I travel with a laptop but I still use my tablet every day in meetings to take notes (I have an external keyboard cover) and to catch up on emails on the train. It is in use pretty much all day.
I find this wildly at odds with the experience of my friends. Granted they are early adopter type folk but they have taken to tablets extremely intently. They use them for gaming, and browsing, and other miscellaneous activities. Just because they are not great at everything doesn't mean they can't be incredibly useful tools.
I think the key difference there is that those are 'passive consuming', which is what tablets are excellent at. But those things are entertainment, not 'productive' in terms of output.
I don't agree with the authors conclusion, but I do agree that tablets aren't usually the right tool to efficiently be productive on. But they're great for consuming. I don't see a problem with that.
I think that's actually more of an artifact of the nature of introduction of tablets than a fundamental limitation. Over time tablets will become much, much more powerful and standard peripherals (such as external keyboards) will become more refined and more commonplace. I don't see anything particularly odd about the notion that someone in, say, 2023 might use a stylus with a tablet to produce various graphic arts, or sit at a desk with a tablet on a stand and type on a keyboard to write, or code, or do any sort of creative endeavor that is now possible with a PC.
There have been artists who produce the majority of their work on a tablet PC for years. They aren't as thin or as light as an iPad, and none of them have been perfect, but they are incredibly well-suited for drawing.
I just hope that Microsoft's efforts eventually cause Apple to implement a Wacom digitizer into the iPad.
The author talked about "productive use" - you listed gaming and browsing. In many circles those don't rank as productivity. There's a fine difference between "great"/"cool" and "being productive".
Are we being a bit condescending by insinuating that points earned or facebook walls commented on, is not productive?
I'm sure you cure cancer with every 5th keystroke of your best selling novels and crush awesome ruby code for breakfast.
You're espousing a pretty narrow view of what a computing device can be used for in a way that produces some value for its user.
You are allowed to find a device useful (i.e. gain value out of it) without being productive on it. That is why e-Readers sell a lot - they are useful. We're arguing about productive use cases here and that in my mind does not include commenting on facebook walls. If that is a narrow viewpoint then that's fine with me.
"Productive" is used in its more literal definition here: producing, m/aking, creating. It doesn't have to be shakespeare or picasso to still be a creative work.
I think this depends on the kind of work you produce.
I know tons of CEOs who are more productive because of their tablets. The reason is that the form factor makes it easy to carry it everywhere. So they always have documents in Evernote, Dropbox, etc and are able to manipulate those if needed. Sometimes accessing information is the key to productivity.
Now, I am sure someone will want to debate the idea of CEOs being productive, but that is another thread.
I tough similarly, but now I have found spot for tablet in my life.
It is not my home work tool. Hell no, downgrading from three screens to one small? no.
I use low end Android phone, so I charge it only twice a week, but this means I cant use it for other purposes so well. Tablet is the thing I take with me whenever I leave house or go on a bigger trip. Battery life+ portability. Traveling abroad, maps, internet, hostels, emails, everything. It is perfect for these things, better than laptop. It is nothing I would prefer over real computer inside the house. But I prefer it every time I leave the house.
This is why I think that things like the Samsung ATIV and the Asus Transformer Book are so neat. For most things I do - writing code, writing emails, posting my inane thoughts on Hacker News, the laptop form factor is pretty ideal.
I really like the book form factor for reading texts. For novels, my Kindle is great, but for textbooks and technical books, with a lot of random access, I much prefer a tablet to a laptop, and to the weight/space requirements of a dead tree book. I have the Kindle DX too, which is a pleasure to read, but the lack of random access is killer.
That said, I never have my tablet when I have my laptop, since it's more stuff to carry around - which is why I think if they were one and the same, it'd be ideal.
I've actually found a sweet spot for a tablet. More than a year ago I ditched my smartphone for a Nokia C3-00. This phone has 2 weeks (!) of battery life and I use it only as a phone - it never drops calls or dies. I use the tablet (Galaxy Tab 8.9) for everything my friends struggle on a phone - much bigger screen for reading, bigger keyboard, more battery. It fits perfectly in the bag I always carry with me.
