iRumors
Jeffrey posted his prediction that the tablet computer hoopla will turn out to be just that–hoopla–last week.
As I mentioned in a comment to his post, tablets have been around for a long time in various forms. So why don’t we see more persons using them?
I do not think it’s because the market is waiting for a break-through product. I think it’s because most persons just don’t care. That something is technologically possible does not make it desirable.
Much of the hype around tablets seems to have nothing to do with the tech and a lot to do with new ways of separating users from dollars. From a column in the Guardian:
- It’s the latter phrase that has media companies – producers of books, newspapers, films, TV, music, and especially, for some reason, newspapers – gasping like parched travellers in a desert. They look at the success of the iPhone (which, before its announcement, had mobile phone makers laughing: Apple? A computer company? Make a phone?) and gasp: let the iTablet lead us out of this wilderness of non-paying customers!
In other words, the theory is that users will pay extra money to watch television or movies on a tablet, when they are not willing to pay extra money to watch that same stuff on other devices.
I am skeptical. And here’s why: Most of us who are plugged in already pay substantial sums of money for “entertainment.” It’s called a “cable bill.” I suspect that most persons who are paying hefty cable or telephone bills for entertainment feeds feel as if they are already paying for their entertainment and will be less than eager to pay twice–or three times–for more of the same.
One of my favorite radio shows, On the Media, happened to take on both tablets and the rumor mill this weekend. The story on tablets is here.
More interesting is the story on Apple rumors, which happened to flow right along with Jeffrey’s conclusions. From the website:
Follow this link for the full episode (a transcript is scheduled to be posted later today).