Do you really need a tablet?
Posted by Yasso Bouba Technology 9:00 AM
Sure, the iPad is one tricked-out device, but do you really need a tablet - Apple or otherwise?Well, don't worry if you can't justify purchasing one, because you certainly aren't alone. Indeed, a recent survey conducted by ABI Research claims that only 27% of respondents rated themselves "extremely" or "very" interested in acquiring a media tablet.
Interestingly enough, nearly half of those surveyed reported they were either "not very" or "not at all" interested in buying such a device.
"The most common reason for the lack of interest is 'I don't see the need,' selected by 60%. Although media tablets are grabbing today's headlines, they [clearly] still face some challenges to adoption," ABI Research analyst Jeff Orr told TG Daily in an e-mailed statement.
"[For example], what activities can media tablets perform that are not already well-addressed by laptop/netbook PCs or smartphones? This remains the single largest barrier to consumer interest."
According to Orr, a little more than half of those surveyed believe the primary use for a media tablet would be entertainment. In line with this result, entertainment-related apps are the ones most people report they would likely use on the media tablet, such as watching TV/downloading movies (57%), social networking (56%) and playing games (55%).
Meanwhile, only 25% of respondents said they were either "extremely" or "very" interested in acquiring a netbook.
"[We] conducted a similar survey on netbooks in 2009, when interest levels were shown to be higher," said Orr.
"The netbook use-case appears to be changing, from a focus on productivity apps towards the consumption of entertainment content. This change is consistent with potential buyers realigning expectations to match modern netbook capabilities."
