Linked by David Adams on Wed 17th Aug 2011 17:46 UTC
Ars Technica is reporting that US Retailer Best Buy has been able to sell less than 10% of the TouchPad tablets that it ordered from HP, and now wants HP to take them back. Similarly, deal-a-day site Woot offered TouchPads at a very aggressive price, and only managed to sell 612 of them. This is for a site that often sells out goofy tech widgets in hours. When the TouchPad was gearing up for release, there seemed to be a fair amount of interest among geeks. Is it just that it hasn't resonated the same way with the general public, or have people just been disappointed once they've put their hands on one?
Thread beginning with comment 485572
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by Thom_Holwerda on Wed 17th Aug 2011 18:48
in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2005-06-29
RE[5]: Comment by kovacm
by MOS6510 on Wed 17th Aug 2011 18:51
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2011-05-12
RE[5]: Comment by kovacm
by fretinator on Wed 17th Aug 2011 19:36
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2005-07-06
RE[5]: Comment by kovacm
by kovacm on Fri 19th Aug 2011 14:13
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2010-12-16
We'll see. Bookmark the comment, and we'll revisit this topic next year.
Here Thom, you have another "bookmarked" link 12 months old
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2010/05/07/what-will-hp-do-with-palms...
oh, no! it's Daniel !
Member since:2008-03-17
Dominate the industry? How exactly? The iPhone is still by far the most popular smartphone. It's true that all the hundreds of different models of Android devices that can be roughly categorized as "smart" phones sell more than the iPhone, but a huge chunk of those aren't even in the same category.
What do you mean by "roughly"? Android phones ARE smart phones. Yeah, they span the breadth from shitty to excellent but even the rubbish ones are smartphones.
The iPhone does not compete in the sub $50 subsidized cost market. Most android devices are competing with Symbian, Windows Mobile, lower spec blackberries, and dumb phones. They are certainly not dominating the high end smartphone segment by any means.
No, they aren't dominating the high end. But still are doing pretty darned well.
Edited 2011-08-17 21:00 UTC
RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by Neolander on Wed 17th Aug 2011 21:02
in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2010-03-08
High-end only ? You mean like Mac hardware, I assume. This approach has failed in the past, I'm not sure reproducing it is such a good idea.
Apple would never have the place they currently have in the DAP market if they hadn't learned to manufacture low-end devices. Things like the iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle. Stuff that normal people are massively interested in, because it's cheap and good enough, even if it's objectively a good ol' piece of junk.
Edited 2011-08-17 21:12 UTC
RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by Moredhas on Wed 17th Aug 2011 21:40
in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2008-04-10
I have yet to see a tablet that competes with the iPad 1, despite it's limitations.
Two words: Asus Transformer.
I've commented to this effect in other threads, so I'll keep this brief. I had an iPad, I got tired of it's limitations, it's not adequate for replacing a computer for any of my portable needs. I sold it, bought an Asus Transformer (For about $200 AU less than I spent on the iPad, including shipping from the US, AND the optional keyboard dock), and honestly there's no contest. The only good thing to come of me buying an iPad is the legitimacy it lends my opinion: nobody needs a giant iPod Touch, Android tablets, at least Honeycomb ones, are very usuable tablets; there is no functional difference between an iPad or an iPod.
RE[5]: Comment by kovacm
by Netfun81 on Wed 17th Aug 2011 22:15
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2008-03-25
Member since:2005-09-21
"I have yet to see a tablet that competes with the iPad 1, despite it's limitations.
Two words: Asus Transformer.
I've commented to this effect in other threads, so I'll keep this brief. I had an iPad, I got tired of it's limitations, it's not adequate for replacing a computer for any of my portable needs. "
I heard the Asus Transformer is good, but it wouldn't come anywhere close to replacing a laptop. No closer than the iPad does. The iPad at least does not pretend to try to replace a computer.
So I can type on a real keyboard on the Asus. Great, that's nice but it doesn't come close to the utility of a laptop. I can't run Word, I can't run Outlook, I can't program, I can't run any of the software I need at work. So it still is no replacement for a laptop and it's bigger, bulkier, and more fragile than a one-piece design. Given I still need my laptop I would much rather have an iPad in addition than an Asus Transformer.
RE[4]: Comment by kovacm
by Laurence on Thu 18th Aug 2011 08:29
in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by kovacm"
Member since:2007-03-26
Dominate the industry? How exactly? The iPhone is still by far the most popular smartphone. It's true that all the hundreds of different models of Android devices that can be roughly categorized as "smart" phones sell more than the iPhone, but a huge chunk of those aren't even in the same category.
