How to buy the latest tablet: Are there options other than the iPad? Sochika Nishida's Map of the Digital Future
Digital Flash
Tablets are convenient devices, but they are not as essential to life as smartphones. However, the cost performance of equipment has improved, and the number of good products that are easy to purchase is increasing. In particular, the "bargain" of the 7th generation iPad is overwhelming. Introducing the tablet you want to choose this winter.
Decline in sales due to lack of lineup
The size of the tablet market has been slowly declining over the past few years. According to a survey released by MM Research Institute in May 2019, the number of tablet shipments in Japan in fiscal 2018 was 7.89 million units, which is 9.3% lower than in fiscal 2017. The forecast for FY2019 calls for a further 5.6% decline to 7.45 million units.
Why did it decrease? Various reasons are cited in the survey, but the author believes that it is "lack of product lineup".
The tablet market gained a lot of attention when Apple released the iPad in 2010. Since then, many products have appeared, but the problem is that Apple has become more powerful than smartphones.
In smartphones, the market has been constructed by competing with Android and iPhone. Various product genres, from high-end to low-priced, have been created, and the ability to choose products from a wide variety of variations has led to the revitalization of the market. However, the number of tablet products that do not require performance from the beginning has increased. The market has gone too far in the direction of ``tablets are for viewing content, so low prices and low specifications are fine.'' Especially in Android, there are very few high-end products. Google itself, the flag bearer of Android, has stopped commercializing its own Android tablet.
Currently, if you choose a high-end tablet machine, the iPad is the only choice, and the iPad has better apps for tablets. As for Windows, the low-priced tablet products are not complete and cannot be recommended. The iPad, which is a "comfortable computer that uses a pen, touch, and camera," Windows products, which are "reasonably expensive computers that can also be used as tablets," and Android tablets, which are "devices for viewing content at a low price." The market has been divided.
Although the cost performance of the 7th generation iPad is overwhelming
, the tablet market in 2019 is not bad. In particular, the market leader, the iPad, has expanded its product lineup, and the number of products with high satisfaction has increased. 2019 was a year of good harvest for the iPad, and this is likely to have a significant impact on tablet sales volume in 2019.
Apple's 7th generation iPadThe most significant feature is the improved functionality of the cheapest model, the 7th generation iPad (starting at 34,800 yen excluding tax). Although it is an inexpensive model, the performance is sufficiently high, and it is compatible with the separately sold "Apple Pencil". It's a little more expensive than other companies' low-priced tablets, but even with the pen, it's less than 50,000 yen excluding tax. With this, there is no big difference between the iPad Pro that costs more than 100,000 yen and the apps that can be used. "Display color reproducibility", "storage capacity", "speed when performing large-scale processing", etc. will be the best for the iPad Pro, but if you are not so particular, the 7th generation iPad will be sufficiently satisfying. you will get
As already mentioned, the iPad is oriented toward the route of "a personal computer that is different from a personal computer." Most of the processing required for a personal computer, such as file processing, office document creation, photo and video processing, can be handled in the same way. The iPad is more comfortable than a PC that you can get for less than 50,000 yen. The types of software that can be used and the degree of completion are also high. If you choose a tablet as your daily computer, especially the 7th generation iPad is highly recommended in terms of cost performance.
There is also a new "iPad mini" as a smaller model. This is also compatible with the pen, and the performance has improved from the past. However, many of the current iPad applications are developed for 10-inch class displays, and are less satisfying to use as a tool. If the main purpose is to view content without requiring computer-like elements such as document creation and photo processing, the iPad mini is also good.
iPad miniAndroid is attractive as a “low-priced product”
Android is overwhelmingly attractive as a “low-priced product”. As mentioned above, there are few high-end products, especially those sold in the Japanese market. On the other hand, due to the fierce competition for low-priced products, the improvement in cost performance is conspicuous.
Amazon's "fire HD 10". Cases sold separatelyAn especially cheap one is Amazon's "fire HD 10." Although this product is an Android-based tablet, Google Play cannot be used, and it is necessary to use Amazon's app store and content stores such as e-books and videos. However, it is cheap anyway on top of the high degree of perfection. In front of the low price of 15,980 yen (including tax) at the regular selling price, other products are dim. On Cyber Monday in December, it was sold at a price of 9,980 yen (including tax), which is less than 10,000 yen. If you use a paid service called Amazon FreeTime, there is content for children and you can set usage time limits. Hardware is cheap because Amazon makes money by charging for services and content.
As a general Android tablet, Huawei's "MediaPad" series also has good cost performance. MediaPad has high specs as an Android tablet sold in Japan, and the point is that there are many variations. Personally, I recommend the latest model, the 8-inch middle class “MediaPad M5 lite (8-inch) 64GB” with built-in LTE. It is inexpensive at 30,800 yen (excluding tax), but since it has built-in LTE, you can communicate anywhere by inserting a SIM card. It would also be good for elderly people who find it difficult to see the small screen on their smartphones.
MediaPad M5 liteWindows tablet should be selected as a personal computer
Regarding Windows, the low-priced tablet is not good enough to think that it should not be selected. Those under 50,000 yen are inferior to iPads and Android tablets in the same price range, due to their low specs and low utility value as personal computers. You should choose an expensive 2-in-1 product that has enough performance as a personal computer. In that case, the price will inevitably be higher, so it is better to consider "choosing it as a personal computer" instead of "choosing it as a tablet".
Surface Pro 7In that sense, Microsoft's standard "Surface" series is easy to choose. The latest model "Surface Pro 7" has sufficient specs and usability as a personal computer, and is an unmistakable choice. The "Surface Pro X" scheduled to be released in 2020 has a larger screen, a thinner design, and a pen that can be stored. It is also important that there is a model with built-in LTE. However, since the CPU is not of the x86 series, it has some peculiarities in practice. It's not too late to consider purchasing even after it goes on sale and receives feedback on its usability.
Surface Pro X. Equipped with an ARM-based processor developed with US Qualcomm Sochika NishidaFreelance journalist. Born in Fukui prefecture in 1971. Specialty genres include personal computers, digital AV, home appliances, and network-related "all things that flow electricity or data".
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