Acer unveils Windows, Android tablets to compete with Apple's iPad

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  • Reply 41 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pmz View Post


    Only when docked. Does your laptops screen come off?



    Only after I get a blue screen and throw it across the room in frustration!
  • Reply 42 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sippincider View Post


    First, they said that about Windows 1.0 and 2.0 PCs. Never count MS out.



    In this case I think you can. After all, unlike Windows 1.0 Microsoft hasn't copied from Apple and rewritten their OS ground up for touch devices.



    Nor it seems has Adobe with the touted "we support Flash on OUR tablet"



    These things could have a major effect on the user experience and could kill things in terms of mega sales



    Quote:

    Second, it's pretty clear the future is gonna see a melding between the iPad and portable Macs. The iPad needs more horsepower, and should've gotten its own OS from the start.



    To a degree you are correct. the Ipad will be the portable for many folks. However, while it wouldn't hurt to bump up the processor, ram etc, the ipad will never be THE only portable. It's just not made to work for some tasks. Sure when I'm on set I have my script, call sheets, costume sketches, storyboards etc on the ipad. works great. But when we sit down to start rough editing the footage we are not going to be doing it on the ipad. We are going to be doing it on a minimum 17 inch screen, if only because the software has too many dang bars, palettes etc for less than that. And we don't want folks punching fingers on what we are trying to watch, so the form of an ipad just doesn't work.



    Speaking of things that don't work. How about, after all the complaints about the size and weight of the ipad, making a tablet that is bigger on both counts. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.



    And then there is the whole release date issue. Most of these companies are a fail just for not having them in the stores today. Friday is THE shopping day of the year. If your goods aren't present you can forget major sales figures. With Oprah giving her blessing to the ipad on her show the other day you can bet that Apple doubled the ipad stock in their stores for friday, and many stores could still sell that out. If HP, Acer etc had established a presence for folks to see their stuff when they are Black Friday shopping, perhaps they'd have a shot at making a ding in the ipad sales. But they haven't, so what are folks going to buy. The thing they can get their hands on right then.



    Plus releasing their stuff in that Feb-April window could prove hazardous. Let's get real. Just because iPad 1.0 didn't hit the shelves until April doesn't mean this one will do the same. They could release it in February right on top of this Windows 7 tablet. They could even announced it in January. Depending on the specs, a lot of folks that got the ipad 1.0 will certainly buy and a lot of the 'if only' naysayers will buy. Because they know this product and they won't be killing time playing with other things while they wait for the new ipad to show up.
  • Reply 43 of 169
    The real threat to Apple here is the general public is not informed enough to know the difference between an iPad and a Wannabe. The general public will buy the cheap look alikes and have a negitive experience, share that experience with friends who are potential buyers and cause them to not buy at all.
  • Reply 44 of 169
    Unable to raise a horse of their own, Acer places bets on all of the others.
  • Reply 45 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kent909 View Post


    The real threat to Apple here is the general public is not informed enough to know the difference between an iPad and a Wannabe. The general public will buy the cheap look alikes and have a negitive experience, share that experience with friends who are potential buyers and cause them to not buy at all.



    ... unless they watch Oprah.



    ... now if we can only get Judge Judy to use an iPad...
  • Reply 46 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chronster View Post


    How do you think Apple comes up with their own innovation?



    Staying ahead of the curve doesn't just involve some imaginary line they're always trying to catch up to. They are competing with these companies! This competition is what spurs their innovation, and without these other companies, Apple wouldn't strive for such greatness.



    Yes, thank God we have Apple, but thank God it's not JUST Apple as well...



    Well, actually, it IS just Apple. All these companies are in competition with each other as well, but they are not innovating like Apple is. Giving credit to them for Apple's innovation just doesn't make sense.
  • Reply 47 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lamewing View Post


    I am far from being an Apple fanboy...but to first say they are not entering the tablet market and then to do so, and then to state that the closed ecosystem of the iPad will cause it to loose ground...hmmm. Wasn't the same thing said about the iPod Touch and iPhone? Why do these people make such outlandish claims. If they can do it sure, say it, but to just make this claim and then have to backpedal makes them look like idiots.



    Aside from that, I would like to see a Win 7 tablet (with more than an Atom proc PLUS decent battery life) that includes stylus support. The Win 7 handwriting recognition software is very good and works well for me since I am studying Japanese and Mathematics. The iPad is simply too limited in many ways as a device for me while at university.



    And look where the iPhone is now second to the Android. its been real iPad. It must suck for Jobs to see his gadgets becoming irrelevant.
  • Reply 48 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by some internet dude View Post


    And look where the iPhone is now second to the Android. its been real iPad. It must suck for Jobs to see his gadgets becoming irrelevant.



  • Reply 49 of 169
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    If netbooks are so much more powerful, useful than tablets than why would Acer even consider jumping into this market. Surely this must a mistake.
  • Reply 50 of 169
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kent909 View Post


    The real threat to Apple here is the general public is not informed enough to know the difference between an iPad and a Wannabe. The general public will buy the cheap look alikes and have a negitive experience, share that experience with friends who are potential buyers and cause them to not buy at all.