Note that I don't compare it to a PC - a real computer is a lot more productive when it's around.
I have a feeling that most people in the world are not looking for a productivity benefit from tablets - they want to get home from work and entertain themselves. The spirit that we see on HN - creating = fun, enough energy for creativity / productivity outside of work, working on the go - is the exception, not the norm.
This is another way of saying, "Why do I need that? I've always done it this way." It is also a form of soft ludditism. Why do I need a word processor? I have a typewriter.
My regular use of a tablet (with a data plan): Reading. It's almost energy replaced books for me. Email when away from my desk. Note taking. Reference. Lots and lots of it, whether through a web browser, PDFs stored in my Dropbox, or special purpose apps (language dictionaries among many others). Extra screen to put a document on while working on my laptop away from an external monitor. General web browsing, on the couch, when eating lunch, etc. News. Flipboard has replaced newspapers entirely for me. Emergency server maintenance - I once resurrected our storefront server at 1:00 AM without getting out of bed. Remote VNC over VPN from anywhere. Casual gaming. A 9.5" screen is so much better for this than a 4" one. Movies while flying - way easier than trying to work with a laptop in coach.
Not to mention anything I would do on my Laptop - if I had my laptop with me at the time. I carry my tablet with me everywhere. I leave my laptop on my desk.
I feel tablets are more a case of "Why do I need a typewriter? I have a word processor." My laptop and phone already do most everything my tablet does, but better.
I gave up on my Nexus 7 after 3 months of trying to like using it. Somehow, every time I went back to my (Android) phone after using the tablet, it just felt 'better' - more responsive, better-designed, more comfortable. Perhaps it's an OS design issue, but I thought Android had been built with tablets in mind after 3.0?
What might get me interested again is when colour, touch-screen e-ink tablets become a reality. Until then, I'm happy with my laptop and phone - I don't need a 'happy medium'.
Just my point of view, of course: I can see that tablets offer a great way into computing for people who are largely information consumers, and for whom a laptop isn't appealing.
I've had the Lenovo Yoga for a few weeks now and as the OP noted, the combination of very good laptop and pretty good tablet works very well. I'm surprised how often I naturally reach up to touch the screen even in laptop mode. I now even instinctively reach up when I'm using my macbook, only to be mildly disappointed when nothing happens.
My iPad mini is pretty useful for me. I use it for all kinds of random stuff, nothing too serious. It's not absolutely indispensable, but very nice -- and fun at that.
Getting away from my cubicle to sit somewhere nicer with a cup of coffee and plan/brainstorm with SimpleMind+, a great little mindmapping tool whose touch interface is really slick.
Calendar and mail works great. It's like a little secretary.
Sitting in my armchair in the morning with a cup of tea reviewing todos and stuff is nice.
I'm comfortable enough with writing on the iPad mini (in portrait) to write stuff in Drafts (great app). Sitting somewhere with the tablet makes it easier for me to focus on just writing. I usually write in Markdown and save to Dropbox, then I can do whatever with it on the computer later.
Reading articles on Instapaper. Not "productive" in the narrow sense, but I don't really subscribe to this dichotomy!
I also use it as a remote for my music player... Meditation timer... I play music with some friends and it's awesome to be able to just pull up the chords & lyrics for any song. (Plus Propellerheads has a fun iPad synth that I play some silly leads on...)
I didn't really have any idea what I was going to use it for when I bought it, I just needed it to do some mobile web app prototyping. But it's delightful! My laptop is pretty stationary now -- the mini fits in my inner coat pocket.
> it's delightful .... yet ... not "productive" in the narrow sense.
I totally agree. I like the idea of tablet very much and I own an iPad 3, but I don't use it at all. My MacBook Air is the same size and weight and gets 99% of my time.
Before going to bed, I sometimes would prop up a softcover book, hardcover book, or laptop on my stomach and read. The hardcover book was usually much too heavy, and even the laptop was too heavy. The softcover book was light, but a little hard to hold, and I would flip the page every minute or two. Also, many softcover books I read once and then would have to look for a new one.
