When will people get it. Tablets aren't designed for productivity. They are designed for leisurely use. Anybody who is serious about getting work done will pick up a laptop. Not a netbook, or a smartphone, or a tablet--a full featured and powerful laptop.
I respectfully disagree.
Saw a photo of the prime minister of Norway managing the country from an iPad while stuck in an airport, another of surgeons using an iPad in the OR, another of a doctor explaining something to his patient using an iPad, another of a rather famous movie director illustrating something to a rather famous actor on an iPad. There are countless other examples.
Tablets and even smartphones can be incredibly productive devices, in the right hands.
If history is any guide, the companies with proprietary standards will take the bulk of the profits. In the PC wars it was Microsoft and Intel... the real gorillas. ...
Well, history is certainly not a guide in this regard. In the PC wars, all the players had "proprietary standards", so, obviously, this wasn't a factor.
Apple made iworks for ipad that is 100% fingerable from the ground up. I got my ipad(16 gig wifi+3g) and I purchased pages a few days ago.
Damn! Freaking awesome.
Apple has set the bar and you are too blinded by your own arrogant assertions to see that.
I won't be surprised if Apple isn't making a fully fingerable version of OSX for an ipad pro model.
So unless LG has the media ecosystem along with the fit and finish of Apple's offerings LG can kiss my........................
Why would this be a good idea? If you could actually make a tablet as functional as a laptop, it would destroy laptop sales. I'm pretty happy with the current line up, smartphone for on the go immediate info, games, phone calls, etc. A tablet for a relaxed way to browse the web, my photos, do some light work editing documents or pictures or videos, nothing hardcore, just stuff you wanna do slouching on the couch. Then the laptop takes over if Im going to be working for hours and I'm really hashing out something new. Finally, desktops are like consumer based servers, with many of the processing, I/o and disk space of a server but a more natural interface that consumers feel comfortable with.
The iPad firm factor isn't nearly as condusive to long stretches of work as my laptop, nor is my laptop as conducive to leisurely reading or browsing my photos. The point of the iPad, like the iPhone, is to expand computing to another level, not defeat the devices that came before it. This is not to say no one will create great stuff on phones or laptops, they will more and more everyday, but for a tablet to completely make the laptop obsolete would only harm the very companies producing them, it's not the future.
Saw a photo of the prime minister of Denmark managing the country from an iPad while stuck in an airport, another of surgeons using an iPad in the OR, another of a doctor explaining something to his patient using an iPad, another of a rather famous movie director illustrating something to a rather famous actor on an iPad. There are countless other examples.
Tablets and even smartphones can be incredibly productive devices, in the right hands.
There is productive then there is productive ... it really depends on what is being produced.
Totally agree with you. Sure a tablet can do some productive tasks but seriously out of the people that have argued against this how many of you really think you could use a tablet for 8 hours a day instead of a computer.
Even if they had the exact same software your going to get health issues from your seating position.
Using a laptop for 8 hours a day pretty much sucks in comparison to a desktop system (under which designation I would include a laptop hooked up to external monitor(s)). The smaller the laptop screen, the more it sucks. Larger screens equate to greater productivity (to a point) so naturally, for most tasks that involve "traditional" computer activities, which your post refers to, a tablet won't be as productive as a large desktop system.
On the other hand, as pointed out in other posts, people are doing quite a bit of "content creation" (not sure when this became the hallmark of productivity, probably when the competition and press labeled the iPad as a "consumption" device) on iPhones and iPads. Movies, shot edited and uploaded were mentioned. Quite a few artists are doing interesting work on iPhones and iPads. Keynote presentations, word processing, email, remote server administration, etc., etc., etc. are all going on on iPhones and iPads. Seems like a lot of traditional "productivity" happening there.
Then there's all the stuff one can do with an iPhone or iPad that wouldn't really work as well with a traditional computer, many of which tasks and applications have been mentioned in this thread. And there will continually be new applications, driven by new software, to which an iPad or iPhone will be put to.
So, a few points:
1. This whole creation vs. consumption issue is a false representation of reality. There's plenty of "creation" going on on these devices today. Besides, let's face up to the fact that a lot of "traditional" computer owners are just consumers anyway.
