Dec
19
posted at: 11:28 AM
The mobile tablet market is emerging, and with the JooJoo hitting the market in early 2010, rumors have been flying about the Apple and Microsoft entering the space with their own ultraportable devices. We all know what happened to the UMPC, which failed to live up to the huge amount of hype it received in late 2005. What is going to make the tablet market any different?
Here are five things early tablets will need to have in order to live up to the hype and attract consumers.
User Experience
This is de-facto these days with any new device, and ever since the iPhone came about, consumers expect their devices to not just be beautiful to look at, but to create a feeling of enjoyment while using them. For a tablet to succeed, it needs to not just look awesome, but feel awesome to use as well.
Recently, Bonnier R&D created a conceptual user experience video of how we might use tablet devices to consume print and magazine media, something Apple has been rumored to be pursuing with a number of major outlets. This type of experience would attract consumers in a way that could provide a new distribution channel for dying old media.
Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.
Battery Life
One of the most attractive qualities of e-book readers like the Kindle and Nook is their phenomenal battery life. Having good battery life is a no-brainer, but we could be talking about a device with an OLED screen, WiFi, Bluetooth and perhaps other functionality such as a DVD drive, a camera, or RFID sensors. All of this could add up to a lot of battery loss.
The iPhone already has terrible battery life compared to other smartphones, so if tablet manufacturers hope to dip into the e-book market share, the battery life is going to need to be much better than the iPhone's.
Developer Program
It can't be stated enough how the App Store's success has influenced the iPhone's marketability. The key selling points for a tablet device might not be enough to convince consumers at launch, but the possibilities available for developers could have an iPhone-like effect. There is a huge opportunity for gaming, electronic music, the medical industry and the emerging augmented reality industry to name a few.
Price
Tablets are going to fall into a tricky spot with pricing if they are going to compete with the already popular netbook market. It's reasonable to assume they will be more expensive than many smartphones, and potentially some netbooks, but if they stray much more expensive than the $500 - $600 range, consumers will be considering a lower-end laptop as an alternative.
Data Accessibility
WiFi access is a given for tablet devices, and that's a reasonable expectation for upcoming tablets. Mobile data is another story. Requiring consumers to purchase a separate 3G or 4G data plan for a tablet device could greatly deter sales. One opportunity that could really make tablets appealing would be the ability to tether your data connection with the connection on your smartphone. iPhone already supports this functionality in its native OS, there are also other options for tethering on Android and Windows Mobile.
What do you think? Are there any factors that are key in order for tablet devices to be successful?