Even as manufacturers up the ante in the tablet wars and pack in more features into their devices, we take a slightly cynical step back and point out what we would rather NOT have in these very handy gadgets. So here's our list of seven things that we hope tablets lose, rather than gain, in the coming days.
Big megapixel cameras
A front-facing camera for video chats and a basic camera for shooting impulse videos and shots are fine, but we must confess that we are not convinced by the rationale of plonking a 5.0- or 8.0-megapixel shooter on a tablet. Tablet cameras are not easy to use, thanks to the size and weight of the devices. Also, we have seen that almost all tablet owners generally possess a smartphone which is not only easier to use for taking pictures but also has a better camera.
Slimmer frames
Anorexia might be desirable on a catwalk, but we are not too sure if it makes sense in a tablet. Yes, slimmer devices are lighter to carry and look a lot sleeker, but after a stage, they start appearing fragile and are not exactly reassuring to hold. We have lost count of the number of people who said that they love the sleek iPad 2, but were more relaxed holding the original iPad, simply because it felt so much more solid. Similarly, there were many who were put off by the stiff price tag of Sony's Tablet S but rare was the person who did not like its slightly bulky, "folded magazine" feel. The millimetre battle for slimmest device starts becoming silly after a while and we do think that the 25.7-cm (10.1-inch) Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2 are about as comfortably slim as one can get.
App-less super processors
We are going to go out on a limb and proclaim that having multiple cores and oodles of Ghz in a processor does not really count for much if there are not too many apps to make the most of these features. This in particular applies to Android where manufacturers seem to be tripping over each other in an attempt to incorporate faster, multiple-core processors in their tablets. Yes, it is great to have powerful processors in a device, but not all users use their tablets for video editing or high-definition gaming--most users want little more than decent Web and social network access, which can be provided even by a relatively lower specced device. It bears considering that the two tablets that really did well in 2011--the iPad 2 and Kindle Fire, succeeded because of their interface and app and services integration, rather than overwhelming superior processing power.
Weird screen sizes and resolutions
Tablets have been around for less than two years and we already have seen a profusion of screen sizes with different resolutions scattered all over the market. Interestingly, the one tablet that has hogged most of the market, media and mind space is the one that changed neither its display size nor resolution in this period-Apple's iPad. The market has clearly shown that there are two screen sizes for a tablet--approximately seven inches for those who value portability, and about ten inches for those who do not mind using both hands to use a device. So we really wish the experimentation with odd screen sizes (5.3 inches, 7.7 inches, 8.9 inches, et al) would stop as it seems like innovation for its own sake. As for display resolution, we saw what havoc could be wreaked if a tablet had a resolution with very few apps to support it when a number of Android Honeycomb tablets came out with fabulous resolutions, but few apps designed to truly support them. In screen resolutions (as in processors), we really think the rule is "do not increase if you do not have the apps for it".
GPS
A tablet is way too big to be used comfortably as a navigation device, and one can find one's location (for new-based apps and the like) just as easily through triangulation via a data connection, or heck, even just plain type it in. So we are not really sure what GPS is doing in most tablets. Again, most tablet users have smartphones that are a whole lot more convenient to use for both navigation and location-based apps. No, we do not think we would miss GPS in a tablet. And would be grateful for the battery life it saves.
Colossal storage
We keep being told how expensive Flash memory is and how easy it is to store data on the cloud through a connected device. And yet we continue to see manufacturers going crazy offering tablets with different storage levels--16 GB/ 32/GB/ 64GB--and at significantly different price tags. We are going to see a few tablets with 128 GB storage too this year, if rumours are to be believed and it is not going to come cheap. Better cloud integration or just a memory card slot would be a better, and more economical, storage option we think. Almost a year and a half after we bought it, we still are using our 16GB iPad and have 5GB onboard storage to spare.
Crazy launch price tags
Yes, we know that some people will think that this is an obvious point and applies to most tech products, and not just tablets. We agree with that rationale. However, we must also confess that barring the Amazon and Apple, most tablet manufacturers seem to have a penchant for releasing devices with insane price tags. In India too, for a while, it was almost impossible to get a decent tablet for less than Rs 25,000, and prices really went south only when Reliance came out with its aggressively priced 3G Tab. Yes, the Rupee might be taking a bashing, but there's surely a lesson to be learnt from the surge in the sales of devices after their prices were spectacularly cut--as can be seen from the BlackBerry PlayBook and the 17.8-cm (7-inch) original Samsung Galaxy Tab. The former was launched at around Rs 27,000 and really set the market on fire when its price was almost halved for some time recently, while the Galaxy Tab was launched at almost Rs 35,000 but is now selling (and selling well) for as low as Rs 15,000. Ditto the Motorola Xoom which had few takers at its initial Rs 30,000-plus price tag, but is now racking up steadily sales with its price hacked to approximately Rs 22,000.
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