once again, I am here to tell you that the array is unsustainable, and some of these devices will dissipate as we opt for others to handle their workloads. Which ones? Glad you asked.
Netbooks won't hold up as their own retail class in--or one row over from--the mobile PC section. Soon, they'll be called what they really are: cheap notebooks. Netbooks do have a play as Internet devices bundled with wireless service through the phone carriers, however.
Tablets like Apple's new iPad also will do well as Internet devices sold by the service carriers.
Overlap? Nah. When you get right down to it, netbooks and tablets are the same device. Think about it. They're designed to meet nearly identical needs, only for consumers with different tastes. (Think flip phones and candy bar phones.) Let's call the category net-lets for now.
Next: Fading memory
|
|
|
|
|
Lavmatic
2/22/2010 10:58 AM EST
Interesting article, and you had me until you mentioned Tablets will exist between Smart Phones and Laptops. I think you have fallen into the hype of the iPad and are not listening to your own reasoning. Also, I am not sure why you think E-Readers will go away. No one is going to read a book on a Smart Phone and Laptops exist today yet E-Readers are doing really well. If you are going to replace something like a book, it is not going to be a do-all (yet nothing well) gadget like a Tablet. I think E-Readers will just get better leaving even less room for something like a Tablet.
Sign in to Reply
J_Alan
2/23/2010 11:17 AM EST
We agree on a lot of points. A medium-screen (3" to 4") GPS will live in the car. Using your phone for a second power-hungry function like a GPS receiver is a non-starter. My Garmin iQue3600 PDA/GPS was a reasonable combination for auto navigation and PDA but it's much bigger than I would want to carry as a phone (assuming it had cell capability added).
The other niche for standalone GPS units is in the field. When I'm hiking or backpacking, I need a GPS that will run all day and has replaceable (not rechargeable) batteries so on a multi-day trip, I can carry a handful of AA Lithium primary cells to keep the GPS going. (The newer field GPSs have the ability to load and use street/road maps and give turn-by-turn navigation as well, so that will kill my iQue soon.)
I agree that a tablet PC may supplant a dedicated ebook reader IF (big if) the battery life can be comparable. Ebook readers with passive (e-paper) monochrome displays will outlast any active/backlit PC display hands down. That's a technological limitation that will be overcome someday.
Tablet PCs are fine for pure graphical interaction but typing on a touchscreen keyboard simulacrum is a pain in the anatomy. Netbooks are a better lightweight alternative. (I agree that netbooks and notebooks occupy only slightly different levels in the same food chain.)
Finally, to everyone who builds a camera into a GPS, media player, netbook or cell phone, who cares? If I want a camera, I'm going to carry a REAL camera (Nikon D200 DSLR in my case). The camera in my cell phone never gets used and just adds to the cost, power drain and complexity of my phone. I literally couldn't get one WITHOUT a camera but it's the most useless appendage I can think of.
Sign in to Reply