Do I need a tablet test. Is it worth buying a tablet? So is an iPad necessary?

In that Apple year rebooted iPad lines, which revived the tablet market and aroused considerable user interest.

Some are in a hurry to upgrade their old device to a new one, while others are just thinking about purchasing their first iPad. Let's figure out whether a tablet is needed today.

How the iPad gained popularity

It's no secret that the idea to release the iPad appeared in Apple yet before the first one comes out iPhone models. Who knows what the iPad would look like today if its development had not been influenced by the iPhone and iOS.

Perhaps we would see a tablet with a full macOS version on board, which could easily replace a laptop in hiking conditions. However, the iPad took a different path of development, initially resembling a bloated iPod, and soon opened up a whole niche of compact entertainment devices.

Bill Gates, when the first iPad appeared, called it “a good e-reader and nothing more.”

The tablet was received ambiguously by users; many did not understand what to do with the device, in what scenarios to use it. Only a year later, in 2011, when the iPad 2 was released, there was a small revolution in the market mobile devices.

Tablet Apple second generation has become thinner and lighter, it has acquired a branded accessory Smart Cover, the developers equipped the device with cameras and a gyroscope. More efficient hardware ensured greater responsiveness and smoother operation.

By that time third party developers filled App Store thousands of useful and not so useful applications for iPad.

All this against the backdrop of an acceptable price tag contributed to the popularization of the iPad.

Judge for yourself: at the start of sales in autumn 2011 iPhone 4s with a minimum of 16 GB of memory cost 36,990 rubles. At the same time, basic iPad 2 with a 16 GB drive cost 18,990 rubles, and for 30,990 rubles gave away iPad 2 with 64 GB of memory and SIM card slot.

In those days, even Apple positioned its tablet as a device for consuming content, not for creating it. iPad took over home computer or bedside reader. Looking at a 9.7-inch display was more pleasant than focusing on the 3.5-4 inch iPhones of that time.

How to start working on iPad

With the development of technology, the iPad received a high-quality Retina display with incredible resolution, which was higher than most laptops produced. Mobile processor became more powerful.

Software developers decided to provide the user with the ability to create content on the tablet screen.

Mobile office applications have appeared, all kinds of graphic editor, mobile clients for some server programs.

Enthusiasts and geeks immediately decided to switch from computers and laptops to tablets. At that time it was terribly inconvenient. The rudimentary level of development of serious mobile applications and restrictions Apple technology made the work practically unbearable.

Row simple tasks and processes could be performed on iPad already Then.

Apple did not stand aside and we saw an official keyboard and stylus for the tablet, although before this third-party developers had already released decent solutions.

What's the deal with iPad today?

Over the past 2-3 years, the situation with tablets has remained virtually unchanged. Working with an iPad is still inconvenient, and consuming content on iPhone is faster and simpler.

Smartphone screens already provide the necessary area for maneuvers; you can easily read a book, view news online, play or watch short videos. To watch movies and TV series, it is better to use a computer or a large TV.

The iPad is not suitable for entertainment: simple things with iOS can be done on the iPhone, but for complex things there are consoles, computers and TVs

Working on an iPad in 2017 is just as inconvenient as it was a few years ago. No keyboard or stylus will make the process easier.

An iPad can only be used for work by a person who exclusively uses office applications, instant messengers and mail, while it is practically unlimited in time.

Editing photos on an iPad is always a pain. Most mobile photo editors do not even allow you to accurately frame a photo, asking you to choose by eye desired area. To make 5-7 simple illustrations for an article on an iPad, you can spend up to half an hour.

When you know all the necessary shortcuts, photo processing in Photoshop takes a matter of seconds and the same 5-7 images are prepared in a maximum of a minute.

Work with official app WordPress platforms, on which our site is based, causes only obscene language. The banal saving of a draft to send for approval turns into a whole ritual.

For what can be done in 5 mouse clicks on a computer, on iOS you have to use third party applications and spend several minutes struggling with dialog boxes.

So is an iPad necessary?

