Things You Should Know If Considering A Tablet

The tablet, as in a slab that’s touchscreen only, as in iPad or iPad-like, is the new kid on the block right now. Many people are buying them and loving them. You may be riding the fence right now on whether to buy one or not, and that’s what this article is about, explained point by point.

1. They are still too expensive for what they are.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy one for this reason, but tablets right now are still on the high-priced end of the spectrum. Why? Simple answer: They’re still relatively new to the market, and as such command a higher price. Right now as I write this in early 2011 you have to be comfortable with that fact if considering purchasing one.

2. It’s a big phone without the phone.

This is not a drawback but rather a reality check. All tablets use mobile device operating systems. As such, a tablet basically acts pretty much exactly like a smartphone, except with a much larger screen and no wireless/cellular phone service. Again, this is not a bad thing because the tablet is inherently a mobile device. Remember, "mobile" does equal "phone". For example, Garmin GPS devices are also considered mobile devices.

If you have used or currently own a smartphone, expect the tablet to act just like the phone does in the way that it operates. The software will "feel" very similar between the two. Also bear in mind your tablet will not "act" like your PC or Mac in the traditional sense. Once again, not a drawback, but that’s the way they work.

3. It will not replace your desktop computer or laptop.

For certain things you want to do, you will still need your regular computer. For example, if you want to backup data to USB stick or DVD, data must be transferred from the tablet over your wireless network to your computer to do that, or synchronize your data to a web site where you can go to your computer, download it there and archive the data appropriately.

4. It is not ergonomically friendly.

On desktop computers we have ergonomic keyboards and mice readily available so our fingers and wrists don’t turn into a painful mess. Tablets are 100% touchscreen, and while it’s true you can connect external peripherals to most of them, you will be interfacing to your tablet by way of touchscreen mostly. This is something you will have to get used to, and my advice on that is simple: Do not type on a tablet for extended periods of time, because you will encounter wrist and neck (from looking down) pain. As the old saying goes, everything in moderation – and this definitely applies to tablets.

5. Resale value will be abysmal.

If you thought resale value of your desktop or laptop was bad, tablets will be even worse because they are designed from the ground up to be disposable – and yes this includes the iPad. A $500 iPad bought today will be worth less than $200 in less than a year from now. Remember, the battery isn’t replaceable and when the new iPad model is introduced (rumored to be this year), the resale value of the existing model will drop like a brick. Other brands and models will suffer a similar fate.

As I said, tablets are designed to be disposable. Once you buy yours, should you choose to do so, plan on keeping it for the long haul because you’ll never get back what you paid for it – and not even the Apple brand will save you in this respect.

When will be a good time to buy one?

Later this year, probably by around third quarter (June). There will be many new tablets introduced to market at that point, plus the new iPad 2 should make its appearance by then. These new tablets will be much better all-around, many with USB ports (an absolute necessity),and have better apps specifically designed for tablet screen use (instead of just carrying over what’s on smartphones currently).

If you currently own a tablet, you didn’t make a bad purchase – but you may want to consider selling it now while the resale value is good so you can put your cash towards second-generation tablets coming out later this year, because believe me, those when introduced will be much better suited for long-haul use.