Confused about tablets

[worwig]

So the other day, a friend was talking to me about getting a device for his wife. He is a smart guy, but doesn't do gadgets. Never looked at a tablet.
His wife uses an Android phone. She wants a tablet to read books, get email, web surf, Facebook, etc. He was thinking about a Kindle. He ask if a Kindle was an iPad.
I explained that the Kindle was different, and the E-ink display models are great for reading books, but little else. Then there is the Kindle fire, but if you got that, you may want to step up to look at the Asus Transformer. He again asked if that was an iPad. I again explained that the iPad was an Apple product. I don't think he got it.
But what I did get through to him with was that since his wife has, and likes, her Android phone, the Asus tablet will be a perfect fit. He did grasp that compatible part. So he went out and bought one that night. Which is another story, because all of the usually places had sold out as fast as they came in the doors.

So any way, why is it that people, even otherwise intelligent people, think that my Android phone is an iPhone and any tablet is an iPad?
Clueless, I guess.

 

[xikle]

I think part or most of it is marketing, there are a lot more ads for the iPad then there are for Android tablets.

Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk

 

[mknollman123]

they also have marketing consistency - there is only one ipad - it is eay to say and to understand. There are countless android tablets - some of which re crappy knockoffs - and there is no cohesive message there.

Also what is easier to say - ipad or Asus eeepad transformer prime

 

[zedorda]

Consumer cattle get confused easily. For those of us few that have been building our own tablets since the 80s for our own use from PC components (aka UMPC) can grasp these concepts abit easier. Early UMPCs were huge in comparison and battery life was really a joke but the functionality was equal to a home PC if not alot slower. We need to offer our consumer cattle brothen as much help as we can so they don't get exploited.

To me is really odd to even consider a tablet as anything other than just another computer. I think the excessive glorification of the form factor (PC,laptop,netbook,notebook,UMPC,MID,tablet) of each computer as if they are new inventions making some people think they have to relearn a completely new device.

 

[MeshiaSamurai]

I think there is so much saturation of advertising for Apple products that many consumers just think all tablets are iPads, as though "iPad" were the name of the form factor, and not the name of a specific product. Apple sure acts like they own the form factor.

The first question I get when I pull out my Transformer (unless I have it connected to the keyboard dock) is always, "Is that an iPad!?" To which I graciously explain, "No... It's better than an iPad." I've gotten enough funny stares from people to know that they still think it's an iPad because they think 'iPad' means 'tablet'.

 

[worwig]

Also what is easier to say - ipad or Asus eeepad transformer prime

There is truth to that. I had always just refered to mine as an Asus tablet. But when telling my friend what to get I had to say 'Asus Eee pad Transformer". Realizing that was a mouthful, I then simply told him to look at the Asus TF101.