This is exactly the question I asked myself at the beginning of the year. My old one iPad 4 satisfied in all respects. It worked relatively vigorously, pulled everything it needed, confidently held a charge, even despite its age, but the time for an upgrade had come.

Rumors were circulating about the imminent release of a new tablet and I quickly sold the old one.

In the spring, Apple introduced the old new. Great device at a fair price. A month earlier, I sold a 2012 iPad 4 with a set of accessories for not much less.

I was in no hurry to buy, because rumors about new iPad did not subside.

And now at the beginning of summer Apple shows second iPad in a year. Quite a serious update, change in diagonal, new features, increased display frequency, etc.

A double blow to consciousness was dealt in Cupertino potential buyers and immediately showed the chips for the new tablet.

I again resisted and did not fall for the marketing ploy. Waited for the sensible ones and stable beta version iOS 11.

After that I borrowed iPad time Air 2 and downloaded iOS 11 to it. I tried the device again to work: again it was a miss.

Neither the updated Dock, nor the convenient windowed mode, nor the new Drag & Drop simplified my workflow on the iPad. I still lack the ability to work with removable drives, I am forced to use “crutches” to transfer photos from a flash drive or memory card from the camera, I cannot fully save the necessary data on the device itself, the screen size is not enough for two applications.

Third-party software still has limited capabilities and does not provide all the benefits of desktop versions.

For six months without an iPad, I never once felt an urgent need for a tablet, although before that I actively used it at home, on vacation, and took the iPad for walks in the park.

All home forays into the Internet without a tablet, as before, were divided into mobile and full-fledged ones. For the former, a smartphone is enough, while the latter is faster and easier to do on a computer.

I solve work issues on a full-fledged laptop in a matter of minutes, remembering with relief the operations performed on the iPad.

It turns out that we ourselves created a niche for ourselves with tasks that we began to perform on the iPad. Apple just pushed us towards this and did nothing else.

Today practically everyone iPad owner can easily return to the scenario of 8-10 years ago. Phone for calls and messages, computer for work and entertainment. If you dilute all this with the modern capabilities of smartphones, smart TVs, set-top boxes and consoles, the iPad turns out to be clearly superfluous.

This explains Apple's attempt to revive user interest in the iPad line.

Nice try Tim, but the iPad is no longer needed these days.

When tablets first appeared, marketers had great hopes for them. Everyone thought it was an extremely convenient form factor electronic devices, which is ideal for consuming information: reading, watching videos, surfing, playing games and so on. Tablets were predicted to have a brilliant future and a quick victory over laptops and, perhaps, even smartphones.

However, things turned out a little differently. After the first surge came a long period stagnation, which then gave way to a crushing drop in sales. Today, consumers are buying fewer and fewer “pills”: they simply don’t need them. And here are five explanations for this.

Smartphones have become bigger and more powerful

The average smartphone screen size has increased significantly over the past few years. In addition, they even began to be equipped with such processors and such volume random access memory, which can easily cope with almost any task. Thanks to this, users can comfortably solve almost all their tasks using mobile devices, without feeling any need to carry tablets with them.

Laptops have become smaller and lighter

Long gone are the days when a laptop was a heavy and hot device that could not be kept away from a power outlet for long periods of time. Today these are compact, lightweight and very energy-efficient gadgets that are much more convenient to work with than tablets.

Now we can confidently state that laptops have been able to change and repel attempts by tablets to push them out of the market. If you are going to use the device for work, then the choice is obvious. And he is not in favor of tablets.

Tablet autonomy is no longer an advantage

Yes, most of them can last longer on battery life than smartphones or laptops. But the question is not who takes longer, but how much users actually need.

Almost any modern smartphone easily survives until the end of the day. The number of laptops that can work for 6–8 hours without recharging is growing rapidly, and their price is falling. Thus, today many devices can function during the working day, and nothing more is required. In any case, the person too, during which time the gadget can be recharged.

For special tasks - special devices

Initially, tablets were positioned as universal devices, which will replace the user with a set electronic gadgets. And first of all, manufacturers of devices using electronic ink became worried: it seemed that their business was coming to an end.