My tablet - very light on my stomach, as easy to hold as a book - easier with no page flipping etc. The half hour before I sleep is usually when I use my tablet.
Also - I develop for Android. Honeycomb was the first Android version designed for tablets. It came out about 2 years ago, early 2011. Back then the Android smartphone to tablet ratio was something like 95 to 5, if not greater. The integrated smartphone/tablet ICS Android version came out at the end of 2011. Meaning, the tablet OS and API hooks have only been out for two years, and initially there was very little of a user base.
In other words, these are still early days. I am sure the popular Android tablet focused apps of the future are yet to be written.
I also reply to emails and schedule calendar events from it. As soon as I need to edit documents, manage servers, or write code - I move to a laptop or desktop, it's just more comfortable.
I don't think reading/learning are productive use cases. Productivity, IMHO, means you create/produce something that is tangentially different (regardless of how small it is) than what existed before an activity. In the minds of most people, creating new knowledge or acquiring new information does not conform to the above definition.
You could argue though that iPads and other tablets _help_ you stay productive on a broader basis. At least that's how I justify my use of my iPad. They simplify certain aspects of my workflow (like easier/intuitive annotation of PDFs). But I know that simplification is not at a level where I'd like it to be.
I've been using one of my tablets to read through a book I'm using to tutor a friend's high school aged kid.
My wife uses one to read programming books and reference materials.
My preschool-aged son and nephew watch educational videos (type "number", "polygon", "alphabet", etc. into the youtube app; there's some great stuff out there.) They also play number, letter, color, shape, reading, and math games (the five year old plays Dragon Box! [0])
My sister uses hers to schedule substitute teaching and tutoring jobs, and on occasion she works as a manuscript editor (the keyboard dock is important for this.)
So there's a lot of reading, learning, and even production of content going on on tablets in this household.
I use my iPad to read scientific papers as part of my Masters thesis. Saves me a lot of time and headache with regards to printing, and keeps my computers free for taking notes and looking up related research. Definitely a productive use.
I use it to play games on airplane rides and to jerk off in bed when a laptop would be inconvenient. Other than that, I'm also at a loss of what to do with it.
As a person who has had an iPad since the first generation (and at times used it as the only device in my apartment), I still think Steve Jobs' 2003 characterization is correct: it is a great device for rich guys who can afford a third computer.
I'd love to see good numbers for people who own a tablet and only a tablet (I suppose I'd technically count as one cause my laptop is work provided). I suspect the vivid anecdotes of "my grandmum loves hers and is video chatting for the first time ever!" is overpowering the reality where most of those are sold to people who already have desktops and laptops and smartphones. Could be wrong.
This doesn't surprise me at all. I am reading all of these critiques and wondering if the people who don't have a use for tablets are all programmers who sit at a desk all day.
My iPad is indispensable. I use Evernote to store a ton of important info. My calendar is almost exclusively managed on my iPad (largely because I set appointments while in meetings). I have a few web apps that are critical to my business that I frequently use from my iPad.
Then there is my downtime. I love reading on my iPad. I also have a Nexus 7, but I don't like it nearly as much. The narrow screen makes traditional websites uncomfortable to read, though the evernote and calendar uses are great.
iPad for my old parents has been a tremendous benefit. They are not very technology oriented. I remember pulling my hair when they had a PC and they'd call me so often for every little pop-up window that was different from their usual workflow. For example, system updates and all that crap.
However, with iPad they learnt things much more quickly than the PC. The things they do on the iPad does not involve a lot. They are just content consumers who do not want their computer to be in their way. The mobility of a tablet means that when my Dad has back aches he can just lie down on a bed and read form his iPad.
about 4 years ago when I thought I'll first buy them a computer so that they'd be able to do some video conferencing with the family, I actually took them to Microcenter, just to show them the variety. To my surprise, my Mom 'assumed' that the computer will respond by her touching the monitor to click on an icon (she had seen people playing with iPhones).
