Here’s a question: are you still using your iPad, your Nexus 7, your [insert tablet here] to do anything?
I ask because of two reasons: a perceived lack of interest in the new iPad and the fact that I, personally, don’t really use my own tablet (a Nexus 7) at all nowadays. I wondered if that was a trend that everyone had noticed or it was just a personal thing.
The argument from Apple with regards to the iPad was a sound one. People buy replace phones all the time but when it comes to tablets, they tend to buy one and stick with it — more like a console or a laptop. The life cycle is different. I think that makes perfect sense, but personally I’ve stopped using my tablet almost altogether.
This is for two main reasons. I have an 11-inch Macbook Air which is almost as small as a tablet and — obviously — feels way more flexible and useful than a tablet. I carry this around far more than my Nexus because it’s just almost as convenient.
What about you guys and girls? Are you still using tablets?
Comments
51 responses to “Off Topic: Are You Still Using Tablets?”
Internet while watching TV! iPad 2! No plans to upgrade! Exclamation mark!
When I watch movies & TV I go all in. Full attention, no distractions. 🙂
Yeah, same here for the stuff I care about. But if I’m just relaxing with TV on in background, I’ll internet.
No, but then I never used a tablet 😛
Probably not exactly the intended audience for any of this though. I do the buy-one-phone-and-stick-to-it thing too. Had my 8250 from something like 04-09, 6100 from 09-13 and will continue with my 808 for the foreseeable future. My usage doesn’t really warrant a need for anything more (nor a tablet).
Sometimes, was never a big tablet user. Best way to read digital comics though.
Mine’s pretty lame, if I had a better one I’d use it more.
This. It is the best way to read comics, and I also use mine as a PDF reader constantly to have open while doing assignments and work.
Not a Nexus, I don’t own one. But I still use my tablet to occassionally read and every night I use it for white noise.
i only use mine (ipad) for a secondary Deadman’s Cross account. Other than that, i just use my phablet for everything…
My tablet gets used so that my parents can watch shows I’ve *cough* found *cough* since it’s got a mini HDMI cable.
I also use it occasionally for comics, and to keep track of my character sheet in Shadowrun.
So yeah, I really don’t use it much.
I play iOS games on my iPad still, and sometimes use it to watch movies/tv shows using Plex.
I needs to set me up Plex one of these days. We’ll compare notes if you ever come to a Brisbane gathering! 😀
Yeah i have a similar use to you. Although now that i have an iPhone 6 i’m finding i use that a lot more for IOS games and web browsing and airplay Plex to the Apple TV.
I use my Nexus 7 sometimes for some games like the new Monster Strike and reading in bed at night. But that is about it. Still one of the best purchases I ever made.
I use my iPad every day. It’s my main internet browsing device at home.
I am also certain that it is the best device for Hearthstone.
Agreed!
I have a first gen nexus 7 but I still prefer my laptop.
I have an iPad Air that literally lives next to my bed, and whose main purpose is watching TV episodes, occasional YouTube, Comixology/Manga reader and rarely, games.
It gets used a few times a week, and rarely leaves the house, so it’s more a luxury than anything.
I use my Surface 2 for 90% of things, Xbox for all gaming and partner’s laptop when I desperately need x86 apps or Netflix 🙂
My wife pretty much hijacked the iPad as soon as I brought it home so I hardly use it for anything.
Sometimes she uses it in the loungeroom if her phone is charging, but mostly it lives in the bedroom where she uses it to browse the internet and read in bed, especially since it maintains a better wifi connection than her phone and the master bedroom doesn’t always get a great signal.
But mostly no, not really. It’s nice to have and we’d miss it if it was taken away, but it’s one of those things that’s just “there”. It’s a good thing they have pretty long life cycles (despite Apple pushing new upgrades out annualy) because I feel like you probably have to have it lying around 3 years to get your $1,000+ useage out of it (not that I paid for mine).
When it comes to recreational use only tablets it’s a bit like upgrading your seats on a 4 hour flight. You can never really justify the price you can only afford to not care. Not that there’s anything wrong with giving yourself a present if you can afford it.
I use my iPad Mini every day.
I’m using it now for this comment
Well I only very recently became an iPad owner. I asked for my bosses used one as he was getting an upgrade. It’s an iPad 2 with a somewhat cracked screen, but by no means unusable.
It’s great. I now have the best of both worlds with my Android phone and Apple tablet. Can get games/apps from both stores.
In saying that, I’m only really using this iPad to read eBooks. It’s been revolutionary for me and has really gotten me in to reading more. Sometimes use it to watch YouTube in bed, but find it a bit too bulky and bad on the eyes for that.
Yep all the time, sometimes more than my desktop. My lounge is way more comfortable than my desk chair.
I use mine extensively, mainly as an e-reader (books, manga and magazines). My old (first-gen) Nexus 7 didn’t have the resolution to show magazines effectively, but my newer Samsung tablet is fine for it.
I also use it as an extra web browser, particularly for checking web sites when I get stuck on something in a console game.
Other than that, I occasionally use the camera to photograph presentation slides or for taking notes (although I usually use a smartphone for that) and occasionally use it for videos on the run.
I almost never use it for gaming. If I’m gaming on the run I usually use my PSP – touch screen controls are terrible for many games.
I used my macbook to internet while watching TV.
I use my iPad 3 to read books on and roaming internet when in transit on trips, to read comics on and to use watch foxtel docos and stuff on the Go app I conned my mum into putting on there if I am super bored with literally everything else, or in bed not feeling well. That might sound like a lot, but generally it isn’t. I’m lucky to use it once or twice a month.
when did the word “internet” become a verb? (not meaning to nitpick, but I am curious)
Nope. Never had one. Combination of laptop, phone and handheld gaming devices suits me just fine. I have zero use for a tablet.