However, life put everything in its place. True reading lovers still prefer e-books and they don’t like tablets too much. After all, only with the help of an e-reader can you truly immerse yourself in the reading process without the danger of damaging your eyes.

Much the same can be said about games. If you just need to fill a few minutes with something, you can do this using your smartphone. And if you are a hardcore gamer, you definitely won’t use a “tablet” as gaming platform. Why is this when there is PC, PS4, Xbox and their derivatives?

I'll find a use for it when I have a tablet

No, it's typical mistake which leads to unnecessary purchases. It was done by all those people whose tablets have been lying around in desk drawers for months - discharged, unnecessary and forgotten. Why should you repeat their mistakes?

If you can’t think of a reason why you will use the tablet every day before purchasing, then you definitely won’t do it later. Or can you still do it? Then share them in the comments!

Sometimes we don’t dictate the rules of life, but sometimes life itself shows us the conditions. A tablet is not an essential item, but everyone buys it so zealously... Why? Let's figure this out: consider all its advantages and disadvantages, calculate the target audience and draw general conclusions. We will talk about everything in order in our article today.

What is a tablet?
- represents, roughly speaking, a large sensory mobile phone from computer (almost) operating system. If we draw another analogy, then a tablet is the same computer, only touch-sensitive and without system unit. Yes, it has several differences, such as - there is no drive and there is not always an input for. However, overall it is the same computer.

Advantages of a tablet computer

• Ergonomic - it takes up very little space, but at the same time, it is quite functional, since it has all the necessary functions.


• It has a built-in WiFi receiver, and sometimes 3G or 4G connection. This allows you to access the Internet anywhere.


• There is a built-in battery that allows you to work on it for up to 10 full hours.


• Touch screen, which eliminates the need for a keyboard or computer mouse for work.


• It often has a photo and video camera, which allows you not only to take and immediately save photos or videos on your tablet computer, but also to use this functionality for communicating via Skype.


• Does not require self-installation operating system. The update is also very simple (almost automatically).


• 98% of all programs are in a certified store, where you can either buy a program or game or get it for free (by finding an alternative).

Disadvantages of the tablet:

• Constant connection to the Internet. You shouldn't buy a tablet if you don't have wireless at home. WiFi networks, and there is still no way to connect the Internet in another way (for example, using 3G).


• Not all programs have alternatives that work on a PC. If you have certain requirements for programs that must be installed on the tablet, then constant problems, since the tablet has a different operating system, which means that not all software companies have made alternatives for it.


• Weak battery, which, unfortunately, is quite common, unless we are talking about tablets iPad computers And iPad Mini from Apple.


• You should not buy a tablet if you consider a screen less than 10 inches to be a disadvantage, since this is exactly what the tablet has, although the well-thought-out OS does not make it possible to scold the small diagonal.

Who is the tablet designed for? the target audience?! Everything is simple here, the following people need a tablet:

1. Office workers who are often on the go and need access to basic documents and the Internet;


2. Modern people who like to spend free time on the Internet or using gadgets.


3. For movie fans who can't live without movies and TV series. A tablet will be a great lifesaver here, especially if the battery can withstand long periods of watching movies without recharging.


4. People who travel a lot or are simply often on the road. This gadget is capable of very good entertainment: music, films, games and Internet capabilities.

If you find yourself among the listed candidates, then you should buy a tablet!

Frequently asked questions related to purchasing a tablet

There are a number of related questions that are asked when purchasing a tablet. We would like to highlight them now, giving the necessary answers to them. So let's get started?!

Is it worth buying a Chinese tablet?
Yes, if you are buying for a child or teenager who, in principle, still doesn’t care what capabilities a real one should have. Tablet PC. For an adult, it is better not to buy Chinese tablet analogues: very weak battery, low-quality screen, lack of most functions (hence, even downloading an application on it will be problematic), low-quality plastic, etc.

It is completely unsuitable for full-time work or entertainment, it is better not to save money, but to buy a really good tablet computer, from a well-known manufacturer with positive reviews in online stores.