    The general public isn't aware of these tablets because they aren't even on the market yet. The iPad also has incredible brand recognition. It works the opposite way you explained, many people would buy an iPad not knowing that viable competitors even exist (or at least may exist the the future).
  • Reply 51 of 169
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by some internet dude View Post


    And look where the iPhone is now second to the Android.



    Another new poster comparing HW to an OS. This has to be the work of another TeckSpud or iGenius alias.
  • Reply 52 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    If netbooks are so much more powerful, useful than tablets than why would Acer even consider jumping into this market. Surely this must a mistake.



    If Acer is as successful with their tablets as they think they will be then the tabs will cannibalize their netbook sales.



    Hey! Who said Acer has bright executives... the flip flop attitude towards tablets says it all.
  • Reply 53 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleSux View Post


    Silly Acer!, people who use real technology don't want tablets!



    Let Apple produce its latest fad for the sheep.



    who R the sheep??? the 5% (or less) using macs or the 95% (or more) using windoze (alas in different plastic casings)? Using macs I've always felt struggling against the stream, thou worth it cuz thinkin different is a bless.
  • Reply 54 of 169
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    If Acer is as successful with their tablets as they think they will be then the tabs will cannibalize their netbook sales.



    Hey! Who said Acer has bright executives... the flip flop attitude towards tablets says it all.



    This might be a sign that netbook sales across the board are bad. They were a good buy for your money in terms of performance or capabilities. You could buy a PC for a little more that was many times more powerful. I think people are realizing that for a satellite computer, a tablet is much a better option than a netbook.
  • Reply 55 of 169
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Another new poster comparing HW to an OS. This has to be the work of another TeckSpud or iGenius alias.



    Probably not. That handle has much lower self esteem than the two you mention. There are lots more trolls where they came from.
  • Reply 56 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post


    If it"s cheap enough it will be a hit. If the price is close to iPad then forget it.



    iPad is cheap. Atleast, Steve wants you think it is.
  • Reply 57 of 169
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elmsley View Post


    A tablet with a docking keyboard station is.. a laptop.



    They basically created a convertible/detachable netbook which is what they are anyway popular for.
  • Reply 58 of 169
    Yes, keep adding ports and docks and slots and cameras...because we could care less about the UI.



    Do these companies not get it?



    Any of us could buy peripheral-packed knockoffs at Fry's for the last 10 years.



    Ten USB ports? Check. Five SD card slots? Check. Seventeen cameras? Check. Fifty-two HDMI ports? Check.



    Excellent UI? Ummm, we'll get back to you on that. It's so much easier to add commodity peripherals and slots. Software development requires in-house expertise. So, once again, we'll get back to you on that.
  • Reply 59 of 169
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post


    Yes, keep adding ports and docks and slots and cameras...because we could care less about the UI.



    Do these companies not get it?



    I think they now get it, I just don?t think they have the resources to make it happen.
  • Reply 60 of 169
    Some observations.



    Jobs said several years ago that Apple would be working towards making computers the hub for a digital liifestyle and also said at the time that Apple was uniquely positioned in that it's really the only company doing software and hardware.



    Saying the iOS closed system is a weakness betrays a lack of understanding of what it is that makes Apple's products so appealing. Because it's one source for the hardware and the OS, you get a system that, for the most part, works rather well. When problems do crop up, it's much easier and quicker for Apple to correct that problem because it has such tight control over the entire process.



    Let's face it, the average consumer would just as soon not deal with the intricacies of putting in place what's needed to make something work properly. Apple provides products that just work. If you buy an iPad and that iPad does what you want it to, with lots of easy-to-acquire software available for a great price, what possible reason could there be to lament that you're using a closed system.



    Let that exceedingly small percentage of consumers who revel in the complexities of living with a fractured, uneven experience seek out open systems to master. The rest of us are more inclined to buy product that makes life easier.



    In regards to all the announcements for products that are months away, the logic is that if you can convince a consumer eyeing the iPad to delay buying one, that's a potential customer for whatever tablet device one can bring to market at some future date. It buys time. Apple will counter by bringing out a major update of the iPad right after the Christmas shopping season. Apple's goal will be to release an iPad Version 2 that is so compelling many will abandon waiting on all the promised devices and looking at it longer term, offer a product that the competition can't touch.



    It is no surprise that Apple was the first to market with a viable consumer-friendly tablet. What is a surprise and what must have the competition despairing is that Apple delivered a first-generation tablet with a generous 9.7" screen in combination with a compelling price. As we're discovering as pricing starts to be revealed for upcoming devices, no other manufacturer, right now, knows how to deliver a tablet the size of the iPad at anywhere near that device's starting price. My theory regarding all the emphasis on the 7" form factor is that what companies like Acer are looking at is the time when they'll be able to offer $200 tablets to undercut Apple's more upscale products. If you can get away with a smaller screen, that's a cost saving.
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