2. The real issue is productivity (and fun), and it's not the computer, it's what you do with it. Tablets will never be as productive as large desktops for some tasks, and will very likely be much more productive than desktops and laptops for others.
3. The LG guy is just trash talking, and the tech press are idiots who lap this nonsense up and regurgitate it as meaningful, without critical thought or analysis.
Even if sometime later this year a company comes up with a more technically impressive tablet than the current iPad, Apple is and will likely remain, at least one step ahead.
Expect an update on the iPad early next year that will likely bring a screen with a higher resolution, more memory, a faster processor and more battery life. The unit will also be lighter probably coming in as the lightest tablet in that size on the market (important stuff). Also, the OS and overall user experience will be quite superior to anything else offered.
If the competition holds true to form, their products will have cheaper components to allow for lower prices and to allow for more bits and pieces in an effort to provide more features than Apple's offerings. Look for USB and other such extras in the mix, at the expense of design elegance and ease of use. Of course, the others will all support Flash. They'll attempt to graft on capabilities in a disorganized manner aimed at impressing more initially than genuinely improving the overall user experience. Apple will maintain an evolutionary approach to adding functionality, aimed at providing a fully realized set of solutions.
When will people get it. Tablets aren't designed for productivity. They are designed for leisurely use. Anybody who is serious about getting work done will pick up a laptop. Not a netbook, or a smartphone, or a tablet--a full featured and powerful laptop.
WRONG. Thanks troll!
Been using it productively since day one. It's a new key component of my business and primary source of income.
None of these hardware OEM folks seem to get that without compelling software apps, it's just another web browsing device. That's fine, but it's still the proverbial case of bringing a knife to a gun fight.
Nobody has as much software for their products as Apple! That's the way it has always been, and that is the way things will always be!
More like he's bringing a banana to a knife fight.
You were replying to someone asking if Apple might make OSX 'fingerable' one day ...
Not true. iOS isn't OS X made for fingers, rather a new OS made specifically from the ground up. The writer you replied to was asking if Apple might not make OS X fully finger controlled one day ... that may happen over time as the two OSs borrow from each other and if they did I would assume OSX would I assume retain all mouse and keyboard IO and thus become a hybrid whereas iOS would never require that. I have no idea if this will happen, I do see some potential for this in high end pro apps such as FCPro Studio though.
Korean conglomerates like Samsung and LG that dabble in everything from semiconductors and rice cookers to selling insurance and ship construction have come a long way. I should know: I was born in Korea and have observed their growth and transformation into global companies with much interest. That being said, their weakness has always been the lack of creativity and innovation in their products. Do they have any sort of software products that they've developed to speak of? Of course, they're essentially hardware companies but having been OEM suppliers (and still are to a large degree with chips and flat panel displays), it's still all about volume manufacturing with them.
I was reading a recent annual report by Samsung Electronics after they did $119 billion in sales in '09. Now that's only the Samsung conglomerate's Electronics division. I suspect they'd be well over $200 billion if you factor in all these other unrelated businesses they operate. Anyway, the report also stated their goals to achieve by 2020: $400 billion in annual sales, one of the world's top 5 brands (I think Fortune listed them around 95 or something like that recently), and one of the top 5 most admired companies, etc. LG, obviously, would have similar goals. LG Electronics is in the $70 billion range.
In many areas, Samsung and LG are collectively beating the hell out of Japanese electronics giants like Sony, Panasonic (formerly Matsushita) and Toshiba. They've lifted themselves nicely out of the bargain basement realm and have become respected global consumer electronics companies while growing their revenues to gargantuan levels. Samsung will soon be much larger than HP in terms of revenues. Sony and Panasonic have stagnated at around $80 billion for years and will soon be overtaken by LG. But can they take it to the next step in this brave new world of convergence between high-tech and consumer electronics?
Now we have the likes of US high-tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, HP, Dell, etc. competing against consumer electronics titans likes of Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, etc. and this brawl will make what we've witnessed in the tech industry over the past 20 years seem tame in comparison. You throw in the major telecom players and content providers around the world and this battlefield is one amazingly complex soup of alliances, double-crosses and intense cutthroat wars. This sure beats following MLB and NFL!