The iPhone does not compete in the sub $50 subsidized cost market. Most android devices are competing with Symbian, Windows Mobile, lower spec blackberries, and dumb phones. They are certainly not dominating the high end smartphone segment by any means.
The iPhone does not compete in the sub $50 subsidized cost market. Most android devices are competing with Symbian, Windows Mobile, lower spec blackberries, and dumb phones. They are certainly not dominating the high end smartphone segment by any means.
I love how people (and even Job himself) continually move the goal posts when boasting about market share.
As much as you might try to convince yourself otherwise, Windows Mobile, Blackberries and Symbian are not dumb phones - they /are/ smart phones. In some cases they might not always be aimed at exactly the same target audience as the iPhone is but that change what they are.
You're whole argument sounds like the time Jobs was lumping MacBooks and iPods into the same category as the iPhone when boasting about sales just prior to the launch of the original iPad.
Member since:2005-09-21
" The iPhone does not compete in the sub $50 subsidized cost market. Most android devices are competing with Symbian, Windows Mobile, lower spec blackberries, and dumb phones.
As much as you might try to convince yourself otherwise, Windows Mobile, Blackberries and Symbian are not dumb phones "
You fail at reading. Read again.
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:33 UTC
Official Apple statement on PRISM and privacy: "Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it." This is basically Apple re-publishing their earlier statement in a more official manner. You either believe it, or you don't.
Linked by Anonymous on 06/18/13 22:26 UTC
The open source Contiki operating system and its commercial Thingsquare distribution are making strides towards the connected home. According to a Computerworld article, a new LED light bulb manufacturer is putting small computers into their light bulbs. Each computer runs the Contiki OS, which gives each bulb an IP address and allows them to be controlled with a smartphone application. To connect the bulbs to the application, the bulbs use both Wi-Fi and the much lower power IEEE 802.15.4 mesh technology.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:25 UTC
"Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. The legal filing, which cites the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, is the latest move by the California-based tech giant to protect its reputation in the aftermath of news reports about sweeping National Security Agency surveillance of Internet traffic." Draining the ditch after the cow has drowned in it.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:45 UTC
"I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:32 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)".
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:58 UTC
"The Internet is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes. But for 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach. And this is far from being a solved problem. There are many terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity - jungles, archipelagos, mountains. There are also major cost challenges. Right now, for example, in most of the countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month's income. Solving these problems isn't simply a question of time: it requires looking at the problem of access from new angles. So today we're unveiling our latest moonshot from Google[x]: balloon-powered Internet access." Insane.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:52 UTC
"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 21:03 UTC
Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm: "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 20:46 UTC
"And so it is with Dell's Alienware X51 R2, a small form factor gaming PC in console digs. It's shaped similar to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Slim, and though it's slightly larger than either a 360 or PlayStation 3, the X51 R2 would be right at home in a living room setting nestled next to a large screen TV. Indeed, it's adept at running Steam's Big Picture mode, and if your primary objective is to play games in the living room, go ahead and consider the X51 R2 a hybrid game console." This is obviously not the only machine like this - still, these are very valid console alternatives even for those that don't like being hunched over with a cramped WASD-claw. Also, PC gamers among us: could you get away with the $699 model for gaming?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 17:32 UTC
From Bloomberg: "Microsoft, the world's largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes." The lid has officially been blown off.More News »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2005-09-21
Dominate the industry? How exactly? The iPhone is still by far the most popular smartphone. It's true that all the hundreds of different models of Android devices that can be roughly categorized as "smart" phones sell more than the iPhone, but a huge chunk of those aren't even in the same category.
The iPhone does not compete in the sub $50 subsidized cost market. Most android devices are competing with Symbian, Windows Mobile, lower spec blackberries, and dumb phones. They are certainly not dominating the high end smartphone segment by any means.
I think it is you that will be surprised. I have yet to see a tablet that competes with the iPad 1, despite it's limitations. Impossible to predict further than a year out, but I don't think anything is going to change significantly. The cheap Android tablets are junk, and the somewhat decent ones are expensive. Not to say they don't have a market, there are plenty of people with blind apple hatred or a niche need that is not addressed by the iPad that are buying Android tablets, but they aren't anywhere close to making a product that is at the same level.
PS. I don't own an iPad.. Too expensive for the marginal utility it would give me over my phone, but playing with other tablets makes me realize how far behind they are.