What is portable?
Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 11:15AM Jim Dalrymple, the man behind The Loop and Amplified has been known to curse the Samsung Galaxy Note. Like many who are into their Apple products, they see the Note as a monstrosity that should not be classed as a phone. As far as the Note is concerned I tend to agree on the portability front, but I would like to use the same argument for the iPad, and his beard.
The Google Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" are both excellent tablets and their size makes them 'go anywhere' devices for when you want to catch up on the move. The lack of 3G aside, the size is what intrigues me with these devices and I find myself using a 7" tablet much more than my iPad when not at home. I could argue that the iPad is a monstrosity of a tablet in comparison. As much as I believe the iPad to be the best tablet available today, it is not portable and like most other tablets is not good for creation.
Their is a perception that has been driven by many of the Apple-related blogs that the iPad is perfect for creation. It isn't. Just because some clever musicians have created music on an iPad or because some seriously talented artists have drawn beautiful pictures does not make it a creative device for the rest of us. I can't update this blog easily with my iPad, I don't write freelance articles on the iPad and I don't expect to. I use it for web browsing, gaming, watching movies, occasional email and Twitter, all of which work just as well on a 7" tablet. And when I want to get some serious work done, my iMac is the tool I use and probably always will.
Rumours persist of Apple working on a smaller iPad and I for one hope that they are true because in my experience the smaller size works better 80% of the time. When travelling, lying in bed or simply sitting in a coffee shop and passing the time of day, a smaller tablet makes everything seem easier, not constrained.
Jim is brilliant- The Loop is an example of how to push an unbiased blog to the masses, Amplified is a must-listen-to event for me and his laugh is one of the highlights of my week. He is different from the usual bloggers and tech geeks in almost every way. His beard, in comparison to normal beards, is far from portable, but it does make him stand out. The thing is that tablets shouldn't stand out, they should simply fit the lives we lead.
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Reader Comments (3)
" As much as I believe the iPad to be the best tablet available today, it is not portable and like most other tablets is not good for creation."
Wow that is a very broad sweeping statement which I don't agree with. Are laptops portable? Many would argue that they are and relative to a desktop certainly. Of course there are so many different variants and the "sweet spot" for portability varies - I think many would find 13" a good size and that is certainly the top Apple notebook seller.
As for the comparison with the Note vs other smartphones - the same applies. YMMV is applicable here, and many on this forum are happy to lug a note around as a compromise device between tablet and smartphone. But I would argue most would agree this is not a conducive size to use as a *phone*
A direct comparison with the iPad is *not* applicable here because you don't hold an ipad to your ear. It is portable - maybe not for you but for many of us it is an ideal size.
I've written this in previous comments - 7" is fantastic for casual reading - after all it's almost novel size. However, for *technical* and business reading/work 7" is too small. Like it or not the standard business document is larger than 7" - A4 for the rest of the world, US letter in the US - and this is not a comfortable size to shrink to 7" for working for longer periods.
I do agree that for most content creation a desktop or a standard laptop is still king, but there are a whole heap of uses in between that do not require a full laptop. The iPad has lightened the bag I carry, because instead of several books and a laptop I carry a single ipad. It's good enough for editing a presentation and for email/casual web browsing and importantly as a medical reference. 7" devices are not good for medical references, technical references or even school textbooks - these types of books contain alot more than just text and 7" is just too small. Some might even remember several companies trying to produce double-screened devices to accomodate these types of books.
Not comfortable for casual readers/bloggers? Maybe. But portable for students (uni/school), medical staff, business etc? Yes. There is no way I can replace my ipad 10" comfortably with a 7". But i would consider a 7" for taking on holidays or a plane trip.
My children (8y7m, 6y) each have galaxy wifi 5" devices, only a little smaller than a Note and certainly don't have any problems using them.
My HTC phone with its 3.7" display seems a bit weedy compared to my wife's Sensation's 4.3", and the latter seems close to the ideal size for her. When I play with the kid's 5" galaxies I get the urge to buy a Note!
I agree with Paul and disagree with David (surprise) about what's portable. I 'lug' the Note around in my front jeans pocket and it's not only great for an extended cafe surf but also editing spreadsheets that have been emailed in to me and even the odd phone call (I'm a bloke and it looks just fine in my bloke sized hand). I imagine the S3, One X and Nexus would all be as competent as they're not much smaller screens. Though for all I've gathered the One X might only be good for taking videos when falling out of an aircraft.
Apple's solution seems to be a 2 device option. The iPhone, good for calls texts and casual (Angry Birds style) games but for more intensive work, surfing, or first person shooter style gaming, that tiny screen just isn't enough. I've tried gaming on my wife's iPod (same screen) and end up discharging half my ammunition when all I wanted to do was look around. That's where the iPad comes in... and the man bag. I can seriously see Apple going down the smaller iPad route now the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire have been successful but unless you have a jacket or cargo pants it'll still need something to be carried around in; Not lugged, obviously.