I just don't think the strategies of these do-it-all companies like Sony, Samsung and LG will work in this new battlefield as they take on Apple and other US high-tech companies. You can bet that HP is going to go all-out to fight in this space as well. And I don't expect Dell to be a slouch with the resources they have. Overall, the companies that create and control the software and the platforms will be the ones at the leading edge and this is not something the Asian manufacturers have. That's why all the focus is on Apple vs. Google (with Microsoft joining the fight soon).
Still, the next 10 years will be very interesting. A lot of companies that seemed dominant (or at least in a very strong market position) only several years ago may not be around by 2020. Samsung and LG are going to be serious players for sure (with the help of Google), but I believe Apple and HP will carve out their own turf and be able to defend it as this new market evolves. It's really difficult to say what will happen with Nokia and RIM. And we have no idea if Microsoft will become a player with their mobile software strategy. There's never been a business war like this one that's only getting started now. It's only like the second inning or midway through the first quarter. I don't believe it'll be a blowout like what Microsoft did during the PC era. I believe this will go down to the wire and stay that way for a long, long time to come. For us consumers, I think that'll be the best outcome.
Seems the thread has become about 'is a pad productive or not' which wasn't the point of the original post. I think the bigger question posed here is can LG even come up with a half decent OS? I may have missed it but what are they going to use and as others have said what eco system will it come with? I suspect LG will be a making a 'Zune' at best. If it is simply Android or HP's then this is a a pointless discussion as LG are simply a hardware manufacturer rebranding.
I finally understand why people keep saying apple should buy dropbox. Allowing certain applications to access and save to a shared database of documents/files would be a welcome addition to the os and need not introduce the complexity of a full featured finder.
I don't think you understand at all. Apple groups the documents with their software for your convenience.
If you want a "document-centric" OS, maybe you should go back to Windows.
In windows, you use a confusing file system to try to find some sort of something that you think you remembered making but don't really know what or where.
In iOS, you simply open the app, and there it is right in front of you. EASY!
If Apple follows through on iWork.com, mobileme.com and itunes.com why would a casual user need computer again?
The iPad is not DESIGNED to be a mass storage device. It is light and limber. Lithe even.
If you really really really need to store huge amounts of content, then the iPad is not for you.
Most people will downsize their content library if they use the iPad a lot. It doesn't have the bloated excess of most "computers" to act as a library of forgotten lore. It is a perfect size. People are just going to start deleting that old crap, and on the off-chance that they MIGHT view it again, they will simply download it again and delete it again.
Using a laptop for 8 hours a day pretty much sucks in comparison to a desktop system (under which designation I would include a laptop hooked up to external monitor(s)). The smaller the laptop screen, the more it sucks. Larger screens equate to greater productivity (to a point) so naturally, for most tasks that involve "traditional" computer activities, which your post refers to, a tablet won't be as productive as a large desktop system.
On the other hand, as pointed out in other posts, people are doing quite a bit of "content creation" (not sure when this became the hallmark of productivity, probably when the competition and press labeled the iPad as a "consumption" device) on iPhones and iPads. Movies, shot edited and uploaded were mentioned. Quite a few artists are doing interesting work on iPhones and iPads. Keynote presentations, word processing, email, remote server administration, etc., etc., etc. are all going on on iPhones and iPads. Seems like a lot of traditional "productivity" happening there.
Then there's all the stuff one can do with an iPhone or iPad that wouldn't really work as well with a traditional computer, many of which tasks and applications have been mentioned in this thread. And there will continually be new applications, driven by new software, to which an iPad or iPhone will be put to.
So, a few points:
1. This whole creation vs. consumption issue is a false representation of reality. There's plenty of "creation" going on on these devices today. Besides, let's face up to the fact that a lot of "traditional" computer owners are just consumers anyway.
2. The real issue is productivity (and fun), and it's not the computer, it's what you do with it. Tablets will never be as productive as large desktops for some tasks, and will very likely be much more productive than desktops and laptops for others.