On the other hand, for me iPad hasn't got a lot of value at this point. I do not play games. I am a programmer who is constantly on a computer and when I am not on a computer, I am on my iPhone. But that does not mean I fail to see how cool a computer that can be carried in your hands is for others.
That is a rare case of correctly understanding the user but incorrectly understanding the technology (most errors are the opposite). That laziness drives behavior was correct, but that calling is easier than texting was incorrect.
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[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 293 ms ] threadI don't agree with the authors conclusion, but I do agree that tablets aren't usually the right tool to efficiently be productive on. But they're great for consuming. I don't see a problem with that.
I just hope that Microsoft's efforts eventually cause Apple to implement a Wacom digitizer into the iPad.
You're espousing a pretty narrow view of what a computing device can be used for in a way that produces some value for its user.
I'm pretty sure every business prefers a 'narrow view' of what productivity means. The article is in relation to productivity.
I know tons of CEOs who are more productive because of their tablets. The reason is that the form factor makes it easy to carry it everywhere. So they always have documents in Evernote, Dropbox, etc and are able to manipulate those if needed. Sometimes accessing information is the key to productivity.
Now, I am sure someone will want to debate the idea of CEOs being productive, but that is another thread.
It is not my home work tool. Hell no, downgrading from three screens to one small? no.
I use low end Android phone, so I charge it only twice a week, but this means I cant use it for other purposes so well. Tablet is the thing I take with me whenever I leave house or go on a bigger trip. Battery life+ portability. Traveling abroad, maps, internet, hostels, emails, everything. It is perfect for these things, better than laptop. It is nothing I would prefer over real computer inside the house. But I prefer it every time I leave the house.
nexus 7 is my choice.
This is why I think that things like the Samsung ATIV and the Asus Transformer Book are so neat. For most things I do - writing code, writing emails, posting my inane thoughts on Hacker News, the laptop form factor is pretty ideal.
I really like the book form factor for reading texts. For novels, my Kindle is great, but for textbooks and technical books, with a lot of random access, I much prefer a tablet to a laptop, and to the weight/space requirements of a dead tree book. I have the Kindle DX too, which is a pleasure to read, but the lack of random access is killer.
That said, I never have my tablet when I have my laptop, since it's more stuff to carry around - which is why I think if they were one and the same, it'd be ideal.
Note that I don't compare it to a PC - a real computer is a lot more productive when it's around.
My regular use of a tablet (with a data plan): Reading. It's almost energy replaced books for me. Email when away from my desk. Note taking. Reference. Lots and lots of it, whether through a web browser, PDFs stored in my Dropbox, or special purpose apps (language dictionaries among many others). Extra screen to put a document on while working on my laptop away from an external monitor. General web browsing, on the couch, when eating lunch, etc. News. Flipboard has replaced newspapers entirely for me. Emergency server maintenance - I once resurrected our storefront server at 1:00 AM without getting out of bed. Remote VNC over VPN from anywhere. Casual gaming. A 9.5" screen is so much better for this than a 4" one. Movies while flying - way easier than trying to work with a laptop in coach.
Not to mention anything I would do on my Laptop - if I had my laptop with me at the time. I carry my tablet with me everywhere. I leave my laptop on my desk.
I gave up on my Nexus 7 after 3 months of trying to like using it. Somehow, every time I went back to my (Android) phone after using the tablet, it just felt 'better' - more responsive, better-designed, more comfortable. Perhaps it's an OS design issue, but I thought Android had been built with tablets in mind after 3.0?
What might get me interested again is when colour, touch-screen e-ink tablets become a reality. Until then, I'm happy with my laptop and phone - I don't need a 'happy medium'.
Just my point of view, of course: I can see that tablets offer a great way into computing for people who are largely information consumers, and for whom a laptop isn't appealing.
Getting away from my cubicle to sit somewhere nicer with a cup of coffee and plan/brainstorm with SimpleMind+, a great little mindmapping tool whose touch interface is really slick.
Calendar and mail works great. It's like a little secretary.
Sitting in my armchair in the morning with a cup of tea reviewing todos and stuff is nice.
