Tablets are completely useless/crap and pointless!!

[scruffypig]

I use mine to proof photos. The screen is perfect for that.

 

[WeAreAllUnique]

I can see there point that the OP is making. For me, the tablet/iPad is a luxury item, something that I really don't need. If needed, I can be just as productive on my smartphone as I can on an iPad. So there is a lot of overlap there. And to have a smartphone, iPad, and laptop can be a little much for me.

 

[Friendzone]

A tablet is more comfortable to couch surf, more portable to take on vacations than laptops, and easier on eye strain to look at for longer stretches than a phone. So yep, they have their place in the world. If you can afford 3 devices then buy all 3. If not then pick which suit you best. No point in advocating eliminating that choice for others.

 

[TripleOne]

I actually find them useful.. but not as useful as a laptop.

I do like having a laptop, tablet and a phone.

 

[Just_Me_D]

...
I do like having a laptop, tablet and a phone.

Same here...

 

[Rob Phillips]

I actually find them useful.. but not as useful as a laptop.

I do like having a laptop, tablet and a phone.

Me too! I find myself using my iPad Pro WAY more than my MacBook Pro though. I've grown so accustomed to the app environment and the touch interface.

 

[TripleOne]

Me too! I find myself using my iPad Pro WAY more than my MacBook Pro though. I've grown so accustomed to the app environment and the touch interface.

That's exactly why I love iOS!

 

[mrjayviper]

still find viewing videos, reading books and etc are better served on my ipad compared to my phones (iphone plus and LG G3. both 5.5in)

 

[Evilguppy]

Ever heard of "to each his own"? Lol. My computer is my iPad Pro 9.7 without the keyboard because for me the whole point of a tablet is to do away with the keyboard, though I do use my pencil a lot.
I love my phone, and that's all I bring when working on trail reports because my pack is heavy enough as it it, but otherwise it's mostly my iPad.

 

[Alexnewguy]

aaaahhhh also have to disagree. Although for me personally a tablet is utterly useless I think there's many people out there who find them more than just useful, maybe even essential. I even know people who do completely without a laptop or computer in any other form and just stick to tablets and smaller phones; not everyone wants a phonebooth in their pocket, even if it CAN do almost everything

 

[Swapnil Vartak]

I agree with the OP in that Tablets are essentially a middle ground between a phone and a laptop without being an expert in either. Tablets are a luxury, an indulgence, something you can easily do without, provided you have a laptop.
And for those who say that their tablets do most of the stuff they would do on a laptop, they don't really need the laptop in the first place.

 

[trw1602]

Tablets are for consumption and very convenient. I have hundreds of e-books and prefer to read them on my iPad as opposed to my phone or laptop/desktop.

You obviously have never really worked with an iPad if you think they're just for "consumption".

 

[trw1602]

I sketch, write blog posts, have started writing a book, write code and push to GitHub, monitor my apps and ssh into servers on iPad. It's funny to me how little Apple fans know about the platform and apps on that platform they're using. I also edit photos, run through tasks in OmniFocus and manage email and large DEVONthink databases. Not so sure about "just for consumption". Maybe for you. Some people can get work done on a myriad of devices.

 

[joemd60]

I have not had a tablet, or laptop for quite some time now.
Dropping 1K plus on either or is not feasible for me.
My main use has been my 7plus. If I had a choice on what else to purchase, I would probably get a laptop.
The fact you cannot sync, back up,or update your smartphone to iTunes on an iPad. That's a deal breaker to me.
Aside of size for better viewing. I have not found one thing an iPad can do, that my 7 plus cannot do.
But I wouldn't go as far as calling an iPad or any other tablet useless, or becoming obsolete.
I am sure if you're a student, or a business person they are useful tools for one reason or another.

 

[Carjackd]

I have a iPad Air II which handles mostly everything I need to do. However my wife's surface pro 4 can accomplish everything

 

[BlackBerry Guy]

Everyone has their own preferences and use cases. Size and form factor play a big part in this.

I have friends that are perfectly fine using a larger phone and a traditional or convertible laptop. For me, My phone is the one device I have with me pretty much all the time. I don't want to have to carry a large phone around with me, and find that something around the 5" size is perfect. The iPad is perfect for reading the news in the morning before I head to work, web browsing or reading a comic on the couch, or watching a show or movie on the plane or in bed. Yes, I could easily do this on my phone or laptop as well - but the tablet's size and form factor makes the experience more comfortable than on my Pixel, and also makes it easier to handle than my MacBook.

The iPad can't do anything a phone or laptop cant also do. It's just that for certain use cases and scenarios, it offers a better experience.

 

[Matty]

Hey @ShaunAFC3 ,

If you look at a lot of the tablets being made today, they don't run any special processor and a lot of them have the same Snapdragon 820 (for example) that you would find in a smartphone.

One of the reasons tablets are being used is for that intermediate screen size.(in my opinion) Watching a movie on a 5.1" screen can become a little small but if you have a 9.7" screen, then things become a lot better.

Another could be for the price, you getting a nice big screen with a boatload of power that's much cheaper than a laptop (iPad vs Macbook Pro)

So there are definitely pros to having and using a tablet

 

[ShaneBunting]

I use an iPad 5 as my sole computer, along with an iPhone SE. What a fantastic combination. I think the 2017 onwards description should be that: yes, a tablet can replace your laptop completely... UNLESS, you have specialist needs: e.g. 4K movie editing .. coding .. etc. 90% of people don't do those things and for them, any iPad offers a superior experience in screen quality, battery life, build quality, ease of use and all the rest.

If you look at iOS 11 and Apple's sales of iPad's since you'll see that they're far from discontinuing them. Tablets are the future. Not today's iPads yet, not the Surface Pro 4 (Thank god).. but they will continue to evolve slowly until every need can be solved with them and when the iPad does find a way for programmers or heavy-lifting movie editing apps.. it'll be far superior to what we know today as the desktop experience.

OP seems like he posted this to start a debate, well I've responded with my personal opinions on the matter.

 

[TripleOne]

The battery life of the iPad is definitely much better than a MBP

It's one of the things that I love the iPad for, unreal battery life.

 

[adam13141]

In my opinion, for consuming media and reading books, iPad is king. I can do those same things on my MacBook Pro, but the portability of the iPad makes it superior. You can do the same things on your phone as you can on a tablet but that doesn’t make the the tablet useless. The tablet does certain things better than a phone or laptop, and that’s why it is valuable.