3. The LG guy is just trash talking, and the tech press are idiots who lap this nonsense up and regurgitate it as meaningful, without critical thought or analysis.
The iPad is a terrific device for the vast majority of activities that the average person engages in when using a computer. Jobs has compared the iPad vs. a full-function computer to the difference between a car and a pick-up truck. The truck is suited to tasks the car isn't but for a lot of people, that's no reason to buy a truck. That's because they don't perform the tasks that call for a truck often enough to justify the expense (additional fuel costs etc.).
The difference is that while many of us would not consider owning two vehicles, it's not too expensive to own a desktop or full-function laptop plus an iPad. If owning a truck and a car was economically viable for most of us, we'd all have both in our garages. Some of us only have need for and budget room for a single vehicle.
Such a compromise is unnecessary in the case of computers. You can have both and hence why not have a device like the iPad that's really not meant to be a product that provides for all computer users' needs. The iPad fits in as a compact device great for a list of activities that covers the majority of the work average people do on a computer. If all you ever do is the stuff that the iPad covers, soon enough, memory will reach levels where some could manage without another device. If you need more, systems suited to more will not disappear and considering how affordable the iPad is, many of us will just buy both.
I can't imagine a tablet that will do everything a full-feature computer does that would retain a lot of what makes the iPad such a successful device. Less is more. Apple has always understood this and sadly, Apple stands alone.
Home inspectors, contractors, landscapers can find these very useful on the job site as well.
.
I never thought about that, but you have a good point. All they need is a waterproof and dustproof case, and the iPad will actually work!
One great thing is the iPad's PDF capabilities. Instead of carrying around all those huge, large-format blueprints, they can load it all on their iPad, and see it in an 8x11 size! With all the details!
Or they could zoom in, and see little parts of their prints by scanning and panning across it! If there is any problem, they can simply take a picture of of the jobsite, and superimpose it onto the blueprints to show the difference!
I think that contractors and gardeners could make great use of the iPad! You could put a set of plans for a whole skyscraper on it!
Comments
*sigh*
When will people get it. Tablets aren't designed for productivity. They are designed for leisurely use. Anybody who is serious about getting work done will pick up a laptop. Not a netbook, or a smartphone, or a tablet--a full featured and powerful laptop.
I respectfully disagree.
Saw a photo of the prime minister of Norway managing the country from an iPad while stuck in an airport, another of surgeons using an iPad in the OR, another of a doctor explaining something to his patient using an iPad, another of a rather famous movie director illustrating something to a rather famous actor on an iPad. There are countless other examples.
Tablets and even smartphones can be incredibly productive devices, in the right hands.
If history is any guide, the companies with proprietary standards will take the bulk of the profits. In the PC wars it was Microsoft and Intel... the real gorillas. ...
Well, history is certainly not a guide in this regard. In the PC wars, all the players had "proprietary standards", so, obviously, this wasn't a factor.
What a straw man argument!
Apple made iworks for ipad that is 100% fingerable from the ground up. I got my ipad(16 gig wifi+3g) and I purchased pages a few days ago.
Damn! Freaking awesome.
Apple has set the bar and you are too blinded by your own arrogant assertions to see that.
I won't be surprised if Apple isn't making a fully fingerable version of OSX for an ipad pro model.
So unless LG has the media ecosystem along with the fit and finish of Apple's offerings LG can kiss my........................
Why would this be a good idea? If you could actually make a tablet as functional as a laptop, it would destroy laptop sales. I'm pretty happy with the current line up, smartphone for on the go immediate info, games, phone calls, etc. A tablet for a relaxed way to browse the web, my photos, do some light work editing documents or pictures or videos, nothing hardcore, just stuff you wanna do slouching on the couch. Then the laptop takes over if Im going to be working for hours and I'm really hashing out something new. Finally, desktops are like consumer based servers, with many of the processing, I/o and disk space of a server but a more natural interface that consumers feel comfortable with.
The iPad firm factor isn't nearly as condusive to long stretches of work as my laptop, nor is my laptop as conducive to leisurely reading or browsing my photos. The point of the iPad, like the iPhone, is to expand computing to another level, not defeat the devices that came before it. This is not to say no one will create great stuff on phones or laptops, they will more and more everyday, but for a tablet to completely make the laptop obsolete would only harm the very companies producing them, it's not the future.
