Are tablets becoming the dinosaursof rapidly evolving technology age?
Print Edition
Only a few years ago, tablets were being hailed as the next big thing in technology, the revolutionary device that would put the final nail in the coffin of more “archaic” solutions like laptops and desktops
And indeed, tablets blazed an impressive trail at the start. Led by Apple’s iPad, which sold 15 million units in its first year of release in 2010, the global tablet market surpassed 200 million shipments in 2013.
But the buzz around tablets has taken a negative turn of late. Global sales are in decline, falling off by an estimated 9.7 percent in the second quarter of this year, according to market analyst IDC.
Even Apple is not immune. In the two quarters iPad sales have dropped significantly from a year earlier, by 3.1 million units in the second quarter alone.
Analysis points to a variety of factors contributing to such declines.
Tablets are not considered as “disposable” as smartphones. New models being released are not giving consumers enough incentive to upgrade, leading to longer purchase cycles.
The emergence of phablets has also put a strain on tablets. Consumers are reconsidering whether they need both a smartphone and tablet when phablets can give them the functionality of both in a single device.
But most critical, perhaps, is that many consumers see tablets as “nice to have” as opposed to “must have.”
Tablets do not serve a clear purpose in the minds of consumers, many of whom are finding their digital needs better fulfilled by other options.
Even so, the downward trajectory on tablets does not appear to have reached China — yet. IDC is forecasting a nearly 10 percent increase in units sold this year on the Chinese mainland, which seems to indicate a healthy market. But is the tablet market in China really immune in the long run to the same pressures leading to the global decline?
World of Convergence, an in-depth survey of the digital needs of Chinese consumers conducted by market research firm TNS, may help us look at the situation of the tablet in China.
At first glance, some signals point to tablets being a stable fixture in the mainland’s digital landscape.
A majority of tablet users have been spending more time on their devices in the past year, using them for activities such as making bookings and managing their finances.
But even so, four years on from the introduction of the first iPad, tablets occupy only a very small share of the time consumers devote to their digital activities.
For the most part, Chinese consumers have been turning to their smartphones for daily needs, using laptops or desktops to fill in the gaps.
The relatively low amount of time spent on tablets points to the underlying issue: How well do these devices meet the digital needs of Chinese consumers? The answer to this question paints a bleak picture.
When it comes to digital devices, Chinese consumers have a handful of fundamental expectations: high security, long battery life and uncompromised connectivity.
While none of these requirements is particularly surprising, they are nonetheless critical because they relate to all interactions consumers have with their digital devices. Falling short on these requirements puts a device at risk, and tablets do indeed fall short. Consumers find them particularly disappointing in delivering guaranteed protection of personal information and in reliable connectivity.
There is really no distinct digital need space that tablets “own.” World of Convergence identified 10 distinct occasions that define consumers’ideal requirements for delivery by digital solutions. In none of these areas do tablets emerge as the leader.
For nearly every digital need, including connecting with others, capturing images and even supporting health and well-being, consumers regard smartphones as a better choice than tablets.
And the devices that tablets were expected to drive to obsolescence — laptops and desktops? Consumers actually regard them as superior choices to tablets in three need spaces — seamless multi-tasking, versatile productivity and getting things done simply and securely. Laptops and desktops, while they certainly have their own issues to contend with, at least serve a clear purpose in the minds of consumers. That is something tablets cannot claim to do.
A digital device doesn’t necessarily have to be everything to everyone to be a success. But the problem for tablets is that they are not the any “thing” to anyone. Unless the next generation of tablets is more focused on addressing this problem, the devices are likely to head down the path of obsolescence themselves one day.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
