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because it is a sales gimmick to get people to pay top price for something less powerful and less feature laden based on looks and perceived coolness by the marketing department over real world function and power/capability/versatility.
In other words younger kids will think a tablet is cooler then a conventional Laptop that even though they may cost the same amount the laptop is 10X more powerful and capable of accomplishing real work loads and a lot more practical and useful but is not cool cause they grew up with their parents using them.
Funny that you bring up kids, over at a family get together over the holiday, parent were saying how their kids wanted laptops. They said the other parents in the school were saying the same thing, kids are wanting more function.
Funny that you bring up kids, over at a family get together over the holiday, parent were saying how their kids wanted laptops. They said the other parents in the school were saying the same thing, kids are wanting more function.
Unless your computing needs are very limited, a tablet is not a replacement for a laptop. Most users have both. It is a bit decadent, even extravagant, especially for students.
It is a bit decadent, even extravagant, especially for students.
Sure if you call video game systems such play station, xbox, and nintendo extravagant. I rember the Atari 2600 being $200 and games being $30. Intelivision and Coleco costing a little more.
How about the extravagance of CD, DVDs, and LPs of the past. Chances are the spending for those items by previous generations will far exceed the kid today and his $400 tablet.
because it is a sales gimmick to get people to pay top price for something less powerful and less feature laden based on looks and perceived coolness by the marketing department over real world function and power/capability/versatility.
In other words younger kids will think a tablet is cooler then a conventional Laptop that even though they may cost the same amount the laptop is 10X more powerful and capable of accomplishing real work loads and a lot more practical and useful but is not cool cause they grew up with their parents using them.
Do you know any actual kids? Have you used an actual tablet?
IME, people who think tablets are a complete waste of money and are stupid because laptops are only a few hundred more... haven't actually taken the time to use one.
I am a professional and I use my tablet all the time. I only use my laptop.... to play Battlefield4. That's it.
The kids I know want iPads and Android tablets. They don't care about writing a document in MS Word. They want to Facebook and SnapChat and Instagram and play Angry Birds... not Photoshop.
My 3 yr old can run an iPad. He is clueless how a mouse works.
10X more powerful? Because it has Word or Photoshop? You know many kids playing with Photoshop today?
What would a kid need a laptop for that a tablet cannot do?
3 yr old can run an iPad. He is clueless how a mouse works.
Very good point. My 3 year old was using our Android tablet when she was 2.
The recent biography of Steve Jobs told the story of a 6-year old kid in South America who had never seen a computer. Someone gave him an iPad. He taught himself how to use it in a manner of minutes, with no assistance from anyone else.
We have two desktops, a laptop and 3 tablets in our house...
Dekstop 1: Main computer in the sitting area of the master BR. I use it to play PC games and do basic computing from time to time. The kids use it occasionally.
Desktop 2: In the office area of the kitchen, mainly used by the kids to play flash games (Disney, Nick, etc.), do homework, etc.
Laptop: This is my son's computer and stays mainly in his room. He plays PC games, including online games like Roblox and Minecraft. He wanted something with horsepower to play the games, but also portable. He likes that he can take it to his grandparents if he is going there for the weekend.
The tablets: All of them are Google Nexus 7-12's. They technically each belong to one of the kids, but we all share them. They are ultra-portable and we can easily take all three with us wherever we go. The batteries easily last 12 hours even when being rather heavily used. They are mainly used for playing music, games, watching movies and TV shows, etc. When on a long trip in the car, we setup one of the cell phones as a hot spot and the kids can stream whatever they want. They were pretty cheap at $200 a pop and we have only paid for a few select apps. Since I set them all up on the same google ID, an app, book, video, etc. I buy on one becomes available on all the others as well. My now 4 year old (she was 3 when she got her tablet) took naturally to the tablet and can do whatever she wants with it. I personally think that smaller (7" or so) tablets are ideal for kids.
My wife and I use them as well as they are more comfortable to surf the net, read email, read a book, etc. on then our smart phones. We can sit on the couch, in bed, etc. and comfortably use a tablet. I can't lay down on the couch and use a laptop. There is nothing our decidedly "not highend" tablets can't do when it comes to basic daily computing tasks. No, they can't entirely replace a proper desktop or laptop for ALL things (though the current Windows tablets are coming close) but they are a great multiplier for a regular computer. I would personally be completely satisfied and able to cover all of my uses with a simple tablet and a desktop/laptop.
As for the "you should get a laptop over a tablet" argument, find me a remotely decent laptop for the $200 I would spend on a Nexus 7. You really can't. The laptop is also nowhere near as portable and universally usable as the tablet is. There isn't anywhere I can't use the tablet whenever I want however I want and it's vastly more portable.
...As for the "you should get a laptop over a tablet" argument, find me a remotely decent laptop for the $200 I would spend on a Nexus 7. You really can't. The laptop is also nowhere near as portable and universally usable as the tablet is. There isn't anywhere I can't use the tablet whenever I want however I want and it's vastly more portable.
The Chromebooks come close. They still are not as portable as a tablet, though.
The Chromebooks come close. They still are not as portable as a tablet, though.
I tend to look at the Chromebook as a "bloated, expensive tablet" more so than a "streamlined, cheap laptop". I like the concept, but the execution isn't as good as the newer Windows devices like the Asus Transformer or something like that. The big thing holding back the Chromebook is the Chrome OS.
We have two desktops, a laptop and 3 tablets in our house...
As for the "you should get a laptop over a tablet" argument, find me a remotely decent laptop for the $200 I would spend on a Nexus 7. You really can't. The laptop is also nowhere near as portable and universally usable as the tablet is. There isn't anywhere I can't use the tablet whenever I want however I want and it's vastly more portable.
Dell Venue 8 pro 32GB $250, + you need to get a keyboard +$80 = $320 about as close as I can get to calling it a laptop. And you can't charge it and use USB at the same time .
because it is a sales gimmick to get people to pay top price for something less powerful and less feature laden based on looks and perceived coolness by the marketing department over real world function and power/capability/versatility.
In other words younger kids will think a tablet is cooler then a conventional Laptop that even though they may cost the same amount the laptop is 10X more powerful and capable of accomplishing real work loads and a lot more practical and useful but is not cool cause they grew up with their parents using them.
This sounds really similar to the opinion my brother had about tablets when his kids ask for one for Christmas. As one would predict, he never used one before but didn't let his lack of knowledge and experience prevent him from feeling like he had all the answers. An all too common flaw in people.
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