I respectfully disagree.
Saw a photo of the prime minister of Denmark managing the country from an iPad while stuck in an airport, another of surgeons using an iPad in the OR, another of a doctor explaining something to his patient using an iPad, another of a rather famous movie director illustrating something to a rather famous actor on an iPad. There are countless other examples.
Tablets and even smartphones can be incredibly productive devices, in the right hands.
There is productive then there is productive ... it really depends on what is being produced.
Totally agree with you. Sure a tablet can do some productive tasks but seriously out of the people that have argued against this how many of you really think you could use a tablet for 8 hours a day instead of a computer.
Even if they had the exact same software your going to get health issues from your seating position.
Using a laptop for 8 hours a day pretty much sucks in comparison to a desktop system (under which designation I would include a laptop hooked up to external monitor(s)). The smaller the laptop screen, the more it sucks. Larger screens equate to greater productivity (to a point) so naturally, for most tasks that involve "traditional" computer activities, which your post refers to, a tablet won't be as productive as a large desktop system.
On the other hand, as pointed out in other posts, people are doing quite a bit of "content creation" (not sure when this became the hallmark of productivity, probably when the competition and press labeled the iPad as a "consumption" device) on iPhones and iPads. Movies, shot edited and uploaded were mentioned. Quite a few artists are doing interesting work on iPhones and iPads. Keynote presentations, word processing, email, remote server administration, etc., etc., etc. are all going on on iPhones and iPads. Seems like a lot of traditional "productivity" happening there.
Then there's all the stuff one can do with an iPhone or iPad that wouldn't really work as well with a traditional computer, many of which tasks and applications have been mentioned in this thread. And there will continually be new applications, driven by new software, to which an iPad or iPhone will be put to.
So, a few points:
1. This whole creation vs. consumption issue is a false representation of reality. There's plenty of "creation" going on on these devices today. Besides, let's face up to the fact that a lot of "traditional" computer owners are just consumers anyway.
2. The real issue is productivity (and fun), and it's not the computer, it's what you do with it. Tablets will never be as productive as large desktops for some tasks, and will very likely be much more productive than desktops and laptops for others.
3. The LG guy is just trash talking, and the tech press are idiots who lap this nonsense up and regurgitate it as meaningful, without critical thought or analysis.
Expect an update on the iPad early next year that will likely bring a screen with a higher resolution, more memory, a faster processor and more battery life. The unit will also be lighter probably coming in as the lightest tablet in that size on the market (important stuff). Also, the OS and overall user experience will be quite superior to anything else offered.
If the competition holds true to form, their products will have cheaper components to allow for lower prices and to allow for more bits and pieces in an effort to provide more features than Apple's offerings. Look for USB and other such extras in the mix, at the expense of design elegance and ease of use. Of course, the others will all support Flash. They'll attempt to graft on capabilities in a disorganized manner aimed at impressing more initially than genuinely improving the overall user experience. Apple will maintain an evolutionary approach to adding functionality, aimed at providing a fully realized set of solutions.
In other words, same old, same old.
"Terence who?"
"Exactly!"
What he meant is that they will have a tablet in 3 years that will be better then iPad 1st gen.
This is exactly what he means, literally.
What they don't say is that they may not even get to make it if Apple keeps up the demand for iPad screens.
*sigh*
When will people get it. Tablets aren't designed for productivity. They are designed for leisurely use. Anybody who is serious about getting work done will pick up a laptop. Not a netbook, or a smartphone, or a tablet--a full featured and powerful laptop.
WRONG. Thanks troll!
Been using it productively since day one. It's a new key component of my business and primary source of income.
SO wtf are you talking about?
So unless LG has the media ecosystem along with the fit and finish of Apple's offerings LG can kiss my........................
That is what these haters don't understand. It is the fit and finish! It is the media ecosystem!
Kiss my GRITS LG!!!
None of these hardware OEM folks seem to get that without compelling software apps, it's just another web browsing device. That's fine, but it's still the proverbial case of bringing a knife to a gun fight.