Is it worth buying cheap tablet?
If your budget is limited to a minimum, but the desire to buy a tablet continues, then in principle you can buy a cheap tablet. However, here you need to choose carefully by finding it on the Internet real reviews people who bought and tested this or that model. Naturally, look at the characteristics, study video reviews, and if all of them suit you, then, of course, it’s worth buying such a tablet.

Is it worth buying a tablet if you have a laptop?
To be honest, such a question can be considered incorrect, since these are two completely different devices, despite the apparent similarity. It’s the same as asking: “Is it worth buying a passenger car if I already have a GAZelle truck?” That is, you, of course, can go to the sea beach without a truck, but it will still not look entirely natural, and you will spend much more gasoline than you could.

This is approximately the same situation with a laptop; it is bulky enough to always carry with you and use in public transport or another place. A tablet computer is a more mobile thing that can be used anytime, anywhere, without attracting attention. In addition, as a rule, the battery charge on a tablet lasts for a much longer period of time than on a laptop.

Therefore, to sum up this question, we answer categorically – “YES!” It’s worth buying a tablet, even if you already have a laptop!”

Is it worth buying Graphics tablet?
To begin with, you must understand that a graphic tablet computer is a completely different technique that is used by artists and designers to create images immediately on the computer (they draw on it with a special stylus). It is similar to a tablet, only in name and, in principle, looks a little similar in appearance.

Whether to buy it or not, we cannot clearly answer here. Yes, this is an interesting toy, but how long will it last?! However, if you are engaged in design or art professionally, then, of course, a graphics tablet will be an excellent purchase!

After the appearance of inexpensive “tablets” on sale, many personal PC users who dream of purchasing a popular mobile gadget, a difficult dilemma arose. It is quite difficult to decide what is better: to collect enough funds to buy a device from one of the well-known manufacturers, or to save money and buy a product at an affordable price made in China? On the one hand, cheap tablets raise concerns, but on the other hand, you don’t want to overpay for the brand. Let's try to figure out this difficult problem together.

Cons

Can they be good? Nowadays, on the shelves of online stores there are often models of “tablets” that can only be recommended for purchase to a sworn enemy. Sometimes the number of oddities and flaws that some seven-inch monsters demonstrate simply amazes even the most experienced user. I just want to ask some manufacturers: “Why produce such garbage?” After all, many people who are so interested in cheap tablets that they decide to buy them, after inevitable disappointment, will definitely complain to their friends, and they will share the information with their acquaintances, as a result, the image of the manufacturer will fall through the floor. I don’t know about you, but for me this remains a real mystery. In order not to be unfounded, we note what users who are attracted to cheap tablets may encounter:

1. Absence Wi-Fi module, although the price tag says the opposite.
2. Low battery capacity.
3. Insufficient RAM capacity.

All this negates the gain in price, because it is almost impossible to use such “monsters” normally. For those who are interested in cheap, we note that the border between overly budget and quite tolerable models is at about

Pros

In the first half of September 2013, Brian Krzhanych, the giant Intel, said in an interview that today cheap tablets have received the green light, and soon the price of new devices from this company will still drop below the hundred-dollar mark. It is not yet known what operating system they will be under. work - Android or Windows, because Atom chips can support both Google and Microsoft platforms. It is unlikely that such a well-known company will disdain quality, because the loss of image for today's leaders, unlike Chinese little-known companies, in conditions of fierce competition is simply unacceptable. Among popular brands, the price leader so far is Google's 8MB, which starts at $170, but will it be able to maintain its position until the end of the year? After all, it recently had a worthy opponent from HP - the seven-inch Slate 7 tablet, the price of which is approximately at the same level. Time will show.

From all of the above, the following conclusion suggests itself: if the highest priority when buying a tablet is price, then it is best to focus on well-known and well-proven seven-inch models from well-known market leaders. Well, if you are still interested in gadgets with big screen, then you will have to wait a little longer, it will do its job very quickly, and prices will continue to fall. As for the “Chinese”, here, with rare exceptions, the saying that the miser pays twice is justified.