There's no doubt tablets have been getting a lot of hype in the media lately but it seems as if the public just aren't that bothered, at least the ones who weren't queuing round the block to pick up an iPad 2. In a recent consumer survey conducted by Broadband Genie it was found that 75% of those who responded had no intention of buying a tablet this year.
Almost 12% said they would purchase a tablet if the price was right though for 63% it was a definite no. This suggests that price is a key deciding factor when it comes to buying a tablet and there's certainly been nothing cheaper than an iPad yet that has proved to be a compelling offering.
It also shows that a lot of people just aren't that bothered. The word 'toy' is thrown around a lot when describing tablets and until they can provide a solution which will make it easier to do the more complex tasks which are much easier on a PC, laptop, or even a netbook (such as word processing and film editing) that's all they'll be.
“Instead of becoming the super selling phenomenon many predicted, it's looking as if tablet PCs will be more of a slow burner. Right now, with even cheap devices falling into the £300+ price bracket, many people can't justify the cost. Tablet PCs and iPads simply don't adequately replace a laptop/netbook or smartphone in the vast majority of cases. Also, they serve no real purpose of their own” said Chris Marling, editor of Broadband Genie.
One of the more interesting tablets due out soon is HTC's Flyer which will be specially optimised for inputting text via a stylus rather than an on-screen keyboard, despite this promising innovation it still has the curse of the hight price tag and is expected to cost around £600.