Nobody has as much software for their products as Apple! That's the way it has always been, and that is the way things will always be!
More like he's bringing a banana to a knife fight.
They did. It's called iOS.
You were replying to someone asking if Apple might make OSX 'fingerable' one day ...
Not true. iOS isn't OS X made for fingers, rather a new OS made specifically from the ground up. The writer you replied to was asking if Apple might not make OS X fully finger controlled one day ... that may happen over time as the two OSs borrow from each other and if they did I would assume OSX would I assume retain all mouse and keyboard IO and thus become a hybrid whereas iOS would never require that. I have no idea if this will happen, I do see some potential for this in high end pro apps such as FCPro Studio though.
Korean conglomerates like Samsung and LG that dabble in everything from semiconductors and rice cookers to selling insurance and ship construction have come a long way. I should know: I was born in Korea and have observed their growth and transformation into global companies with much interest. That being said, their weakness has always been the lack of creativity and innovation in their products. Do they have any sort of software products that they've developed to speak of? Of course, they're essentially hardware companies but having been OEM suppliers (and still are to a large degree with chips and flat panel displays), it's still all about volume manufacturing with them.
I was reading a recent annual report by Samsung Electronics after they did $119 billion in sales in '09. Now that's only the Samsung conglomerate's Electronics division. I suspect they'd be well over $200 billion if you factor in all these other unrelated businesses they operate. Anyway, the report also stated their goals to achieve by 2020: $400 billion in annual sales, one of the world's top 5 brands (I think Fortune listed them around 95 or something like that recently), and one of the top 5 most admired companies, etc. LG, obviously, would have similar goals. LG Electronics is in the $70 billion range.
In many areas, Samsung and LG are collectively beating the hell out of Japanese electronics giants like Sony, Panasonic (formerly Matsushita) and Toshiba. They've lifted themselves nicely out of the bargain basement realm and have become respected global consumer electronics companies while growing their revenues to gargantuan levels. Samsung will soon be much larger than HP in terms of revenues. Sony and Panasonic have stagnated at around $80 billion for years and will soon be overtaken by LG. But can they take it to the next step in this brave new world of convergence between high-tech and consumer electronics?
Now we have the likes of US high-tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, HP, Dell, etc. competing against consumer electronics titans likes of Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, etc. and this brawl will make what we've witnessed in the tech industry over the past 20 years seem tame in comparison. You throw in the major telecom players and content providers around the world and this battlefield is one amazingly complex soup of alliances, double-crosses and intense cutthroat wars. This sure beats following MLB and NFL!
I just don't think the strategies of these do-it-all companies like Sony, Samsung and LG will work in this new battlefield as they take on Apple and other US high-tech companies. You can bet that HP is going to go all-out to fight in this space as well. And I don't expect Dell to be a slouch with the resources they have. Overall, the companies that create and control the software and the platforms will be the ones at the leading edge and this is not something the Asian manufacturers have. That's why all the focus is on Apple vs. Google (with Microsoft joining the fight soon).
Still, the next 10 years will be very interesting. A lot of companies that seemed dominant (or at least in a very strong market position) only several years ago may not be around by 2020. Samsung and LG are going to be serious players for sure (with the help of Google), but I believe Apple and HP will carve out their own turf and be able to defend it as this new market evolves. It's really difficult to say what will happen with Nokia and RIM. And we have no idea if Microsoft will become a player with their mobile software strategy. There's never been a business war like this one that's only getting started now. It's only like the second inning or midway through the first quarter. I don't believe it'll be a blowout like what Microsoft did during the PC era. I believe this will go down to the wire and stay that way for a long, long time to come. For us consumers, I think that'll be the best outcome.
and what will Lenovo and asus be doing...?
I finally understand why people keep saying apple should buy dropbox. Allowing certain applications to access and save to a shared database of documents/files would be a welcome addition to the os and need not introduce the complexity of a full featured finder.
I don't think you understand at all. Apple groups the documents with their software for your convenience.
If you want a "document-centric" OS, maybe you should go back to Windows.
In windows, you use a confusing file system to try to find some sort of something that you think you remembered making but don't really know what or where.