I'm comfortable enough with writing on the iPad mini (in portrait) to write stuff in Drafts (great app). Sitting somewhere with the tablet makes it easier for me to focus on just writing. I usually write in Markdown and save to Dropbox, then I can do whatever with it on the computer later.
Reading articles on Instapaper. Not "productive" in the narrow sense, but I don't really subscribe to this dichotomy!
I also use it as a remote for my music player... Meditation timer... I play music with some friends and it's awesome to be able to just pull up the chords & lyrics for any song. (Plus Propellerheads has a fun iPad synth that I play some silly leads on...)
I didn't really have any idea what I was going to use it for when I bought it, I just needed it to do some mobile web app prototyping. But it's delightful! My laptop is pretty stationary now -- the mini fits in my inner coat pocket.
I totally agree. I like the idea of tablet very much and I own an iPad 3, but I don't use it at all. My MacBook Air is the same size and weight and gets 99% of my time.
The tablet is a gaming device for mu kids.
My tablet - very light on my stomach, as easy to hold as a book - easier with no page flipping etc. The half hour before I sleep is usually when I use my tablet.
Also - I develop for Android. Honeycomb was the first Android version designed for tablets. It came out about 2 years ago, early 2011. Back then the Android smartphone to tablet ratio was something like 95 to 5, if not greater. The integrated smartphone/tablet ICS Android version came out at the end of 2011. Meaning, the tablet OS and API hooks have only been out for two years, and initially there was very little of a user base.
In other words, these are still early days. I am sure the popular Android tablet focused apps of the future are yet to be written.
Only a tablet?
So - reading/learning. That can be productive.
I also reply to emails and schedule calendar events from it. As soon as I need to edit documents, manage servers, or write code - I move to a laptop or desktop, it's just more comfortable.
P.S. wrote this on my iPad
You could argue though that iPads and other tablets _help_ you stay productive on a broader basis. At least that's how I justify my use of my iPad. They simplify certain aspects of my workflow (like easier/intuitive annotation of PDFs). But I know that simplification is not at a level where I'd like it to be.
I've been using one of my tablets to read through a book I'm using to tutor a friend's high school aged kid.
My wife uses one to read programming books and reference materials.
My preschool-aged son and nephew watch educational videos (type "number", "polygon", "alphabet", etc. into the youtube app; there's some great stuff out there.) They also play number, letter, color, shape, reading, and math games (the five year old plays Dragon Box! [0])
My sister uses hers to schedule substitute teaching and tutoring jobs, and on occasion she works as a manuscript editor (the keyboard dock is important for this.)
So there's a lot of reading, learning, and even production of content going on on tablets in this household.
[0] http://dragonboxapp.com/ ; HN discussion at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4105397
Oh, it's perfectly usable on the desktop, but it's so much more effective on the iPad -- faster, more enjoyable, easier.
I'm still amazed; a month ago, I could have penned the OP's article.
My iPad is indispensable. I use Evernote to store a ton of important info. My calendar is almost exclusively managed on my iPad (largely because I set appointments while in meetings). I have a few web apps that are critical to my business that I frequently use from my iPad.
Then there is my downtime. I love reading on my iPad. I also have a Nexus 7, but I don't like it nearly as much. The narrow screen makes traditional websites uncomfortable to read, though the evernote and calendar uses are great.
However, with iPad they learnt things much more quickly than the PC. The things they do on the iPad does not involve a lot. They are just content consumers who do not want their computer to be in their way. The mobility of a tablet means that when my Dad has back aches he can just lie down on a bed and read form his iPad.
about 4 years ago when I thought I'll first buy them a computer so that they'd be able to do some video conferencing with the family, I actually took them to Microcenter, just to show them the variety. To my surprise, my Mom 'assumed' that the computer will respond by her touching the monitor to click on an icon (she had seen people playing with iPhones).
On the other hand, for me iPad hasn't got a lot of value at this point. I do not play games. I am a programmer who is constantly on a computer and when I am not on a computer, I am on my iPhone. But that does not mean I fail to see how cool a computer that can be carried in your hands is for others.