I use my iPad 3 quite a lot still – I use it as my guitar amp, watching video on the train (although if had splurged for a larger capacity iPhone 6 i probably would have dropped video from this list) and playing games where the extra real estate is valuable.
I still use it occasionally for web browsing but I’m finding more and more that the experience on my phone isn’t lacking enough to warrant me digging the iPad out of my backpack. In fact I reckon if it wasn’t for the amp modelling software I’d likely find other devices for everything else.
Not any more, my phone does what I need a tablet for.
I have an iPad mini that I use for checking emails, news, weather, playing a few games and messaging my parents (who both no longer have pc’s) and son (who uses an iPad for school and just about everything else). I prefer my pc though.
Also, I only replace my phone when it dies. It’ll be the same for the iPad.
Acer Iconia A500—a huge, unpretty brick by today’s standards, but relatively cheap and reliable at the time I got it (years ago). I still use it on the reg for comics, movies, and browsing, but definitely not pornservating.
You can probably add Hearthstone to the list when/if it comes out early 2015.
I use my ipad all the time. Read books, watch streaming content, facebook, draw using procreate, use the music apps with my keyboard, logic control for live use with mainstage, play games. I use it more than my PC, but my PC is crap ATM.
I still use my iPad 2 a lot. I use it for reading ebooks and internet browsing; It’s great for googling those burning questions like “was that bug my cat just ate poisonous?”
It also gets loaded up with Podcasts, movies and TV shows once a month when i need to spend 7 hours in the hospital having an infusion. I would lose my mind without some thing to do.
I have a tablet that I use to look up things while watching TV or playing games, and occasionally to read things on. Other than that, it rarely gets used in favour of my PC. Although, there are times I will use it as a remote client to my PC.
Where does the Surface fit into the question?
I had an old Samsung laptop and it got replaces with a surface pro 3. I use it almost exclusively on my lap or couch arm with the keyboard attached, it is used daily. So is that using a laptop or a tablet?
Tablet for internet surfing was just too inefficient with that onscreen keyboard. (and I am already an inefficient typer so that just made it doubly frustrating to use as an internet device).
I did until I dropped my Nexus 7 2013 model.
I plan on getting another eventually, but my laptop is doing me fine 🙂
I’ve got a big Lumia 1520 which handles a lot of my tablet functions, but I’ve also got a Surface Pro 3 as my business PC (and the Surface Pro I had before it is still floating around). I don’t think I use the tablet side of it enough to justify buying one but it’s paid for itself as a portable work desktop so the tablet stuff is just gravy.
i’ll occasionally use it to check the internet, or to use it as a remote for my blu-ray software on my pc.
I still use my Nexus 7, mainly when I’m on the train or travelling.
Have a tablet. Gave it to the wife because I never use it and feel bad its going to waste.
Want it back now. I’m starting to feel like the toddler that forgets about his toy and only wants to play with the toy because someone else is playing with it.
I have an iPad 4th gen (Retina but not the Air). Like some others, I use it for web browsing and games (FTL, Card Dungeon, Hexiled etc). I also game on PS4. Share a Mac with wife. No laptop.
I’m not sure I’d be able to find a use for an Android tablet though – too many iOS apps purchased over the years.
I use mine mostly for reading comics and doing light computer stuff when I don’t want to turn on my work computer. I also just upgraded my ipad 1 to the new air 2 my plan is to use the video recording and editing more
I have surface pro 3 which gets used daily. Jot down notes or ideas, drawings, designs in one note. Also love the screen cap feature for annotating stuff.
Don’t use it too much for general consumption type stuff but that was why I never got a tablet before now.
I use mine on the reg, mainly for a metric ton of Hearthstone and watching Premier League on the Foxy app. The missus uses it for shopping.
Education Queensland gives out Acer Iconia W701s to Year 11/12 students instead of netbooks now. Overall, they’re pretty shit, but what I can do on it makes me want to get another (superior) Windows tablet in the future for uni, etc.
It’s both very useful for uni notes and a glorified YouTube watching device. Can’t live without it.
Reading this on my Xperia Z2 tablet right now, I use it often for internet and Facebook or Twitter when I’m lounging around. Also use it to watch TV shows or movies when my girlfriend is watching big brother or other shows I have no interest in.
I use my Note Pro 12.2 WiFi daily, mainly for video content (predominately Youtube) and comic reading (this is the main reason I picked a 12.2 over a 10.4 despite the cost difference, the note over tab, cause I already had a Note 2, so I’m accustomed to having the stylus), and also for spontaneous internet browsing (such as on the spot queries and game guides) and email, though I don’t game on it anywhere near as much as I expected, especially for games such as the Anomaly series, Fieldrunners, GLWG and GBWG, Greed Corp etc, though my current attempts to work through my PC pile of shame may have something to do with that, God dammit I spent money on all these games, I will play them…eventually…probably…maybe…*sobs*.
I use my Note 8.0 daily at work. The stylus really allows me to use it for work, great for taking notes, marking up documents and beats the heck out of carrying around a giant binder of paper like all the other suckers. Not to mention I have access to every document I’ve touched in the past year, all searchable, all shareable. Yes I could do all this on a phone but a tablet is far more comfortable to use. When I get home my daughter can’t leave it alone, the Lego duplo games are very well made games for kids, and drawing with the stylus is far less messy and wasteful that markers/paint and paper.
Never needed one as I have a laptop on the coffee table and I don’t play touch/mobile games.
Almost got one for the gf to read ebooks on, but ended up just getting her a newer phone instead.
I stopped using my Galaxy tab because I bought a Surface Pro 3.
I love it. I love it like my own child.