In iOS, you simply open the app, and there it is right in front of you. EASY!
I never want to see a file structure ever again!
If Apple follows through on iWork.com, mobileme.com and itunes.com why would a casual user need computer again?
The iPad is not DESIGNED to be a mass storage device. It is light and limber. Lithe even.
If you really really really need to store huge amounts of content, then the iPad is not for you.
Most people will downsize their content library if they use the iPad a lot. It doesn't have the bloated excess of most "computers" to act as a library of forgotten lore. It is a perfect size. People are just going to start deleting that old crap, and on the off-chance that they MIGHT view it again, they will simply download it again and delete it again.
Simple.
Using a laptop for 8 hours a day pretty much sucks in comparison to a desktop system (under which designation I would include a laptop hooked up to external monitor(s)). The smaller the laptop screen, the more it sucks. Larger screens equate to greater productivity (to a point) so naturally, for most tasks that involve "traditional" computer activities, which your post refers to, a tablet won't be as productive as a large desktop system.
On the other hand, as pointed out in other posts, people are doing quite a bit of "content creation" (not sure when this became the hallmark of productivity, probably when the competition and press labeled the iPad as a "consumption" device) on iPhones and iPads. Movies, shot edited and uploaded were mentioned. Quite a few artists are doing interesting work on iPhones and iPads. Keynote presentations, word processing, email, remote server administration, etc., etc., etc. are all going on on iPhones and iPads. Seems like a lot of traditional "productivity" happening there.
Then there's all the stuff one can do with an iPhone or iPad that wouldn't really work as well with a traditional computer, many of which tasks and applications have been mentioned in this thread. And there will continually be new applications, driven by new software, to which an iPad or iPhone will be put to.
So, a few points:
1. This whole creation vs. consumption issue is a false representation of reality. There's plenty of "creation" going on on these devices today. Besides, let's face up to the fact that a lot of "traditional" computer owners are just consumers anyway.
2. The real issue is productivity (and fun), and it's not the computer, it's what you do with it. Tablets will never be as productive as large desktops for some tasks, and will very likely be much more productive than desktops and laptops for others.
3. The LG guy is just trash talking, and the tech press are idiots who lap this nonsense up and regurgitate it as meaningful, without critical thought or analysis.
The iPad is a terrific device for the vast majority of activities that the average person engages in when using a computer. Jobs has compared the iPad vs. a full-function computer to the difference between a car and a pick-up truck. The truck is suited to tasks the car isn't but for a lot of people, that's no reason to buy a truck. That's because they don't perform the tasks that call for a truck often enough to justify the expense (additional fuel costs etc.).
The difference is that while many of us would not consider owning two vehicles, it's not too expensive to own a desktop or full-function laptop plus an iPad. If owning a truck and a car was economically viable for most of us, we'd all have both in our garages. Some of us only have need for and budget room for a single vehicle.
Such a compromise is unnecessary in the case of computers. You can have both and hence why not have a device like the iPad that's really not meant to be a product that provides for all computer users' needs. The iPad fits in as a compact device great for a list of activities that covers the majority of the work average people do on a computer. If all you ever do is the stuff that the iPad covers, soon enough, memory will reach levels where some could manage without another device. If you need more, systems suited to more will not disappear and considering how affordable the iPad is, many of us will just buy both.
I can't imagine a tablet that will do everything a full-feature computer does that would retain a lot of what makes the iPad such a successful device. Less is more. Apple has always understood this and sadly, Apple stands alone.
Home inspectors, contractors, landscapers can find these very useful on the job site as well.
.
I never thought about that, but you have a good point. All they need is a waterproof and dustproof case, and the iPad will actually work!
One great thing is the iPad's PDF capabilities. Instead of carrying around all those huge, large-format blueprints, they can load it all on their iPad, and see it in an 8x11 size! With all the details!
Or they could zoom in, and see little parts of their prints by scanning and panning across it! If there is any problem, they can simply take a picture of of the jobsite, and superimpose it onto the blueprints to show the difference!
I think that contractors and gardeners could make great use of the iPad! You could put a set of plans for a whole skyscraper on it!